The CEO's Secret Obsession-Chapter 117: Lucas’ Warning

Evelyn stood where she was, the paper bag still clutched in her hands and her eyes fixed on the empty space he had disappeared into.

Something about the interaction sat wrong with her. It wasn’t what Jack had said, it was what he hadn’t.

"Evelyn."

She startled slightly and turned.

Lucas stood a few feet away, hands in his jacket pockets, his expression unreadable but alert. He had clearly seen Jack leave.

"What was that about?" he asked calmly.

Evelyn hesitated, then shook her head. "I don’t know, when I came down, he was still here but you know everyone else left hours ago."

Lucas’s brows knit together. "Still here?"

"Yes," she said slowly. "He said he came to see Alexander but he didn’t ask about him. And he looked—" She stopped, searching for the right word. "Off. Not smug, not defensive. Just wrong."

Lucas’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.

"That’s strange," he said after a beat.

"You think so too, right?" she pressed. "Because it felt strange. He looked like he hadn’t slept. Like he was scared of something."

Lucas didn’t answer immediately.

That silence told her more than words would have.

"Lucas," she said softly, "what is going on?"

He met her eyes then, really looked at her and whatever he saw there made his voice gentler.

"You don’t need to worry about Jack right now," he said. "Not tonight."

That wasn’t reassurance but deflection which only deepened her unease.

So should I worry?" she asked, nervous.

Lucas exhaled slowly through his nose. "I think you should do one thing."

"What?"

"Go back inside," he said firmly. "Be with Alexander. Right now, he needs you."

"And you?" she asked.

"I am heading out," he replied. "I will be back in the morning."

Something in his tone made her straighten. "Why? I thought you were staying too."

"I was but something came up so I have to leave. But I will be back as soon as I am done," he answered. "If anything feels off — anything at all — you call me immediately, okay?"

Evelyn’s fingers tightened around the paper bag. "Lucas—"

He shook his head gently. "Not tonight."

She searched his face, trying to read between the lines but Lucas had already put his walls back up.

"Go now," he urged softly. "I will handle the rest."

Reluctantly, she nodded.

As she turned back toward Alexander’s room, Lucas watched her go, his expression darkening the moment her back was to him.

Jack still being there wasn’t a coincidence.

And whatever was coming next, Lucas intended to see it first.

....

[Reid Mansion — Benjamin’s Study]

The study was lit by a single lamp.

Benjamin sat behind his desk, jacket discarded, sleeves rolled up and the faint smell of antiseptic from the hospital still clinging to him.

The polished surface in front of him was no longer pristine—files lay spread out in precise rows, maintenance records stacked neatly, inspection reports marked with small pencil notes in the margins.

Six months.

He had gone through every service Alexander’s car had undergone in the last six months.

Oil changes, software diagnostics, brake calibration, the routine inspections and emergency checks—he had gone through everything.

But there was nothing, not a single anomaly, a missed signature or a rushed approval.

The most recent service was done one week ago.

Benjamin’s fingers tapped once against the desk.

Cars didn’t just fail, not with the level of redundancy built into modern systems and definitely not without human interference.

He picked up the report again, rereading the final line.

’All systems cleared. Vehicle fit for operation.’

Benjamin exhaled slowly through his nose.

Someone had been careful enough to leave nothing behind.

Just then his phone vibrated.

He didn’t glance at the screen before answering. "Yes."

His assistant’s voice came through, respectful and cautious. "Sir, the accident vehicle has been transferred to a private inspection facility as instructed."

Benjamin leaned back slightly. "And?"

"They have begun a full forensic analysis. Brake lines, onboard computer, electronic control units—everything."

"How long?" Benjamin asked.

There was a brief pause. "Preliminary findings by morning. Full report by tomorrow evening."

Benjamin closed his eyes for a fraction of a second.

"Good," he said quietly. "I want everything. No summaries or assumptions."

"Yes, sir."

"And," Benjamin added, his voice dropping, "no one outside our circle touches that report before I do."

"Understood."

The call ended.

Silence reclaimed the room.

Benjamin stared at the files again, then slowly pushed them aside, interlacing his fingers.

If nothing had gone wrong mechanically then someone had made it go wrong.

First Heinberg and now Alexander’s accident.

A coincidence was a comfort for fools and Benjamin Reid had never been one.

