Shhhh... It's my secret
01. Lucas Theodore

- Residence of Richard William Theodore-

The weather this afternoon was very cold, the heavy rain that had fallen since noon still seemed reluctant to stop. The almost dark day grew darker as thick cloudy clouds shrouded the sky. Occasionally thunder and lightning appear alternately behind the clouds add to the increasingly gripping atmosphere.

Richard William Theodore, owner of the Brotherland group of the largest construction companies in the country and owner of nearly fifty percent of downtown property ventures, he had just arrived at his residence after he had finished a two-week business trip to several countries.

His luxury car stopped right in front of the fountain overlooking the main entrance of his residence. An impatient Richard forcibly opened the door of his car before Baron, his personal assistant, opened the door for him.

With large strides Richard walked quickly towards the door of the house. The baron followed his master swiftly while holding an umbrella to ensure his master's body was not exposed to rainwater even though almost half of his own clothes were exposed to many traces of rain.

A large, sturdy bodyguard who had come down from a different car with Richard moved quickly ran through the rain to open the door of the house and closed it again after Richard and his assistant managed to get into the house in house.

Inside the house, Richard made a quick walk to the living room, where his wife Ariadne and son Lucas Theodore had been waiting for him to arrive. He threw the suit he had been wearing into the hands of the Baron who had prepared.

Richard's eyes were fixed on Lucas, his eyes radiating anger as he looked at his son's face. Without slowing down his path he continued to walk straight towards Lucas leaving only one step of distance between them.

The baron who had been tailing his master had taken quite a distance to stand. He's a quick-witted assistant, with the atmosphere now that he knows he can't stand too close but also can't take his eyes off them.

"I have to cancel my entire schedule for the next two weeks." Richard's heavy voice was full of emphasis in every single word as he started the conversation. "I also had to lose a few percent of my shares and lose the trust of the shareholders. While I was desperately trying to expand the scale of my company, working with investors for the past two weeks. You ...," Richard pointed his index finger at Lucas' forehead several times making Lucas' head sway.

"You destroyed it in an instant. Know it?I didn't get this success just overnight. I tried to start from zero to be on the cusp of this success. The success that I will someday entrust into your hands! But look what you've done to make me fall?"

Richard gritted his teeth as he stared intently at Lucas' eyes, who also did not turn away from his sight. He knew his son's gaze did not show any guilt or fear.

Richard also held back the overflow of harsh words that almost came out of his throat. He gave his son a chance to respond to his words just now.

Of course Richard was not waiting for a response that would justify every word he had just said, but the response he was waiting for was an answer that could pull the trigger of the time bomb he was already holding firmly. Because when the answer came out of his son's mouth, he was ready to blow it in his face.

"Haaah, success? You want me to thank you for something I never asked for?" The awaited answer finally came out fearlessly from the mouth of Lucas, his only child.

Ctaak! And the trigger of the time bomb was interested, the heat energy that had been held back began to spread and carry out the combustion process until finally the bomb exploded.

Plaaq!!!

A loud slap landed on Lucas' cheek. Everyone there who heard the slap looked tensely at Lucas and Richard alternately.

Errgh ...." Lucas groaned while holding his cheek that had just been slapped, he was not surprised anymore because his father would definitely react to hear his words, only he never knew that his father's slap would hurt this much.

"Darling stop it !!! she is our son, realize I'maanggg..," cried Ariadne as she gathered and wrapped her hands quickly at the feet of her husband who seemed to still want to land another slap on Lucas' cheek. Her tears splashed out until her eye makeup became a mess.

Ariadne, standing silently between father and son, who could clearly read the current situation, Ariadne, who never denied every word that came out of her husband's mouth, Ariadne who did not even welcome her husband's arrival properly because of the cold that her husband had brought since entering the house began to scream. Chaos is inevitable.

"Step away from my feet, Ariadne !!!" richard's Snatch on Ariadne. Seeing the behavior of his wife who tried to prevent him actually made Richard even more furious.

"No dear... Please don't hurt Lucas. She ...."

"You didn't hear my orders?" richard's anger grew because of his wife's defiance.

"Honey listen to my explanation first, I'll ...."

Richard brushed his legs forward with all his might until he slipped from Ariadne's clutches and made the woman unable to continue with her words.

