Lana finally made it back home, she had lost her appetite and didn't know what to do.
She slumped on her bed and let the tears flow freely, how was she going to get out of a situation like this now?
The thought that Anya could be somewhere they were hurting her and she couldn't do anything to help.
She hadn't gotten proper sleep so when the dizziness came, she didn't try to fight it and slowly she slipped into slumber.
************************
Lucien's escorts were already at their positions when he came out of the room. From the look on Joe's face, it was obvious that he had been worried about Lucien.
He waited until they got into the car to say something. The car they were in was noise proof in case someone was going to overhear them.
"So, how did it go? Any positive feedback?" Joe asked, barely containing his anxiety.
"Well, it went just as we expected it would go, when I threw the question at him he couldn't hide his facial expression and it was the easiest give off but he didn't tell me anything about him."
"At least we have the video evidence we can use against him."
Lucien didn't look excited about that, there wasn't enough time to fully set their plan in motion, his father was going to transfer the ownership of the business to someone else who wasn't him.
Lucien cursed under his breath. He had always lived in his shadow, walked in his shadow, even breathed the same air as him, the very man he wanted to find. The very man he was ready to go to extreme lengths in order to pin his whereabouts.
"We do not have much time Joe, even if by some miracle we expose him or threaten him to tell us where he is, my dad would have transferred the business to someone else."
"Then it would mean you'd have to find a wife in two weeks Lucien…"
"Damn it!" He rubbed his face and for the first time Joe could see that Lucien was truly distressed.
"I suggest we get back and properly plan our next move but if what you're saying is true, then we do not have much time to sit and relax. Your dad is just as smart as you are and if you do not hurry somehow, it would be too late."
But how was he going to find a woman in two weeks?
"Where am I going to find a woman who is willing to settle down in two weeks?" Joe raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"You certainly can't mean that Lucien." Lucien turned to look at him as though he was unaware of the obvious.
"Don't look at me like that man, you're THE LUCIEN CRANE there isn't a single woman in Newton city who wouldn't say yes to you."
"You could easily pull even the married ones if that's your type." It was meant to be a joke referring to the time Lucien almost made a minister give up her marriage and kids just to be with him.
He chuckled but in his eyes was immense sadness. There was only one woman he wanted to do that with, even at this very moment, he still thought of her.
"You're right Joe, it's time to go through with plan B, even if the prime minister indeed has contacts linking to that man, there's no guarantee that even if we threatened him with this video, he'd actually give in. From the looks of it, we aren't the only ones who have tried to pull something like this on him. He might as well just accept it and move on and we'd lose both ways. No evidence, no revenge."
Joe truly felt for Lucien, he had been there with him when he had the accident that almost cost him his life. He knew Lucien never truly healed.
"So where do you want to start looking for your new bride?" Joe said in a bit to liven up the mood and it worked because Lucien started laughing and it was clear that he was back to his old self.
"Let's go somewhere we can relax for now, I need to think carefully." Joe had never seen him look so serious .
"Well, we've wasted quite some time here." He spoke into the phone and it was the cue for them to start moving.
The drive was very quiet, Lucien stared out at the city. It was noon already and the city had this warm atmosphere that reminded him of autumn. His favorite weather.
He still saw her face in his dreams even on nights he didn't want to and now he had to make a decision he swore he'd never cross.
*******************
Lana woke up to her phone ringing. It was the hospital her mom was staying at. It was then she realized that she hadn't gone to see her mom in a while.
"Hello, is this Lana Hart's residence?"
"Yes, yes it is, did something happen to my mom?"
"Not quite but you were supposed to come to the hospital last week and there's been no update from you since then. It's about your mom anyway and the doctor would like to have a talk with you so please do well to visit before the weekend runs out."
"There's no need to worry, my sincere apologies. I've had a lot going on lately but I'll be there soon."
"That's fine then, we'll be expecting you." The line went dead.
You've got to pull yourself together Lana, get your shit in order. You can't lose both your niece and your mother all at the same time. She tried to encourage herself and started getting ready.
*********************
They arrived at a reserved lounge and Lucien couldn't be happier to be out of there.
"You know, I asked where I was going to find a woman in two weeks right?" His eyes glowed evilly.
"I've found her already."