Lucas and I quickly parted ways as we stood up, ready to leave. "Oh, God! Okay," I said, feeling overwhelmed. Lucas grabbed my hand and made me get up. We were behaving like clunky teenagers.

"Oh shit Luke! I am so sorry for this," I said to him as he continued to pull me away from the cameras. His arms were protectively around me as if securing me from them.

"Hey, I love you, okay? Anything for you," he said to me so casually, it made me stop dead in my tracks making his chest crash into my back. "Why did you stop?"

"Because you love me so much!" I said, teary-eyed. I stared at him for a moment, just admiring him and admiring everything that he was willing to do for me. He looked around at the paparazzi as he thought of ways to get me moving again. However, before he could tug me away, I got on my tiptoes and leaned in for a massive firework-exploding kiss. Lucas seemed too stunned to care about us being photographed and I couldn't care either. He loved me so much! Once I parted ways with him, he looked at me with an awkward goofy albeit questioning face.

"You are a great man, a great father, a great partner, a great friend and the greatest kisser," I said to him dreamily. "And you love me so much even when I give you 5,001 reasons to run away from me. You still stick around for me and our family. You are kind and forgiving and you have the purest heart. I want the world to know that I'm yours. I know I said otherwise before. But, I don't know. Let the world say what it wants to. Let them have their opinions. The only opinion that matters to me now is yours."

Lucas was grinning by the end of that speech. His arms were draped loosely around my waist and he was just staring at me goofily. "Let me tell you that I have very very very nice opinions about you, Pretty Girl, just like I know that that big heart of yours is also worried that you won't make your meeting in time and get Victoria mad enough to fire some employee and you don't want to say anything to me to ruin this perfect moment."

"You know me too well. Let's run!" I said while taking off my heels.

"I have a better idea. Look!" he said while pointing to a horse-drawn carriage. My face fell at its sight. "What? You don't like them?"

"No, it's not that. I had one booked for us for tonight. A romantic one," I said sheepishly. Lucas couldn't help but laugh heartily and hug me. I looked the other way and yes, at a respectable distance, cameras were still going off.

"Come on, you goof! We can have more than one in the day!" He said before hailing the driver and giving him the office address. I leaned into his body and just felt so close and safe, it was so good.

"Tori is going to lose her mind," I said suddenly.

"Oh, I'm more concerned about the kids. That was one deeeeep deep kiss, Brooke Davis," he said, making both of us erupt into giggles.

"There it is, Tori is calling," Brooke giggled. "Yeah, I'm gonna ignore it. I don't care, I am in love!"

Lucas laughed once more before kissing the side of my head. We reached the office in a matter of minutes. I gave the receptionist a smug look. I hadn't forgotten that she had kept Lucas waiting. Although in her defence, the number of people that attempted to walk in saying that they knew me was a lot. I saw her gaze at our hands which were linked together as we walked in, my head slightly tilted towards the crook of his neck. Her eyes widened with each step we took and I couldn't help but giggle gladly.

"Steph, good job," I winked at her. "But next time, he gets VIP access, okay?"

"Uhh, sorry. Yes ma'am," She stuttered as she let out a heavy sigh once she was certain that she was not going to get fired.

"So which conference room is my mother conducting the meeting in with Sports Illustrated in?" I asked her.

"Number 3," she answered, her voice still shaky.

"Okay. Luke, Sanjay is still here in case you want to go out again. I am sorry for this morning," I said to him, moving away from the reception area so I could talk to him a little more privately.

Just then, Xavier Daniels stepped out of the elevator and I felt all the air get sucked out of the room.

"Oh hello Brooke," he greeted me, stretching out his hand for me to shake. I was so scared that I pulled Lucas' arm in a death grip.

"Wh-What are you still doing here?" I asked, not expecting to see him at all.

He moved his hands back with smugness on his face instead of disappointment that I didn't shake it. "Oh, nothing. I was just checking out the office. You see, I plan to take it all away from you. All of this will be mine very soon. I figured, why not explore? By the way, I love the top floor office. Anyway, I got to head back now. Have a nice night!"

