Chapter 61

Lucas POV

Hearing my father bring up Victoria made me mentally roll my eyes. He just had to mention her while Shana was sitting right next to me. I knew this conversation would upset her, given how she reacted when she found out Victoria was my fiancée.

Shana was still upset with me for listening to my father’s commands and requests, and rightfully so.

I understood why she would be upset, but she also doesn't understand what it was like to live in my shoes.

She didn’t know my father like I did.

He was a powerful and influential figure in our society, and his expectations weighed heavily on me.

It wasn't easy being an Alpha, especially one who was expected to uphold the family's legacy and protect the Busch's name.

“I don't need a friend who hides things from me and doesn't trust me enough with what's going on in their life," Shana's words echoed in my mind, causing me to worry.

She would be angry with me if I just accepted my father’s command. But going against him was easier said than done.

Besides, I didn’t want to spend a whole week with Victoria at a beach house. That sounded like the opposite of fun. Victoria and I were practically strangers, and the thought of being stuck with her for an entire week was not appealing in the slightest.

“No,” I said firmly, the word sounding surprisingly final coming out of my mouth. “No, I don’t want to join her at the beach house. She can go on her own.”

My father’s face fell as if he wasn’t expecting me to disobey him.

Honestly, I’ve never flat-out told him “No” before. His surprise surprised even me.

But I couldn't let my father dictate my life and decisions, especially when it came to matters of the heart.

I can’t believe I just told him no...

The realization hit me like a bolt of lightning.

This was uncharted territory for me, and I knew there would be consequences for challenging him like this.

I just hoped he wouldn't take it out on me here. Now. In front of everyone in this restaurant.

But if there's one thing I knew about my father, it's that he cared too much about his reputation and perception in society to ever create a scene. He wanted it to always appear as if everything was perfect— all the time.

“No?” My father asked after a long, quiet moment. He tilted his head to the side, anger slowly radiating through his features. “Care to explain why you can’t join Victoria on vacation?”

I racked my brain for a believable excuse. “I’m captain of the hockey team," I blurted out, hoping it would be enough to justify my decision. "We have hockey practice during winter break. I can’t miss all that time. The team depends on me."

My father looked like he wanted to laugh, clearly unimpressed by my reasoning. “That silly little game? That’s what’s preventing you from going?”

“It’s true, sir,” James spoke up, coming to my defense.

I shot him a look, trying to convey that he should stay out of it, but it was too late. My father’s attention was now on my best friend.

“James,” my father made a face after saying his name as if it tasted like burnt toast. “Nice to see my son still hangs around you.”

His comment was nothing but sarcastic, and I felt the need to defend James. He had been there for me through thick and thin, and I valued his friendship more than anything.

James only smiled, clearly trying to provoke my father further. “Wow, thanks, Mr. Busch. I guess you could say that your son has pretty good taste in friends.”

My father scoffed, over James and his teasing.

James always managed to get on his nerves quickly. It was amusing to witness sometimes, but right now, I didn't need any more tension in the room.

I also didn't want my father getting on James. He was too pure to be hurt by my cruel father.

“I’m not thrilled that you’ll be missing that time with Victoria,” my father spoke again, sending me daggers with his hard stare. “You should be spending more time with her as we get closer to the wedding."

“We get along just fine already,” I reasoned, trying to stand my ground.

"You're not making much of an effort. You can't argue with me and tell me that you're actually trying because I know you're not."

"What more do you want me to do?"

“I know you never attend any of the Alpha events,” my father glared at me, his judgmental eyes now shifting to Shana and James. “I’ve overheard Victoria mentioning it once. She never sees you there. It must be because of that… sport. Or…” He looked at my friends, implying that they were somehow influencing me.

Anger flared up within me as I watched my father judge my friends. It was one thing for him to be concerned with me, but another for him to be pointing his judgment toward my friends.

They had been nothing but supportive to me, even in all this secret-fiancée mess these past few days.

I still felt horrible that I had put them through that, but they managed to accept me and understand me anyway. I would never tolerate anyone looking at my friends this way, so why was I allowing my father to?

Shana met his stare with defiance, while James gave him the smuggest grin.

A sense of pride washed over me as I watched my strong friends hold their ground. Not many people can stand against Kendrick Busch. People usually cowered in fear when he walked into a room, but not my friends.

Their resilience was one of the many things I loved about both of them. As much as I admired them, right now, I felt like the weakest one out of the three of us.

What kind of example was I showing to them?

Why couldn't I stand up for what I wanted? Why couldn't I face my father with strength and power?

Instead, I started to feel the weight of his expectations crushed down on me, suffocating me.

“Remember, you don’t have to like her – you don’t even have to love her. You just have to be civil and make this relationship work. The company relies on it.”

My father gave me one last distinguished look before turning on his heel, ready to leave the restaurant.

It felt like minutes had passed, but in reality, it was only seconds.

My blood boiled over his newest request, and I couldn't stand the feeling of being so defenseless in front of my father.

The constant pressure he placed on me weighed heavily on my shoulders, and it felt like I would never be able to escape it.

I didn't know how much longer I could live like this. Would this be the rest of my life? Would I constantly follow my father's orders as if I was his trained dog? Would I never learn to speak up for myself and do whatever I pleased?

Why couldn't I just man up and speak my truth?

My skin crawled with the need to say something, so I stood up and shouted after him, “Do I have to marry Victoria?”