Rebirth Swapped Bride: Married to a Ruthless Cursed billionaire Book2-Chapter 177: Did you bring anyone else back home?

Chapter 177: Did you bring anyone else back home?
Beauty helped Sarah settle onto the sofa, then fetched a carton of yogurt from the fridge to gently press against the reddened mark on her right cheek—the lingering sting from Samantha’s slap.
Anger and frustration simmered in her chest.
"I’m so sorry, Sarah.
If I’d been quicker, that woman wouldn’t have gotten the chance to hit you.
Does it still hurt?"
If not for Samantha’s pregnancy, Beauty would’ve shoved her to the ground without a second thought.
How dare she act so brazenly in front of Sarah?
The thought alone made her grit her teeth.
Sarah offered a faint smile, though her eyes remained hollow.
"The pain isn’t from my face—it’s from here."
She pressed a hand to her chest.
"Skin heals.
But when someone wounds your heart, the scars never fade."
Drake’s first instinct had been to pull Samantha into his arms.
That betrayal cut deeper than any slap.
A bitter laugh escaped her.
"What does it matter now?
She’s carrying his child.
In his eyes, I’m nothing."
Lucas, who had been silently observing, finally spoke up.
He watched this toxic dance between Sarah and Drake for ten years—two people who loved each other yet only knew how to inflict pain.
"You didn’t see how frantic Drake was when I told him Samantha came for you," he said, leaning back on the sofa.
"He walked out of a shareholders’ meeting for this.
His grandfather will skin him alive later."
Sarah’s lips twisted into a mirthless smile.
"Fantastic?
Oh, I saw it.
But not for me.
He rushed here to protect his precious fiancée and their unborn child.
Do you really think he still cares?"
She forced another smile, brittle as glass.
"Don’t waste your breath defending him, Lucas."
Beauty had pulled her out of hell once.
Now, it felt like she was drowning in ice-cold darkness again—suffocating, crushing.
If she wasn’t already going mad, the world certainly was.
Lucas let out a sigh.
"Actually, Drake has his own struggles.
Right now, the Drake and Samantha corporations are business partners—when one thrives, the other prospers; when one suffers, the other falters.
No matter what, he’s still Drake at heart.
He can’t just stand by and watch the company collapse.
The Drake Group is already in dire straits, barely keeping its head above water."
Aside from advertising and marketing, the
Drake Group’s core business was in finance.
But with the current market downturn and their partnership with Samantha family tying them together, they were in a precarious position.
"So he and Samantha are on the same side.
We can never be friends, let alone lovers—only enemies."
Sarah rubbed her temples as she rose from the couch.
The events of the day were replayed in her mind like a roaring train, leaving her dizzy and disoriented.
"You two stay here for a bit.
I have a headache—I need to go upstairs and rest."
"Sarah, do you want me to come with you?"
Beauty stood up, but Sarah declined with a faint smile.
"No need.
I’d rather be alone for a while.
Keep Lucas company for me, will you?"
Keep *him* company?
What for?
As Sarah’s figure disappeared around the corner, Beauty was about to slip away when a strong hand suddenly pulled her back.
"Did you sleep well last night?"
Lucas’s unexpected gentleness caught her completely off guard.
She stood frozen in shock, her jaw nearly dropping, before finally snapping back to reality.
"Pretty well, actually.
Much better than when I had to share a bed with *you*."
Beauty tilted her head smugly.
Before she could react, his arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her firmly against him.
"Seems like you’re enjoying yourself a little too much out here.
When are you planning to come back?"
Beauty propped her chin on one hand, pondering for a brief moment before arching an eyebrow.
"I’ll go back once Sarah’s in a better mood," she declared.
The man’s sharp brows knitted together in displeasure.
Sarah had suffered consecutive heavy blows—her spirits weren’t likely to lift anytime soon.
Did that mean he was doomed to monkhood, left to languish alone in an empty bed?
His hawk-like eyes narrowed as he pinned her with a stare.
"And if Sarah never cheers up?
Are you saying you’ll never return?"
"Hmm, that’s an option worth considering!"
Beauty blinked innocently and had just begun to shift away when he abruptly pressed her back down.
The heat in his gaze sent shivers racing down her spine.
Trembling, she met his eyes, nearly biting her tongue in the process.
"Lucas!
What do you think you’re doing?"
"What does it look like?"
His voice was a low growl.
"Exactly what I should be doing."
He dipped his head, grazing her neck with teasing nips before deepening the contact.
A scorching dryness flooded Beauty’s throat, her body melting into liquid fire beneath him.
" Sarah is still here! What if she comes downstairs?" she gasped.
"She’s already been through so much—are you really going to torture her further?"
What kind of twisted logic was that?
Lucas’s brow twitched in irritation.
Just because Sarah was perpetually miserable, did that mean he had to live like a celibate monk?
Why should he suffer for the sins Drake had committed?
"By the way, Sarah is planning to sell the house, but this place holds so many childhood memories for her.
I know deep down she’s reluctant to let it go."
Just as the man was getting into the mood, Beauty’s sudden remark made his brow furrow again.
Clearly, if this matters with Sarah wasn’t resolved, it would keep interfering with his married life.
In one swift motion, he scooped the woman up from the couch and settled her onto his lap.
One hand rested at her waist, the other gently covering the back of her hand.
His lips parted slightly as he murmured, "Drake and I have already discussed Sarah’s situation.
No matter which one of us takes over the house, she won’t have to sell it.
I’ve already lined up a buyer who’s offering more than her expected price.
We just need her to agree.
And if she ever wants to buy it back in the future, we can sell it to her at a lower rate.
Everything in the house will stay exactly as it was when she moved out—nothing will be touched."
So he had already thought everything through.
A warm feeling spread through Beauty’s chest.
"But you and Sarah have known each other for so long.
What if she finds out you were the one behind this?"
After all, Sarah had been in this circle for years—she’d seen all kinds of people and wasn’t someone easily fooled.
Lucas’s fingers traced light circles on her wrist, like a tiny ant skittering across her skin, sending tingles through her body.
Shifting positions, Beauty straddled his lap, facing him.
She tilted her chin up, meeting his cool, composed gaze.
"Anyone I bring in will be flawless.
Do you really think I’d handle things as sloppily as Drake?"
Beauty: "..." Of course, a CEO like him would speak with such unshakable confidence.
Suddenly remembering something, she looped her arms around Lucas’s neck, her fingers idly tracing circles on his chest.
"I wasn’t home yesterday—did you bring anyone else back to the villa?"