"Hey, you! You better stay away from her. I mean it," Lucas whisper-yelled. Mr. Daniels found Lucas' warning amusing and with a creepy grin, he walked away. "Shit, that man makes me feel sick to my stomach."

I was still shuddering, unable to believe how badly I had messed up. "Luke, I am scared. I think he is going to threaten to release what we did to the public and leverage that into me selling him my ownership of the Company. Oh God, what have I done? If this gets out… the kids! Dammit!" I was starting to get vulnerable in the office. I looked around and there were several eyes on me. I quickly called the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.

We entered the office and I saw that the meeting was about to begin in literally 3 minutes. I should have been in that room 15 minutes ago. "Luke, I got to-"

"Yeah, I know baby. I am going to walk you to the conference room and then wait here for you," he said to me reassuringly. Stroking my cheek with the pad of his thumb, he lifted my chin so that I would look at him. "Hey, whatever happens, we will get through it together."

His words were so pure and genuine that my face scrunched up as tears threatened to spill from my eyes. "Shh, Brooke, we will figure it out together."

"I'm so sorry," I whispered, looking down towards my feet as a few tears managed to slip by.

"Brooke, you're never losing me, okay!" he tried to reassure me as I nodded my head to let him know that I was following his words.

I gave him a kiss full of gratitude before grabbing my laptop and iPad and running to the conference room with him right beside me. I entered the Meeting just as they were greeting each other.

"Oh look, Brooke made it," Victoria said politely as if she didn't want to gorge my eyes out for being that unprofessionally late.

"Yeah Sorry, I had an urgent matter to deal with," I said to the Chief Editor of the magazine.

"Oh no problem, we understand. Can we begin by saying that we absolutely love your work! B Davis is such a great magazine and it always has a fresh approach, none of the tired run-of-the-mill quizzes and gossip articles. I especially love how body positive it is and the mental health column that glorifies Self-Relationship before Partnership, Therapy and self-love, we must admit, we are fans despite being competitors in the market," Miss MJ Day said making me blush quite a bit.

"Oh my God, that compliment means absolutely everything coming from you! Thank you! Yet, we aren't ruling the market like you guys are! I mean come on, being featured in SI is like winning Miss Universe, maybe even better. Your reach, the way you have grown and god the extensive research that goes into every little detail published in your magazine, I wish that our magazine reaches that calibre someday," I praised them in return.

"That is very kind of you, Brooke. So, Victoria informed us that you're working on a fresh new swimsuit line and plan on launching it via the magazine?" she asked rhetorically.

"Oh, if that happens, it will be a dream come true! If I died the next minute, I wouldn't be disappointed," I said cheekily earning a little laugh from them.

"That's great to hear because we really love the idea as well. You have been on our radar ever since your first launch and each line that you have designed is so fresh and our models relish the fit and comfort. They don't feel awkward, nothing is ever slipping out and we love it!" she continued.

"Hey, it's all about the fit. You want to enjoy yourself at the beach, not worry about flashing or things getting stuck in the wrong places. We try really really hard to create fashion that you actually feel like wearing, not the modern art stuff that frankly, nobody understands," I said in a soft voice, making everyone in the room and on the call laugh.

"Great, how soon do we get a sneak peek?" she asked.

"Actually, I might have something for you. Mind you, these were drawn hastily so that I could get everything on paper before forgetting the intricate details. But, you will get an idea about the direction of the new line. It was inspired by my home and I have designs for adults, kids and pre-teens," I said before sharing the sketches I had made on my iPad.

"Oh my God, Brooke, these are so boho chic yet elegant! And you call this just a first quick sketch! Look at the detailing! Let me tell you the truth, we were going to consider your line and check out a couple more of our regulars before making a final call, but I am so enamoured, I am ready to give you the deal right away," she said making a huge grin appear on my face. "How soon can we get them all?"

"I can get you the sketches in two weeks and then I will have to look into procuring the fabric. We can then stitch the first batch and work out the kinks in another two weeks," I said with conviction. "Mass production can begin then and have it all ready before the rollout of the magazine."

