All Chapters of Love, Luxury and Lies: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter One

LucyThe smell of burnt toast woke me before my alarm did. I groaned and rolled onto my back, staring at the cracked ceiling above my bed. It was 7AM in the morning. Too early to deal with life, and too late to pretend my problems didn't exist.For a brief moment, I allowed myself to enjoy the silence.No phone calls, no emails, no overdue notices, and no creditors looking for my father, just silence.Then my phone buzzed on the nightstand. I didn't need to look at the screen to know it wasn't good news. Good news never arrived before breakfast.With a sigh, I reached for my phone. My stomach sank instantly. Payment Reminder. I deleted the notification without opening it. Cowardly?Maybe. But I wasn't mentally prepared to start my day with another reminder that my bank account was hanging on by a thread. Swinging my legs off the bed, I forced myself upright and headed downstairs.The scent of burnt toast grew stronger. It was Sophia. I walked into the kitchen to find my younger sister

Chapter Two

LucyThirty days. I stared at the paper in my hands, certain I had read it wrong. Then I read it again and again.The words didn't change. The numbers didn't disappear. The deadline remained exactly where it was. Thirty days, that's a month. Four weeks before the house I'd grown up in belonged to someone else.The room felt suffocating. Mom sat silently on the couch, twisting a tissue between her fingers. Sophia looked ready to burst into tears.Dad stood by the window with his hands shoved into his pockets. He wasn't looking at any of us. He was staring outside, at nothing or maybe at everything."Dad..." My voice cracked. I swallowed hard and tried again."How bad is it?" The question sounded ridiculous the moment it left my mouth. The answer was sitting right there in my hands. Still, I needed to hear him say it.For a long moment, he remained silent. Then he sighed."Worse than I thought." My stomach twisted. Mom closed her eyes. Sophia muttered a curse under her breath. A very cr

Chapter Three

Lucy"I work for Mr. Albert Craig."For a second, I was convinced l'd heard him wrong. The name echoed in my head. Albert Craig.The billionaire CEO whose company dominated headlines.The man whose name had appeared on the guest list Chloe had sent me only hours earlier. The same man I had never met. The same man who should have had absolutely no reason to know who I was. Yet somehow his assistant was calling me. Specifically me.I tightened my grip on the phone. "I'm sorry," I said carefully. "I think you have the wrong person." "We don't." The confidence in Liam Brooks's voice made my stomach knot. "I assure you, Ms. George, we contacted the correct individual."My pulse quickened. That wasn't reassuring. That was terrifying.I swiveled my chair toward the window, watching rain streak down the glass. "What exactly is this about?""I'm afraid that's not something I can discuss over the phone." Of course not. Because apparently, normal conversations were too much to ask for. "What can

Chapter Four

LucyI didn't sleep. Not even for a minute. The text message haunted me for the rest of the night."Ms. George, your father's situation is far worse than you realize."I must have read those words at least fifty times before dawn. Every time I looked at them, a fresh wave of anxiety rolled through me. What did that mean?How could my father's situation possibly be worse? We were already facing foreclosure. His business had collapsed years ago. Creditors called almost daily. What else was there?The worst part was not knowing. Not knowing left too much room for imagination. And imagination was cruel.By six in the morning, I gave up trying to sleep and dragged myself out of bed.The house was quiet. Mom and Dad were still asleep. Sophia's bedroom door remained shut. For once, I welcomed the silence. I needed to think.I padded into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. The familiar routine helped settle my nerves. A little. While waiting, I pulled out my phone and stared at the mess

Chapter Five

Lucy"Ms. George. I've been expecting you."The voice was deep, calm, and controlled. The kind of voice that commanded attention without ever needing to raise itself. My entire body went rigid. Slowly, I turned around. And for the first time in my life, I came face-to-face with Albert Craig.For a moment, I simply stared. Not because he was a billionaire. Not because his face had appeared in magazines and business journals. But because he looked... normal. Well, a billionaire was normal. Tall, impeccably dressed, with dark hair and a sharp jawline.The kind of confidence that couldn't be bought or faked. His gray eyes settled on me with quiet intensity. Studying, observing, and evaluating. It felt as though he could see straight through me. I immediately hated that feeling.Albert stepped aside. "Please come in." I remained where I was. Suspicion won over manners. "You know, most people introduce themselves before inviting strangers to private meetings."Something flickered across hi

Chapter Six

"The reason your family has been living a lie for seven years."The words echoed through my head, again, and again, and againI stared at the folder lying on the table between us. It looked ordinary, just paper, cardboard and ink. Yet somehow it felt heavier than anything I'd ever held in my life. Because whatever was inside had the power to change everything. My family, my father and my entire past.I looked from the folder to Albert. His expression remained unreadable. Annoyingly unreadable. "Open it," he said. I didn't move.A thousand thoughts raced through my mind. What if he was lying? What if this was some elaborate manipulation? What if opening that folder changed nothing? Or worse... What if it changed everything?My fingers curled into fists. "You expect me to believe you?" Albert's gaze never left mine. "No." The answer surprised me. "No?""You don't know me." His voice remained calm, steady and controlled. "I wouldn't expect blind trust."I crossed my arms. "Good." A tense

Chapter Seven

LucyThe call ended, but the words didn't. They echoed inside my head like a nightmare I couldn't wake up from."Your father survived the first time." "He won't survive the second."My hand trembled around my phone. I stared at the dark screen. Waiting and hoping. Praying it would light up again and reveal this was some kind of sick joke. It didn't.The room felt suffocatingly quiet. Albert was already on his feet. His expression had transformed completely. The calm, controlled billionaire I'd met earlier was gone. In his place stood someone colder, sharper and dangerous. "What did they say?" I looked up.For a second, I couldn't speak, couldn't think, and couldn't breathe. The fear sitting in my chest was too heavy and too heavy."Lucy." His voice softened slightly. Just enough to break through my panic. I swallowed hard. Then repeated every word, exactly as I'd heard it.The moment I finished, something dark flashed across Albert's face. Anger, not ordinary irritation, not frustrati

Chapter Eight

Lucy"That car has been following you since we left the hotel."For a moment, I forgot how to breathe. I stood frozen beside my bedroom window, my phone pressed tightly against my ear.Below, the black car remained parked across the street. Silent, motionless, and watching. My heart slammed against my ribs. "What do you mean it's been following me?" Albert's voice remained calm. Too calm. The kind of calm people used when trying not to make a bad situation worse. "I noticed it when we left the hotel."A cold chill crawled down my spine. "You noticed and didn't tell me?" "I wasn't certain." That answer didn't make me feel better. Not even a little.I looked at the car again. Every instinct screamed at me to close the curtains. To hide, to pretend none of this was happening. Instead, I stayed where I was. Unable to look away. "Lucy." Albert's voice sharpened. "Move away from the window." I immediately stepped back. My pulse was racing now. Fast enough to make me dizzy."Do you think t

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