His jaw tightened as another thought surfaced—one he hadn’t allowed himself earlier.

Who knew Alexander’s routines? Who had access? Who benefited from delay, fear, or removal?

Benjamin stood abruptly, walking toward the window overlooking the dark grounds.

"They wanted to slow down Alexander," he muttered under his breath. "Or remove him from the picture."

His reflection stared back at him.

Whoever had done this hadn’t just crossed a line.

They had declared war and Benjamin Reid did not lose wars.

He turned back toward the desk, already reaching for his phone again.

By tomorrow, the car would speak.

And when it did, someone’s life was going to unravel.

....

[Hospital Parking Lot]

The hospital parking lot was nearly empty, the overhead lights casting long, pale shadows across the concrete.

Jack had just reached his car when a voice stopped him.

"Leaving already?"

Jack froze for half a second before straightening and turning around.

Lucas stood a few feet away with his hands in his pockets, posture relaxed in a way that didn’t feel casual at all. He looked calm, composed and sharp, nothing like someone who had spent the entire day inside a hospital.

"I didn’t see you there," Jack said, forcing a thin smile. "Did you need something?"

Lucas tilted his head slightly, studying him. "Yeah, I do."

Jack’s fingers curled around his car keys. "If this is about Alexander—"

"It is," Lucas interrupted calmly. "And it isn’t."

That made Jack’s jaw tighten. "You are being vague."

Lucas stepped closer, just enough to invade Jack’s space without touching him. "Funny thing is, Jack, I hate vague people."

Jack scoffed, trying to reclaim ground. "You don’t get to interrogate me. You are not family. You don’t work here. You’re just—"

"Who said I am here to interrogate you?" Lucas said softly, smiling. "Maybe I am here to say hi or ask what you are up to these days."

Jack laughed under his breath. "What exactly do you want from me?"

Lucas’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. "All I want is the truth before things get messy."

Jack’s expression hardened. "I don’t know what you are talking about, I don’t know anything."

Lucas hummed thoughtfully. "Okay, let me ask you something. What were you doing this morning?"

"What kind of question is that?" Jack took a step back, irritation flaring. "You think I had something to do with this?"

"I think," Lucas said evenly, "that you have been orbiting trouble for weeks. Heinberg, the board, your sudden devotion to work and now your brother nearly dies in a brake failure that doesn’t just happen."

Jack’s throat bobbed. "You are crossing your limit now, Lucas."

"Am I?" Lucas asked. "Because from where I am standing, you look less like a worried brother and more like a man waiting for something to explode."

Jack’s voice sharpened. "Who do you think you are, threatening me like this?"

Lucas chuckled softly. "Threatening you? No. I am giving you an opportunity."

Jack stared at him. "An opportunity for what?"

"To confess," Lucas said simply. "If you know anything — anything at all — you say it now. Because once Benjamin finishes digging, you are dead meat."

Jack’s lips curled in disdain. "And you think you scare me?"

Lucas’s smile widened, slow and deliberate. "Oh, Jack,, if you don’t know who I am, then you really shouldn’t be playing this game."

Something in his tone finally cracked through Jack’s bravado and he gulped, scared.

"You think influence is loud," Lucas continued calmly. "But boardrooms, media, last names, that’s not real power."

He leaned in just slightly. "Real power is knowing things before people realize they are exposed."

Jack swallowed.

Lucas straightened, stepping back again, hands returning to his pockets. "I don’t care about your inheritance. I don’t care about family politics. I care about Alexander and I care about Evelyn."

Jack’s voice was tight now. "And if I tell you there’s nothing to confess?"

Lucas nodded once. "Then I believe you."

That almost made Jack laugh. "That’s it? You believe me and do nothing?"

"No," Lucas said. "Then I watch."

Silence stretched between them.

Lucas turned away, then paused. "One more thing."

Jack looked up.

"If this was an accident," Lucas said quietly, "you will be fine."

He glanced back over his shoulder, eyes cold. "But if it wasn’t, I promise you, your father won’t be the worst thing coming for you."

Lucas walked away, footsteps unhurried, leaving Jack standing under the harsh white lights.

Jack didn’t move for a long time.

Only when Lucas disappeared did Jack finally exhale, realizing something he hadn’t expected.

Lucas wasn’t bluffing aAnd for the first time since the accident, Jack understood that this wasn’t just about guilt anymore, it was also about survival.

....