"Gosh girl, you're the most efficient Company in this industry!" she remarked, truly astounded by just how prepared I was.

"We aim to please. We are proud of our work," my mother chimed in.

"Okay, we are more than okay with all of this. We absolutely love it. I'll be eagerly waiting for you to email the sketches to me. It's just a formality but we have to review the designs once they come to us. Just give us a few days. I will put a rush on it. I am sure there will be no inputs to give. I know your work. Hell, I wear your swimsuits and clothes!" she admitted.

"Oh! Send me your sizes. I will send a care package with your name on it," I winked.

"Brooke, thank you! That last line that you put out, the one you launched in that tiny town, god the colours, the designs and the way that last ballgown transformed, we had our jaws dropping to the floor," she said. "Also, before we conclude, I have an additional proposition for you, Brooke. We know that you often model for B. Davis to showcase your outfits for Clothes over Bro's. How would you feel about being Sports Illustrated's next cover girl?"

"Wait what?" I asked completely flabbergasted.

"Yeah, you can model your own line. We love you, you're cute and fresh and more famous than any of these models. You're lively, vivacious and let's be honest, the camera absolutely loves you. We would love to feature you as the cover girl!" she reiterated.

"Oh my Gosh! Yes, but I have to be honest, my experience is very very minimal," I admitted.

"Oh please, we can tell that you're meant to be a model. We will send you the standard contract, you know breaking the morality clauses terminates all deals and all those legal requirements. Have your legal team take a look and get back with any questions. Brooke, this meeting has been an absolute pleasure. Hope you have a good day," she said but I was too busy trying to ease the hitch in my throat. If what went down with Mr. Daniels came to light, I would lose this contract and several others. We reciprocated her farewell and ended the call.

"Mom, my office, now please," I whispered to her.

"Team, great work. Now let's work on meeting those deadlines okay? Millie, I will begin working on those sketches immediately. You know what to do," I said. "Hold off my work on the other lines until this is done."

They all congratulated me on the contract and we all exited the conference room. Victoria and I rode up the elevator to my office and I quickly shut the door behind us. Lucas was sitting there watching a game on the television.

"Hey babe, how did it go?" he asked.

"Better than I thought. I got the deal and how do you feel about dating a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model?" I winked.

"What really!? You're going to model for them?" he asked.

"Yeah, they offered me to be the cover girl and showcase my own line," I smiled.

He walked to me and gave me a big bear hug. "That is so great babe! Although, uhh, millions of other dudes are going to jerk off to new images of you. That sucks."

"One eww, that's nasty and two, count your blessings because you won the lottery. You're the one who gets to take me home," I reminded him. "Not those creepy jerks and always remember, Brooke Davis can have anybody she wants. But, all she wants is you."

"Brooke, I am certain you did not call me here to make me hear these loathsome conversations. Get to the point, child. I have better things to fill my day with, but I don't seem to get the time over fixing your messes!" she reprimanded me.

"It's still my Company, Victoria. You work for me," I reminded her. "Anyway, on a scale of one to ten, things are at a thousand. I think Mr. Daniels - urgh, his name also leaves such a foul taste in my mouth. Anyway, he plans on making our history public and leveraging it to take over Clothes over Bro's. He wants it all, mom!"

"The gall of that dastardly man!" she replied. One hand flew up to soothe her aching temples while she grabbed her cell phone with the other. Tapping the screen a few times, she quickly placed the device at her ear.

"Maurice, I need you to come to the Clothes over Bro's office right now. Dress in a suit and ask for me once you get here. You're looking at the fattest cheque you will ever receive," she said before ending the call.

"Maybe if you were punished as a child, we wouldn't be in such deep trouble," she said to me icily. Her voice was venomous and her eyes laser focused.

"Mom!" I gasped.

"Maybe if she was loved as a child, we wouldn't be in such deep trouble!" Lucas fought back. "This is your fault, Victoria, not hers. So the only messes you are assisting in cleaning up are your own. Also, you better stop talking to Brooke like that. You sabotaged your mother-daughter relationship already, don't ruin the employee-boss one."

