Rebirth Swapped Bride: Married to a Ruthless Cursed billionaire Book2-Chapter 148: Chat between two best friends

Chapter 148: Chat between two best friends
When Sarah appeared, Beauty clung to her arm as if grasping a lifeline.
"Sarah, you’re here."
Sarah casually flicked her jet-black hair over her shoulder, deliberately ignoring Drake and Samantha seated on the other side.
With a bright smile, she turned to Lucas.
"What’s the occasion for this sudden dinner gathering?"
Lucas took a slow sip of whiskey, his gaze briefly flickering toward Drake before replying coolly, "I was the one who invited everyone, but President Drake insisted on footing the bill.
Who was I to refuse?"
A faint smirk ghosted across Sarah’s lips.
Had she known Drake was hosting, she wouldn’t have come at all.
Her eyes then drifted indifferently to Beauty’s face.
Just then, Drake—who had remained silent until now—rose from his seat.
His gaze swept past the refined Ryan before lingering briefly on Sarah.
In a subdued tone, he announced, "Today marks the day Lucas and Beauty officially registered their marriage.
I wanted to treat everyone to celebrate."
Sarah’s almond-shaped eyes widened in shock as she turned to stare at the silent Beauty.
The news hit her like a thunderbolt.
She had always known Lucas wouldn’t let Beauty go easily, but she never expected him to resort to this marriage.
It was beyond anything she could have anticipated.
"Lucas, are you serious?"
Sarah lifted her gaze to meet his, suspicion flickering in her eyes.
Lucas didn’t hesitate.
"Absolutely.
We just registered today.
From now on, she’s my lawful wife.
Any problem with that?"
Sarah froze for several seconds, the abrupt revelation leaving her utterly stunned.
Although Lucas had been single for so long, he occasionally had different female companions by his side—though those were nothing more than fleeting dalliances.
Could Beauty simply be a temporary distraction to ease his loneliness and emptiness?
"Beauty, what are you thinking?
Do you really want to be Mrs. Marson?"
Long before today, she had already laid out the pros and cons of becoming Lucas’s woman.
Yet, in the end, Beauty had still plunged headfirst into it.
Beauty fell silent for a moment, her pink lips pressing together.
When she noticed a sharp, almost murderous gaze directed at her, she couldn’t help but shiver.
"I... I don’t have the luxury of choice.
Whether I like it or not, I’m already Mrs. Marson now."
A trace of resentment lingered in her voice.
She didn’t want to hide it in front of her best friend, nor did she want to keep enduring Lucas’s domineering control.
Sarah curled her lips into a faint smile.
No matter what, she ought to wish her best friend happiness.
As long as Lucas didn’t hurt her, Beauty could still be a contented woman.
Drake picked up a microphone, turned on the TV, and selected a few songs.
He and Samantha began singing together, their voices harmonizing perfectly as a tender love ballad filled the private room.
Drake had always been exceptionally attuned to music. His deep, velvety voice made him wildly popular among the girls back in school.
That was how he and Sarah had first met—at a singing competition.
He had been a contestant in the school’s vocal competition, while she, as the campus’s most beautiful hostess, had been the emcee.
The moment their eyes met during the event, they had fallen for each other at first sight.
Memories came flooding back.
Watching Drake’s back now, Sarah suddenly felt a pang of bitterness.
Her red lips tightened, and an overwhelming ache settled in her chest.
"Sarah, I need to go to the restroom.
Come with me!" Beauty, seated nearby, caught the subtle tension in the air.
As a woman, she was naturally sensitive to such things.
Without hesitation, she grabbed Sarah’s hand and pulled her out of the room.
The air outside was indeed much fresher than inside the private booth, at least not as suffocating.
The two women sat in a lounge area, each holding a cup of coffee, facing each other in silence.
Yet, there was a quiet beauty at the moment.
After a long pause, Sarah finally spoke up,
"Why did you agree to become Lucas’s wife?
Knowing you, I’d think you’d run as far away as possible.
What kind of trick did he pull to make this happen?
Unless you two have already..." Sarah swallowed the unspoken words, but Beauty understood perfectly.
Not that it mattered—she and Lucas had long crossed that line.
But to her, that wasn’t the point. In her eyes, nothing was more important than freedom.
Just thinking about that contract made her blood boil.
She never expected him to resort to such underhanded tactics to force her to stay by his side.
Ten million—what kind of sum was that?
Enough to make her fingers cramp from counting.
An ordinary person could work their whole life and never earn that much.
If she left Lucas now, she’d be right back where she started—blacklisted by every company, struggling to survive.
Sooner or later, she’d have to crawl back to him.
If she was going to end up begging for his mercy anyway, why not play along now?
Agreeing to be his wife would save her a lot of suffering.
At least in this world, no one would dare lay a finger on her as long as he was around.
Sarah smirked faintly.
"I never thought Lucas would go this far.
He must have really pulled out all the stops to keep you by his side.
Truth is, he’s a man of deep loyalty.
Ever since Amelia left, he hasn’t shown interest in any woman—until you came along."
Beauty almost laughed.
She knew better than anyone that what Lucas felt for her now was nothing but possessiveness and habit.
He was used to having her around, used to claiming her as his.
But was that love?
She couldn’t even begin to imagine what Lucas would look like in love—let alone picture him loving her.
"Let’s head back.
We’ve been out too long—that man inside might get suspicious.
Thanks for keeping me company; I feel much better now.
I wouldn’t want to leave Ryan alone there to fend off those two tigers."
With that, Sarah grabbed her wrist and strode back toward the private room.
The earlier emotional outburst had faded, replaced by a radiant smile on her face.
Inside, Drake had set down the microphone and was sipping from a wine glass.
To her shock, the man seated beside him, deep in conversation, was none other than Ryan.
Sarah nearly stumbled in surprise.
"Ryan, sorry for leaving you alone here," she said smoothly, slipping into the seat between Drake and Ryan.
She turned to Ryan with a gentle smile, deliberately turning her back to Drake.
Ryan draped an arm over her shoulder, his expression easygoing.
"No worries. President Drake and President Lucas were great company.
We had a good chat."
"Good.
You should talk more with Lucas.
Since you’re planning to start your own business, who better to learn from than the top name on the rich list?"
Her words completely bypassed Drake, sparking a surge of irritation in him.
He grabbed a bottle and downed half of it in one go, the sight making Beauty gulp nervously.