The Understated billionaire: The Ex-son-in-law's rise

Chapter four

The moment Camila stepped into the hall, the security guards straightened instinctively.

“Boss” one of them began, voice carrying a mixture of respect and awe.

“Hold it!” Camila cut in sharply, waving a hand. Her tone was calm, controlled, and final, leaving no room for argument. The guards froze midstep, their greeting hanging awkwardly in the air.

Lucas remained behind her, hands tucked in his pockets, observing silently. His eyes flicked briefly to Charlie and Stella, reading the sudden shift in their posture.

Camila’s gaze settled on Lucas, and she moved with deliberate precision, positioning herself between him and the Bryants. “Touching what doesn’t belong to you is dangerous,” she said softly, but there was steel in her voice. Every word carried authority.

Stella’s heart skipped a beat. She had expected a low profile encounter with Lucas, not an arrival like this. Her eyes widened as she took in the entourage of bodyguards, each one radiating silent menace.

“Who… who is she?” Stella whispered, her voice trembling as she tried to mask her growing unease. The realization hit her instantly: Lucas had somehow become entangled with someone far beyond her reach.

Charlie stepped forward, chest puffed out, ready to assert dominance but Stella’s hand caught his arm. “Wait… I don’t know who she is, but”

Thinking quickly, Stella seized the necklace hanging from her neck. “This… it’s been a misunderstanding. Lucas, I” Her hands trembled as she unclasped it, holding it out toward him. “Take it back. I… I shouldn’t have”

Charlie scowled, clearly unsettled, but Stella’s sudden wariness and the sheer presence of Camila made him hesitate. He had always relied on his mother’s boldness but now, seeing the line of bodyguards, he realized that his mother could not handle this.

Lucas’s eyes followed the movement, but he said nothing, waiting silently as Stella attempted to return what was his.

Stella’s hands shook as she extended the necklace toward Lucas. “Here… take it back. I didn’t...”

Charlie's face twisted with anger. “No! If we can’t have it, then neither can he!” In one swift motion, he snatched the necklace from her hands.

“Charlie! ” Stella gasped, reaching for him, but it was too late.

The necklace slammed against the marble floor, diamonds and gold scattering across the tiles in shards of glittering ruin. The sound cut through the hall like a gunshot.

Lucas froze , every muscle stiffening. His eyes locked on the fragments of his mother’s pendant. This was the only thing he had left of her, and now it lay shattered at his feet. Slowly, carefully, he crouched down, picking up the largest pieces with trembling hands, his jaw tight, eyes glimmering with silent fury.

Behind him, Camila’s bodyguards moved instantly, restraining Charlie and Stella with precise, controlled force. He thrashed, fists striking the air, but they held him firmly to the ground. Stella screamed, trying to pull him free, “No! Let him go! He’s still young!”

Camila’s icy voice cut through the chaos: “Enough. You’ve lost control. Step back.”

Pinned to the floor, Charlie still found the arrogance to lift his chin. “Do you know who you’re messing with?” he barked, struggling against the bodyguards’ hold. “My sister is the CEO of Greenshift Energy! And my future brother-in-law is the heir of the Adams family! Who dares touch me? I’ll make sure they regret it!”

His voice echoed through the hallway, loud, defiant, almost triumphant.

Lucas fingers still curled around a broken fragment of the necklace. The name of the Malcolm family tugged at an old memory, a familiar pain. His hand tightened slightly, but he didn’t rise. Not yet.

Camila, however, didn’t wait for explanations.

With one swift, precise kick so fast Charlie barely saw the strike, she sent him rolling across the polished floor. He landed hard, skidding to a stop with a choked cry. Gasps filled the corridor, but Camila’s expression didn’t shift even a fraction.

She stepped forward, towering over him. “Those two ‘backers’ of yours?” Her voice was cool, refined, and deadly. “They’re not even qualified to carry my shoes. Even if I decide to cripple you today, neither of them would dare utter a word.”

Charlie's ego cracked instantly. His eyes widened, panic flooding through him as he shielded his ribs where her kick had landed. He looked at his mother as though expecting rescue.

Stella scrambled to him in a rush, placing herself between Camila and her son. Her hands shook violently as she tried to shield him. “Please,” she pleaded, voice breaking. “No matter what… we were once family. He is still young, he doesn’t know what he’s saying. Just… let him off this time.”

She bowed her head repeatedly, fear and humiliation twisting her features.

Camila’s eyes remained cold.

Lucas finally looked up.

But neither of them looked moved.

Not even slightly.

Charlie shoved his mother’s hands away, face twisted with rage. “Stop embarrassing me!” he snapped. “Crying like that have you no shame?” He glared up at Camila “Go on then! Touch me again if you dare! My brother‑in‑law will make sure you never survive in this city!”

His voice cracked with fury, but his arrogance didn’t falter.

Camila didn’t even blink.

Before Charlie could open his mouth again, a sharp crack split the air.

Lucas’s palm met his cheek in a slap so clean and sudden that even the bodyguards stiffened. Charlie froze, stunned, a red imprint blooming across his face.

Lucas’s eyes were like winter steel. “That’s for your sister,” he said quietly, each word cutting deeper than the slap itself. “For failing to discipline you.”

Charlie swallowed hard, the first flicker of fear crossing his features.

“You’re still young,” Lucas continued, voice low. “Yet you already lie, bully, and throw your family’s name around like a weapon. For old times’ sake, I’ll let you off today. But if I ever see you again” His gaze hardened. “I won’t hold back.”

He turned away without waiting for a response. Camila followed immediately.

But behind them, Charlie shouted after him, voice shrill with humiliation, “You useless ex con! Don’t run, fight

me if you’ve got the guts!”

His words echoed, but Lucas never looked back.