"Don't talk to me like that, boy!" she said, unable to articulate words for the humiliation she felt.

"Or what, Victoria? Nothing. That's what I thought," he replied with a cryptic smile.

"Okay, you know what, mom is it okay if we take off?" I said, getting between the two before it got worse. "I'm not feeling too well."

"Yeah, you're useless to me this way anyway. I will talk to Maurice," she said cold-heartedly.


LUCAS' POV

Brooke was quick to collect her things. I stood by the door waiting for her and we left the office without a backward glance. Millie knew her cue to tell Sanjay to get the limo out when she saw Brooke and I walk out with our belongings.

Brooke was cold. She always greeted Millie on her way in and out of her office, but not that day. She just stepped into the open door that Sanjay was holding with a simple emotionless Thank you.

Once I got in, I saw that she was putting up the screen so that Sanjay could not see us. I wondered whether to ask her how she was feeling but chose to avoid poking the bear. She was ignoring me and refusing to meet my eyes anyway. Once we were completely cut off from the rest of the world in the moving car, I saw her entire body tremble. Yet, she steadied herself before getting into my lap.

"Brooke, what are you up to?" I asked as my eyes went wide. She didn't say a word but her hands quickly groped me from my trousers making me completely lose myself. "Brooke!" I hissed. I kept looking at the glass that separated us from Sanjay. I was so afraid that he would hear us and know what my girlfriend was up to. Brooke did not stop as she continued to rub me from the top of my pants, making my member stand erect.

"B, we cannot do this in the car," I said between moans but I was met with complete silence as she focused all her attention on me.

I did not realise when we reached her apartment building but when the limo halted and Sanjay knocked on the door to ask for permission to open it for us, she quickly stopped her actions and without giving me a moment to catch my bearings, pulled me out into the harsh sun. I tried to fix myself a little but Brooke was on a mission. She did not stop to greet the staff but barged into the elevator instead.

"Oh, hello Ms. Davis. You're back early today," the elevator operator greeted her while I tried to hide my erection behind her petite frame.

"Hey Sal," she said in a funny tone as she bounced on the balls of her feet.

Once the elevator finally dinged open, Brooke let out a huge sigh. The second those doors closed, she jumped towards me. Quickly working on my pants, she undid my belt and button. Pulling the fly down, she tugged her hands in my boxers, pulling down both my jeans and boxers together until they were cinched at my ankles.

"B, why are you acting so erratic?" I asked despite feeling a thousand different things. In response, all she did was take me whole in her mouth in one big swoop. I could hear her gag as I was sure that I was choking her she deep-throated me.

"Oh, my God!" I screamed, feeling so good. She didn't stop there as she quickly began moving her head orally fucking me. Her movements were quick and she was taking me deep. I felt my knees buckle as I tried to stop myself from exploding. Brooke grabbed my hips and moved them to match her thrusts. She was really going all in. Her saliva and warmth covered me like a cosy sheath as her movements became harder.

"Brooke, you need to stop or I will explode!" I said in an attempt to warn her as I felt unable to control myself. She only opened her mouth wider to take me even farther in. I clenched my teeth so as to not come apart then and there but my brain was turning into fuzz. I could hear a muffled cough, making me want to stop her but she was holding on to me tightly.

Without stopping her actions, she proceeded to grab my hand and deposit it on her head. I fondled her hair but that made her roll her eyes. Her hands moved up once again and latched onto mine which was buried in her chocolate hazelnut tresses. She then proceeded to give her hair a very hard and sharp tug. She let out a moan as I felt something insane inside her mouth. Her thrusts quickened from there making me automatically fist her hair and pull them in order to control myself from falling.

"Brooke, stop, I'm about to come!" I said hastily. I tried to pull out of her mouth but she clutched my girth at the base as if she was a child who refused to share her toy. It was too late by then.

