Chapter 174

"You—" Claire Richards widened her eyes, that weird wave of panic rising out of nowhere. Lucas Bennett’s face was completely stormy. The way she softened just now, with those startled eyes and that helpless posture, made him mad enough to grind his teeth to dust. She liked Julian Archer that much? "You can’t invite him!" "I’m going to," Claire said, calming herself. When she looked at Lucas again, the panic in her eyes had vanished, replaced with that cold, blank look of hers. "Anyone but him!" "Exactly him." "What’s so great about him?!" "He’s just... great all around." Her voice was airy, like she really didn’t care. "…" Lucas looked like he was two seconds away from losing it, his eyes practically glowing with rage. Claire took two steps back. Julian was here now—yeah, she felt a bit braver. But Lucas throwing a fit was never a pleasant sight. If she could physically take him, she'd have ditched this back-and-forth ages ago. Didn’t the internet say something about how to deal with a