Richard squatted closer to Ariadne, who was sitting helplessly in front of him. Richard pulled the collar of the woman's shirt until the diamond necklace around her neck was pulled and broken.

Crass. Dozens of diamonds came out of his strands and fell bouncing on the floor. His voice resounded in unison with the sounds of thunder booming continuously connected above the sky.

However, the voices were no more shocking and no more terrifying than what was seen before Ariadne's eyes now. His eyeball clearly caught the silhouette of Richard's large hand that was hovering towards his face.

Plakkkk !!!

A slap finally landed on Ariadne's cheek. Lucas, who still felt the rest of the slap on his cheek, spontaneously put one leg back. He was made more shocked and could not believe what he was seeing at the moment.

"Explution you said? What nonsense are you going to talk about this time? You see this kid daring to be rude to me who do you think he is because of? What exactly did you teach him until he dared to insult me like this?" richard shouted in Ariadne's face.

Ariadne bowed withstanding the pain in her cheek that felt throbbing to the head. His body began to tremble, fear and pain overlapping all over his body. Richard's slap this time was twice as hard as when he slapped Lucas earlier to make the tip of Ariadne's lips bleed fresh.

Ariadne was still bowed, she still could not believe what had happened to her, she still froze, not daring to answer her husband.

Twenty years she knew her husband, lived with him. But today for the first time Richard committed physical abuse on her.

Ariadne really didn't want to believe that, though, but the floor of the house that began to feel cold pierced into his leg bones and pain in his cheek made Ariadne convinced that the frightened and terrible face reflected by the floor was true of her, he said, he is the one who is injured.

Ariadne also realized one thing that it was too late, the mistake her son made this time could not be forgiven anymore. He was stifled in the searing fear of the misfortune his son would experience, how fearful his son's face was now to witness the quarrels of his parents. His tears fell more and more unstoppably dripping onto the floor.

"Haaahs... You guys are playing a drama? Boring ...." Lucas' voice suddenly seemed to mock the scene in front of him. He felt sick and wanted to get angry, but somehow only those words could come out of his mouth.

Like being struck by lightning, Ariadne was shocked not to play at the words that came out of her son's mouth just now. Like a mirror that cracked a thousand, the image of his son's misfortune was broken by that remark.

He insulted his father?

What do you think Lucas?"

That question rained down on Ariadne's mind.

"Close your mouth... !!!" Ariadne's screams suddenly seemed to answer her own thoughts. With the rest of his strength, his hands tried their hardest to reach Richard who he saw standing quickly walked up to Lucas after hearing the scorn of his son. But too late, Richard is now unstoppable.

Ariadne screamed like a trance amidst the thunder and lightning that struck in the sky. Richard who had darkened his eyes could no longer hold himself back. Without further ado he swung his fists repeatedly at Lucas's face.

The baron who had just noticed, thoughtlessly cried out to the bodyguard who must have been waiting outside the door. They were without a command running as fast as they could towards Richard and Lucas.

Baron tries to pull Lucas' body away and Richard's bodyguard tries to dissuade his master from hurting his own son. Despite being big but almost he could not let go of Richard's grip on the collar of Lucas's shirt until he finally decided to feed his face on Richard's fist.

Richard who realized that he had hit his own bodyguard stopped. His eyes held back anger at the big man. "Don't get in my way!" richard's orders to him. But the great man did not wander from his place even though he knew he had disobeyed his master's orders and it was a great mistake for him. But he also knew Lucas Theodore was his father's sole heir, Richard would surely regret it if something bad happened to his son. Then he must stop it.

"I'll stop, so don't stop me." Richard tried to catch his tired breath. He knew there was no point in arguing with his personal bodyguard, even if it were to die at the hands of Richard, the big man would not shift a bit from his position.

Hearing his Master's reply this time, the big man finally shifted. He gave a clean handkerchief that he always prepared to Richard with great respect because at a glance he saw drops of blood from Richard's fingers.

"Pack his things" Richard said, staring coldly at Lucas before turning to his study. No one else dared to give an answer and no one dared to block Richard's intentions at this time.

...----------------...

The living room calmed down after the loud noise of Richard's office door was shut. Neither the Baron nor the personal bodyguard knew what they should do next.

Baron said Lucas walked slowly to the large sofa in the middle of the room. The bodyguard quickly moved up the stairs to the second floor to Lucas' room. Maria, the aunt of the housekeeper who lived at Richard's residence, rushed to run after hearing Ariadne's screams, trying to help Ariadne stand up and calm her down.