"Brooke, oh God!" I yelled as I erupted while I was still deep in her warm mouth. My load hit her all at once as she let me go, coughing hard and sputtering cum everywhere. I stood there watching, as I tried to catch my own breath.

I watched her flushed face but before I could say anything, she got up from her knees. She quickly helped me free my legs from my pants and took me to the couch. Before I could blink twice, she had stripped off all her clothing. Getting onto my lap completely nude, she took me in her palms. Pumping my dick with her hands a couple of times, she got me erect again.

"No, this is not you. Stop!" I said, before grabbing her wrists and holding her tight. She tried to get herself free but she was yet to utter a single word.

"B, look at me. Talk to me," I said while trying to look into her eyes which were looking everywhere. Everywhere but towards me.

"What don't you want this?" she asked me, getting completely exasperated that I refused to let go of her wrists.

"No, I don't want this. I want to make love to you. This is not that," I said, making her gasp. "Look into my eyes, Pretty Girl," I called out to her.

She refused to look but broke down in front of me. "Oh, baby girl! I know that you are worried. I am too but don't worry, we will figure it out. Victoria called that Maurice guy, remember," I said to her.

"No, I need this. Just please, give me this. I want it hard and rough and I need you to control it, please," she said while pulling me on top of her.

"Wait, is this how that scumbag was with you?" I asked suddenly as it all clicked in, making complete sense.

"Lucas, please," she cried.

"No, you need to talk to me. Here, get dressed," he said as he handed me his shirt. She kept gazing at me, making no attempt to put the shirt on as I walked into the bathroom to take care of my situation.

When I got out, Brooke was still in her spot, albeit with my shirt on. I quickly went to the kitchen and made both of us a glass of hot chocolate. I put both of them at the table and sat there waiting for her to join me.

Brooke rolled her eyes but got up and took a seat beside me.

"Come on, spill," I said to her expectantly.

I saw her pull her shoulders up with a deep breath before slumping them down.

"Yeah, Mr. Daniels was rough with me. He loved to watch me gag and choke while he was tugging my hair. He would make me deep-throat him and then get me on my hands and knees. He would then grip my hair, pull my head back and spank me and I enjoyed it because he said that he was proud of me for taking it all like a trooper. I don't know what I was up to, but he has crawled under my skin and I need to shake him out. I need to forget and rough mindblowing sex often does the trick," she confessed before taking a sip of her drink.

"Don't worry, the PI will get dirt on him and then we will make our move," he said in order to appease me.

"Lucas I have a PI of my own. Remember Lindsey cheating on you that I knew about? It's not about his skills at all. It's about that psycho. Even if the PI finds a list full of girls, nobody wants to go through a messy trial and rehash what he did. I for sure don't. What if he comes empty-handed or he gets the dirt but Mr. Daniels tells the world anyway? What do we do then? What do we tell the kids? I am solely concerned about Jamie and Sophia right now. It's my job as their mother to protect them and I'm worse than failing right now. I want them completely untouched by my past, the things I did. Oh God, I think I might throw up! Luke, I just think that it's great that you solely hold their custody." With that, she ran towards the bathroom with her hand on her mouth.

I contemplated following her to the bathroom but decided against it because I was so angry. I clenched my fists and stood up. I took my jacket and wallet and walked out of the house before Brooke had a chance to stop what I was about to do. It was my job to protect my family and I could not take it lying down. However, I had to be smart about the matter at hand.

"Hey Millie, I need your help. Can you get me the address for Xavier Daniels, the new Director?" I called her.

"Yeah, sure but why? Is Brooke okay by the way? She left work early and she was acting strangely the whole day," she asked.

"Yeah, it's just something with Victoria. You know how she gets on Brooke's last nerves. Anyway, I really need this address as Brooke asked me to send over some welcome to Clothes over Bro's flowers to his place but I misplaced the address," I lied.

"Oh, okay. That would have been my job actually, but glad that you're taking over," Millie giggled. "There, I texted it to you."

"Great, thanks but I need one more number from you," I replied before giving her the details I needed. Once I had them, I ended the call.

