Fated Villain
Copyright© 2026 by Traverse
Chapter 34: What Was Her True Intent?
Lucas’s whole body stiffened. He turned around and saw that it really was Rose.
She stood shoulder to shoulder with Yelena, both of them glaring at him with icy expressions.
At that moment, Lucas and Sasha were still in a half-embrace.
Yelena narrowed her eyes and reminded him, “Lucas, how long do you plan to keep hugging her?”
Only then did Lucas snap out of it. He quickly pushed Sasha away and rushed over to Rose to explain.
“Baby, listen to me. It’s not what you think. There’s nothing going on between me and Sasha. I was just helping her try on a necklace.”
“A necklace?”
Rose looked at his neck and noticed the obsidian necklace he was wearing. It matched the one Sasha had on. It looked like a couple’s set.
Her gaze darkened. She unclasped the necklace from around his neck, tossed it onto the counter, and stepped toward Sasha in her heels.
“Miss Porter, are you unaware that Lucas is already engaged?”
Sasha smiled and picked up the necklace from the counter. “This is such big news. Who in all of Su City wouldn’t know? Of course I know.”
Rose scoffed. “Since you know, you still took my fiancé out shopping alone? I don’t care if you don’t mind damaging your own reputation, but don’t drag my fiancé down with you.”
The salesperson behind the counter looked at the three beautiful women in front of her and swallowed hard.
Normally, seeing one woman this pretty would already be a blessing.
Today, three showed up at once.
And two of them were even fighting over a man who looked like a total player.
What had this guy done in his past life to deserve such luck?
But Lucas didn’t feel lucky at all. He only felt regret.
[I never should’ve agreed to go shopping with Sasha. This is just asking for trouble. Even if her story arc hasn’t officially started, she’s still a dangerous character. How could I be so careless?]
[Now great, Rose and Sasha are clashing. As the bootlicker, what am I supposed to do? I’ve never been one before. How would I know?]
[Maybe I should calm Rose down and get her out of here first. If she really starts arguing with Sasha, things will blow up. Both of them have status and power in Su City. If it comes to a fight, it will hurt them both.]
[I don’t want either of them getting hurt because of me.]
All three women heard Lucas’s inner monologue. But their reactions were very different.
Sasha was pleased.
Even though she hadn’t spent much time with him, Lucas clearly had some feelings for her. At least he wasn’t completely siding with Rose. He still cared, still didn’t want to see her hurt.
That was enough.
Yelena gave a cold laugh.
So if she didn’t make a scene, she didn’t even exist?
This liar’s head was filled with Rose and Sasha, with no room for her at all.
Fine. Then she’d join the game too.
Rose’s expression had turned icy cold.
She had known Lucas the longest. They were already engaged. They had been physically close. She had made up her mind to spend her life with him.
But after all that, she still wasn’t enough to push Sasha out of his heart. At best, she was equal to her. Just another one he didn’t want to see get hurt.
This little bastard.
Was his heart made of stone? Had he still not truly fallen for her?
Unaware that his thoughts had been exposed, Lucas held Rose’s hand.
“Baby, I’m starving. How about we find something to eat and I explain everything over lunch? Oh, and I got a gift today from the Porter family’s banquet. Tell me if you like it.”
He pulled out a pair of gold Pixiu figurines and handed them to her.
Rose froze.
If she remembered correctly, these were the plum-inlaid gold Pixiu figurines that the Porter family had once publicly exhibited. Elder Porter had carved them himself.
At the time, a wealthy businessman had offered five million for them. Elder Porter had refused on the spot, saying they were meant to be his daughter’s dowry.
Now, Sasha had given such a priceless “dowry” to Lucas?
Her instincts had been right. That woman definitely had her eye on him.
Rose took the Pixiu and said coolly, “I may not like them, but since they’re from you, I’ll keep them. But Lucas, giving away something so valuable that someone else gave you? Aren’t you afraid she’ll be mad?”
Lucas glanced back at Sasha, then chuckled awkwardly. “She won’t mind. It was a gift from the Porter family’s jade workshop for VIPs like me. Sure, it’s expensive, but it’s their goodwill. There’s nothing to be upset about.”
Rose smiled faintly. “That does make sense. Alright then, I’ll take them. Thank you, hubby.”
Her most cherished collectible had just been handed off to another woman.
Sasha’s heart twisted, but her face remained calm. She smiled seductively.
“Looks like you didn’t like the gold Pixiu that much. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have given them away so easily.”
Lucas panicked and waved his hands. “No, I really like them...”
“But it’s fine. If you don’t like them, I can always give you something else. We’ll be seeing each other often anyway. Plenty of opportunities.”
Her eyes sparkled as she stepped in front of him. Then she stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek.
She whispered into his ear, “Thanks for going shopping with me and helping me try on the necklace. I’ll keep this men’s version of the couple’s necklace for now. One day, you’ll wear it again.”
She asked the clerk to pack the necklace, then turned and walked away from the mall, hips swaying.
One problem solved.
Lucas let out a breath of relief and turned back to Rose with a hopeful smile.
“Baby, shouldn’t you be working right now? What brings you to the mall?”
Rose didn’t want to seem like a jealous woman, so she kept it light. “Yelena and I are planning to buy a shopping mall. We’re scouting locations.”
Lucas was speechless.
Other women shopped for clothes or shoes. These two wanted to buy an entire mall.
Absolute insanity.
Sure, the White and Miller families were wealthy, but not rich enough to casually buy shopping malls. He didn’t remember them doing business together either.
Whatever.
Those two had already done plenty of outrageous things. He was used to it by now.
So he asked, “Why do you want to buy a mall?”
Yelena smiled and said, “We’re calling it a joint investment, but I’m actually putting in most of the money. I want to buy a mall to expand my business. The herbal medicine market hasn’t been doing well these past two years, and profits have been low. I want to try transforming the business while we still have the resources.”
So that’s how it was. Lucas suddenly understood.