Lucas turned his head on the sofa. His whole body hurts. Lacing for the hit from his father he accepted without a fight. Fresh blood flowed from his nose and broken lips, and there were even bruises on top of his eyes.

Maria leads Ariadne who rushes to sit next to Lucas even though her body is no longer energized, her energy and emotions are completely drained. He still continues to cry over the situation of his only son.

The baron came with a cold water compress and some P3K equipment and handed it to Maria to give it to Lucas' face. Then he left them and followed his master to his study.

Lucas brushed off Maria's hand trying to wipe away the blood on her face. "Stop! I don't need that" he snapped at Maria, causing her to flinch a little.

"Lucas, dear... Your face... You have to treat it." Ariadne began to panic at her son's refusal. "Mary, what are you doing? Quickly treat his face. Ah that... Doctor Martin have you contacted him?" he looked at Maria.

"The doctor is on his way here, ma'am," Mary replied softly.

"Can you stop pretending Mom?" Lucas stood up suddenly, staring coldly at his mother's face, which began to swell as she did not stop crying. The anger that had been muted and made his heart ache was as if he wanted to explode right now. The punch he received earlier meant nothing to him compared to his current heartache.

"Dear, what do you mean? You're hurting, stop talking, I know you're in pain, come sit down." Ariadne tried to hold back her emotions, she knew what her son was thinking. Therefore, he must now try to persuade Lucas so that Lucas does not obey his father's orders earlier. He didn't want Lucas to leave him.

"Do you really know the pain I feel? Likewhat? Say !!!" lucas shouted loudly as he wanted to cover his trembling voice.

"Lucas, relax. Don't raise your voice, your father can hear it. Trust in Mom. I know how painful the wounds on your face are, baby."

"like that. Just that much? Haaa.. So that's all you know about me?" Lucas spoke with a deep breath, his words uttered coldly and viciously. Although it felt like he wanted to scream now but he chose to suppress his emotions with all his might.

"It looks like my stuff's finished packing." He glanced at the personal guard of the father who had gone down the last rung of stairs while carrying a large suitcase beside him, "I'll go now, Mother. As you wish," Lucas said coldly.

Lucas turned away from his mother. He walked on leaving her without caring for her hysterical mother's desperate cry, the cry of a mother who was afraid of losing her son. He did not even turn his head and continued walking until his back disappeared behind the door that had begun to close.

Lucas stepped his foot without hesitation. Leaving this house was something he had always imagined. Everything is now a reality and he has to accept it. He realized that every step he would take from now on would be heavy, but he had established that he could be without them.

For Lucas this is the freedom he always dreamed of. But he never knew that from this moment on he would really be imprisoned in the shackles of his father's power.

Just a moment when Lucas stepped out of the door of his house, the boisterous sound of a car driven by a fast sound was getting closer to entering his yard. A car painted black and deep black glass approached the courtyard of the house and stopped. Lucas halted his steps, waiting curiously to see who would get out of the car.

A large man with the same posture as his father's personal bodyguard got out of the black car. The man approached Lucas without hesitation as if he already knew who his target was. Then quickly the man's hand held the handle of the suitcase Lucas was holding.

"Who are you?" Lucas confused. He had never seen the man in this house before, but from the way he dressed he knew that he was his father's men. Lucas's feelings are starting to get bad.

"From here on, I will escort Mr. Lucas and ensure that he arrives at his designated place safely. You just have to follow me" the man said firmly without taking his eyes off Lucas.

Lucas doesn't understand what's happening now. Lucas refused the man's orders and took action, suddenly from the same car came out again a man with the same posture.

This man who had just come out could read the situation. Although Lucas did not say it but there was a rejection that was clearly drawn from Lucas' face so he felt he had to intervene immediately.

This man moved quickly to hold Lucas' hand and forced Lucas into the car. Although Lucas thrashed the two men managed to force Lucas into the car.

The car rushes to leave Richard's family home with Lucas inside, taking Lucas to the real prison. Lucas knew full well that this was all his father did.

Lucas sat quietly in the car after his efforts against these two men failed. He stared blankly out the window.

"Whatever I will face in the future, I will not give up on my father's decision. Because I have my own path to fight for."