'Lucas, where did you go? Where are you? Please get back home! Please! Call me!' my phone chimed with a series of frantic texts from Brooke. I stood there for a moment, making my plan as I ignored all of Brooke's texts. Then, after making a few quick calls, I proceeded to put my plan into action. I hailed a taxi to take me to that irksome man's address.

Once I reached his building, I waited for the people I had called to help me and once it was all set up, I buzzed his door.

"Who is it?" came his leisured reply.

"I have come to deliver some flowers on behalf of Clothes over Bro's," I said to him which made him buzz me in without a second doubt. Once I got to the door, I saw him standing at the door. His eyes widened when he saw me. He definitely recognised me from the office. I gave him a wicked smile before pushing him inside the door and following suit. Once I had bolted the door firmly, I looked at him.

"You are going to resign and quietly get out of our lives. You will sign an NDA and never so much as lay your eyes on my wife," I warned him, cutting straight to the chase.

Xavier looked amused. "And why would I do that?" he asked, raising his eyebrows and giving me a wide menacing smile.

"You have been warned Xavier," I said to him, trying to protect my family.

"Hey, at least Brooke looked feisty when she threatened me. Where is your moxie?" he grinned. "By the way, I knew your father when I lived in Tree Hill. My condolences over his ill-timed demise. He was a man I greatly respected."

"If you knew my father, you know exactly the kind of genetics you are dealing with, you paedophile!" I couldn't help but scream.

"You can't go around accusing people that way, boy!" he said with a cackle.

"How many, Xavier?" I asked him, trying everything in me to not lunge at him and punch his face.

"How many what?" he asked, although his smile told me that he knew exactly what I was talking about.

"How many young girls have you slept with and hurt? Or if I were to say it using Statutory terms, how many young underage girls have you raped?" I spat out.

"Wouldn't you want to know? And who says that I raped them. Your ex-wife, if I remember correctly was all but coerced. You know if I remember it right, she was the one who came begging for me to take her. That needy little child with Daddy issues. It was all so easy. All I had to do was tell her a few meaningless I'm proud of you's and she was ready to worship the ground that I walked on. Desperate young girls so much easier than older women who need you to say I love you to them. Their bodies are so petite and flexible. I used to tell your ex-wife to keep on her cheerleading uniform at times. Brooke was so tight and the way I orally fucked her. Tell me, boy, is she still as good in bed as she used to be?" he said to me to get a reaction out of me, but all I did was smile.

"Did you get all that?" I said aloud in the room while continuing to look directly at Xavier.

Moments later his door was thrashed open and a bunch of policemen marched in. "Xavier Daniels, you're under arrest for the statutory rape of Ms. Brooke Davis," the Police in charge said as he handcuffed the guy.

"Great job, Lucas!" Brooke's lawyer said to me.

FLASHBACK

"Hey, Lucas here. I used to be married to Brooke. I got your number from her assistant, Millicent," I said to Brooke's Lawyer on the phone.

"Hey Lucas, great to hear from you. Tell me," he said to me chirpily.

"Uhh, you handle all personal matters for Brooke, right? Not just Clothes over Bro's. She had mentioned something about molestation lawsuits. You filed those for her, right?" I said with trepidation. I knew that I was walking on thin ice. If my plan backfired, Brooke would never forgive me. I would completely lose her forever. Plus there was her celebrity status and our two kids. It was bad all over.

"Yeah, I do handle all of Brooke's personal legal matters. What's wrong, Lucas?" he asked, getting serious.

"Brooke needs your help, but it is very personal to her," I said.

"I have been Ms. Davis' lawyer for a very long time. It was my firm that represented her at your divorce. I don't know why she refused to fight for custody," he said casually.

"Oh, it was you?" I asked numbly.

"No, I specialise in criminal law, but it was a colleague of mine. Ms. Davis requires a legal team, some corporate lawyers, some civil and criminal lawyers, the works," he tried to explain. "But that is not what you called me up to know. So, what does Ms. Davis need my help with?"

