The Charismatic Lucas Gray

Chapter 7

At the Brooks' villa…

In the conference room…

The room was in chaos, mirroring the uproar that had taken place at the Millers'.

The Brooks were shouting at the top of their lungs, all their anger directed at Ariadne and Lucas.

Seated in the seat of honor, Atticus Brook watched with a cold expression. He made no attempt to stop the commotion, choosing instead to watch calmly.

Although irritated by their behavior, which resembled that of market women, he knew it was better to let them release their pent-up anger and frustration rather than suppress it as bottling it up could have dangerous consequences.

"My Lord!"

Suddenly, a loud, frantic shout rang out.

The conference room door burst open, and a man in a crisp butler’s uniform rushed inside, his face pale.

Instantly, the room fell silent. Every eye turned to the butler. One glance at him was all it took for the Brooks to tense up, a single thought racing through their minds: Had the Millers made their move?

"Silas, you're the butler of the Brooks. No matter the situation, losing your composure is unacceptable. How many times have I warned you about this?" Atticus barked in displeasure, glaring coldly at the old man.

"I'm sorry, My Lord!" Silas fell to his knees. "But I truly couldn't keep my composure. The Millers have declared their partnership with us null and void, effective immediately! All the companies we've partnered with are pulling out, demanding compensation for breached agreements. Furthermore, the financial institutions we've borrowed from are insisting on immediate repayment, disregarding our previous agreements.

"We've already lost millions. Where can we possibly find the funds to settle these debts? They're threatening to freeze our accounts, seize our assets and take legal action against us if we don't pay up by 5 p.m. today. If this happens, even falling to a lower-tier family would be an impossible dream — we'd be completely done for!"

"My Lord!"

Silas hadn’t even finished speaking when another frantic voice echoed through the room. The conference room door burst open, and an older man rushed in, his face pale and his body drenched in sweat.

On seeing him, Silas's eyes widened in shock. This was the managing director who had just reported everything going on at the headquarters to him. What was he still doing here? "Dominic?" he called.

But Dominic was too rattled to respond. He dropped to his knees before Atticus. "My Lord! There's fire on the mountain at the headquarters! Upon learning about the situation, all our shareholders are outrageously demanding to redeem their shares, to be paid in cash immediately!

"There are over ten of them! Additionally, our staff and employees are submitting their resignation letters. Even HR can't stop them. They're demanding their month's salary on the spot!"

"My Lord!"

Another frantic voice rang out just as Dominic finished speaking.

An older man rushed into the room, his panic barely contained. He fell to his knees before Atticus. "My Lord, Brook Realty is facing multiple lawsuits from tenants and contractors. They claim that, given what's happening, we won't be able to pay them or complete ongoing projects. The entrance to the company is blocked as we speak!"

"My Lord!"

Yet another voice cut through the tension — another bearer of bad news!

The Brooks had a modest business empire, The Brooks' Corporation. The Brooks' Corporation had three main divisions:

The Brooks' Realty.

The Brooks' Manufacturing.

The Brooks' Services.

And now, not only was the headquarters under siege, but all three subsidiaries were in deep trouble. Even The Brooks' Manufacturing had been forced to shut its doors!

Silence hung in the air for a moment before the Brooks started cursing again, their voices even louder.

"It's that bitch and her worthless man who caused this!"

"Unbelievable! Because of her foolishness, she's about to destroy our family! How did we even raise someone like her?"

"And that loser! That mutt. How dare he drag us into this mess? He'd forever remain a nobody!"

"E—"

Suddenly, the door of the conference room opened, and Lucas, Ariadne, and her immediate family walked in.

All eyes turned to them.

There was a moment of silence, as if the Brooks were trying to verify who they were seeing, before the room erupted in a cacophony. They pointed fingers at Lucas, barking and glowering at him.

"You, loser, how dare you still have the guts to come here after what you did?"

"Are you trying to see what we'll do?"

"Who even opened the gates for you?"

"Get lost!"

"Scram!"

Lucas remained calm, his expression impassive. Holding the anxious Ariadne, he led her into the room and found her a seat. "Do your feet hurt?" As he helped her to the seat, he asked gently, going on one knee. "I'll massage them for you."

Ariadne flushed beet red. "Lucas, please read the room!" she said anxiously.

"It's just a few rabid dogs barking and wagging their tails. You don't need to bother about them," Lucas said dismissively, pulling off her shoes. Despite Ariadne's struggles, he placed her right foot on his knee and sensually began massaging it.

"What?!"

"Punk, who are you calling rabid dogs?"

"Do you want to die?"

"Guards!"

The Brooks were already infuriated to begin with. Lucas's statement sent them over the edge. They began barking like dogs, their faces flushed. It was one thing to cause the turmoil they were facing, another to be brazen enough to still show his face here, then yet another to ignore them — and now, he had the audacity to insult them in their own home! He was a loser — what gave him the guts? They were the Brooks!

"Enough!" Suddenly, Atticus slammed his hand on the conference table. "Must you react to every word thrown at you?"

The room fell silent, heads bowed, though the Brooks still clenched their teeth in anger. How dare that loser insult them? They felt like tearing him apart with their bare hands!

Atticus's gaze shifted to Lucas, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I see you've grown a backbone after six years."

Lucas didn't flinch. "What if I have?" he shot back. "Does that bother you?"

"Haha." Atticus laughed, but the laughter didn't reach his eyes. "Confidence is good, but without the power to back it up, it is nothing but foolishness."

Lucas scoffed. "Save that advice for your family."

"How dare—"

The Brooks were about to lash out, but one sharp glance from Atticus shut them up.

His gaze then fell on Ariadne. "Ariadne Brook," his voice was like ice. "You brought this disaster upon us. What do you plan to do about it?"

Ariadne wasn’t surprised to hear that her family was in crisis or that Atticus was holding her responsible, expecting her to find a solution. But she was just an ordinary lady. In the face of the Millers, what solution could she possibly come up with?

All she could do was bite her lower lip and whisper, "Grandpa, I'm sorry!"

"Sorry?" Atticus sneered. "Do you think 'sorry' will save us?" His expression darkened further. "Since you have no solution, I've made my decision.

"You and that loser will go to the Millers' villa and beg Seth and the Millers for forgiveness. After that, you'll head straight to the civil records office and get a divorce!"