CHAPTER 86: PLAYING THE GAME

"I... Mr. Hilton! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to!"

"I just happened to find out, so... so I..."

Lucas glanced at the man in front of him, dressed in black, wearing a baseball cap, looking like he was nearly forty. Was he really still out there working as a paparazzo?

He let out a cold laugh, then suddenly kicked his polished leather shoe, sending the man crashing to the ground.

The shiny tip of his shoe pressed against the man’s chest. "I’ll give you one minute to think it over. If you name the person behind this, maybe I’ll let you off the hook. If you choose to be stubborn, I can send you somewhere else to spend the rest of your life. Don’t worry, you won’t see tomorrow’s sun."

"Mr. Hilton, it’s not what you think! I swear, no one’s behind this. I’m just curious, and I’m leaving this line of work soon. I wanted to get some juicy footage, so I had no choice but to sneak in and take pictures of you."

The man grimaced in pain from the wound on his chest, his panicked eyes locking onto Lucas as he hurriedly explained.

"Looks like you’re not a smart guy. Since you don’t want to give yourself a chance, then I won’t give you one either."

Lucas gave a glance to the three bodyguards behind him and spoke flatly. "Take him to the police station. Tell them he was secretly photographing, violating my privacy, and I want to file charges."

"No, Mr. Hilton, I really didn’t mean it! I was wrong! I’ll delete all the photos right now, please let me go! I won’t do it again, I swear! I won’t show up in front of you again!"

The paparazzo actually had some skills.

Not just anyone could get into Blackstone Manor, especially with so many guards patrolling.

He must have used some special method to get in, though Lucas didn’t know how just yet.

Sophia suddenly walked up from behind and looped her arm through his, saying softly, "Lucas, don’t be angry. He doesn’t seem like he meant to do it. Why not let him go this time? If there’s a next time, we can deal with both old and new problems then."

Lucas gave her a glance.

"Thank you! Thank you, Miss Morgan! Thank you so much! I swear I won’t do it again! I won’t come back to bother you! Thank you so much!"

Sophia gave him a smile, stepped forward, and helped him up. "Since you’re older, I’ll let you off this time. But don’t do anything foolish again. Just because Lucas isn’t dealing with you now doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences later. Now, delete all the photos you took inside. If I see you again, no one will be able to save you."

"Thank you, Miss Morgan! Thank you, Miss Morgan!"

The man stood up, but Sophia didn’t let him leave just yet. She pressed her hand on his shoulder, smiling slightly. "Now, delete the photos you took earlier, and then you can go."

The man deleted all the photos right in front of her. "Miss Morgan, Mr. Hilton, I’ve deleted them. Can I leave now?"

"You can. But remember, I don’t want to see anything like this again."

"Okay, okay!"

The man hurriedly thanked them and quickly disappeared from Blackstone Manor, vanishing from their sight.

The bodyguards standing nearby were confused. "Mr. Hilton, Miss Morgan, you’re just letting him go like that?"

"You guys didn’t keep an eye on him, and now you’re asking me what to do? Don’t you know how the last group left?"

Lucas’ voice was cold, and he shot a casual glance at the people in front of him. They immediately lowered their heads, not daring to say a word.

"Considering you’ve only just arrived, I’ll chalk it up to you not being fully familiar with things yet. This is your first chance, and your last. If this happens again, you’re out."

"Yes, Mr. Hilton."

Lucas turned, casually wrapping his arm around Sophia, and headed inside the villa.

The man who had been dismissed waved for a taxi and let out a long breath, then stared at the camera in his hands.

The photos he had deleted earlier had somehow reappeared!

He laughed, holding the camera tightly.

Meanwhile, inside the villa, Sophia quickly sketched a few lines, capturing the appearance of the man who had been secretly taking photos.

She set the pencil down, her gaze as cold as Lucas’.

She picked up the headphones again, and the sound of traffic filled her ears.

"You’re quite impressive," Lucas commented as he looked at the portrait she’d drawn.

"I get the feeling you’re mocking me. Are you not being sincere?"

"You shouldn’t doubt me, but I’m more curious—how did you know he would go after the person behind this?"

Lucas, taking the approach of asking to learn, squatted down in front of her.

"The camera had a backup. He dared to come to Blackstone Manor because he had nothing to lose. If he left empty-handed, he’d probably die of frustration."

"So you deliberately let him go?"

Sophia, hearing the voices from the headphones, smiled faintly.

She reached out, her delicate fingers trailing from Lucas’s throat up to his chin.

Tilting his chin with a playful smirk, she raised an eyebrow, "This is called ’luring the snake out of its hole.’"

As Lucas reached out to grab her hand, Sophia, faster than him, handed him the headphones.

"Curious? Take a listen."

In the headphones, the man’s obsequious voice continuously reached his ears.

Soon, the sound of high heels clicking echoed through the room.

A woman’s voice followed.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "You know it’s her?"

"I don’t know for sure, but I’m not stupid. Anyone I know is fair game when I’m ruling people out. But she’s good at what she does. I’ve already had someone investigate—Olivia left the Morgan Family. She hasn’t shown up at any recent high-society gatherings. It’s not like her, but if she’s after revenge, it makes sense."

"So this man wasn’t just trying to figure out if we’re for real."

Before Lucas could finish, Sophia countered, "You’re wrong. She did want to see if I succeeded in climbing the social ladder. But there’s another reason. Nothing was going on, and yet someone decided to perform for the cameras, trying to make it look like we were being intimate. The day those photos get out, the comments might just say that Lucas couldn’t wait a second longer to be seen around the villa."

Lucas’ expression darkened slightly; she was right. "Who dares to say that?"

"They’ll be thinking it in their heads, acting like you have the ability to read minds. Aren’t you scared?"

"You’re my wife, why would I be scared?"

"True. A dead pig isn’t afraid of boiling water. Even if it burns, it acts like it didn’t happen."

With a "click," Sophia slammed the door shut. Before Lucas could react, she rushed into her children’s room.

Lucas, finally realizing what had just happened, couldn’t help but grin.

This woman... she really needed a lesson!