"Okay, so there is this man who is threatening her. He wants her to sign Clothes over Bro's to him and he is blackmailing her with some information that he has on her from the past," I said to him, choosing my words very carefully.

"What kind of information?" he asked. I heard his voice getting hoarse as he tried to grasp the gravitas of the situation.

"It's bad. He and Brooke have a history and she was fifteen and he was well into his thirties. He hurt her and Brooke consented to it," I came clean.

"Oh my God, he is a paedophile! Lucas, that amounts to Statutory Rape!" he screamed.

"Is there any way to get him convicted? Brooke consented to it all back then," I said while desperately attempting to maintain my composure.

"Yes, we legally can," he replied.

"Good. Now, we have to protect Brooke's image. This cannot go to the news, Brooke cannot be mentioned. My kids can't know about any of this. We were very different people back then and we have tried our damndest to keep those versions of us away from our children," I explained.

"See, usually in these cases, the names of the victim are always hidden because they are minors. Brooke is an adult now. Besides, Brooke will have to appear in Court and testify and I cannot get her an absence because she is no longer a minor," he relayed.

"No, no way is Brooke testifying. I don't want her to have to see that man again. Is there any other way to ensure that he rots in jail for the rest of his life?" I asked.

"The only way to do that is if we get a straight-up confession from him which can be proven to a Judge," he said to me.

"What if I get that confession somehow?" I asked him.

"Wait I have an idea. I have some friends in NYPD who would love to put scum like this away for good. I can call them and meet you at this guy's apartment. We will make you wear a wire and body cam and then you go in. You talk to him and poke him until he confesses. However, while you are doing that, you have to remain calm. You cannot as much as lay a finger on a strand of his hair. We do not want there to be any evidence that you coerced a confession out of him. He will instigate you but you will have to remain cool. Use your words and get him to talk. Any indication about Brooke's age, like when she was in school or something, will also be needed to confirm that she was indeed underage considering that it was consensual," he guided me.

"Okay, no pressure," I said to appease my frantic nerves.

END OF FLASHBACK


BROOKE'S POV

BREAKING NEWS

We have just received news that Mr. Xavier Daniels, a well-known Investor and Director of several large conglomerates has just been arrested for committing Statutory Rape. NYPD detectives say that they have a confession and the man is going to be in jail for a very long time. The identity of the Victim has been sealed from the public for safety reasons.

"Lucas!" I cried when he finally answered my calls.

"Hey baby girl," he greeted me. His breaths were coming in pants as if he had just run a marathon.

"Baby, where are you?" I cried. "I - Did you do this? The news and I - I need you, Lucas. I need you here with me right now!" I wept. Just then the elevator doors opened and I saw him smile at me.

I ran up to him and began crying into his arms hysterically before punching at his chest with all my might.

"Ow! Brooke, ow! Stop!" he yelled, as I used all my kickboxing training on him.

"What dangerous thing did you do to get him put in jail?" I asked, wanting to know everything so I could be sure he was fine and safe. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, my love. All I did was have a nice chat with him, with the cops listening in and your lawyer confirming that we had enough to convict him," he said, pulling me into a bear hug.

"What?" I asked incredulously.

"Yeah, sorry your lawyer knows what went down, but he said that you and he already have attorney-client privilege and the police records are sealed. We have his full confession on tape that the cops heard live, so there is no need to testify. The lawyer is at the precinct to see him get booked and then it's hello Staten Island!" he assured me.

"You know that I love you, right?" I said looking up directly into his eyes.

"Yeah, but now where is that romantic horse carriage ride that I was promised?" he asked me. I burst out laughing as more tears leaked from my eyes. Lucas quickly flicked them away.

"You're safe B. Davis. I promised to be your Safe Haven in our wedding vows and even though I have messed up a time or two, I intend to never mess up again," he said to me making me cry even harder.

"You're crazy, woman! I say something bad - you cry. I say something good - you cry!" he said, holding me even tighter.

"Thank you! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you," I whispered repeatedly to him as I let go of all my pent-up fear and emotions. "Marry me again!"