Desmond wrestled with himself for ages before finally coming up with that cautious answer.

He had been urging himself nonstop inside—say it, hurry up and say it!

The fear gnawed at him that if he slipped up, Lucas would ship him off to Southwest to dig mines. Because of that, every word he spoke had been weighed over and over in his head before he dared let it out.

All he could think was, what if Lucas didn’t like what he said? One wrong word, and he’d be sent off to Southwest to deal with those locals.

But to his surprise, when Lucas heard his words, he didn’t flare up. Instead, he looked thoughtful, as if seriously considering them.

Even Desmond found it strange. He had been certain Lucas, in such a foul mood, would use him as a target to vent his anger. Never had he expected to see an expression so different from usual–that alone was shocking enough.

“I think you have a point,” Lucas finally said after a long pause.

Desmond’s eyes widened. He could hardly believe the man in front of him was truly Lucas. Before, Lucas had never once shown that he would seriously listen to his advice.

But the next moment stunned him even more. Lucas looked up, eyes still fixed intently on him. “Then what do you think I should do to apologize to her?”

Desmond was shocked. He honestly felt this could qualify as the eighth wonder of the world. To think that one day, he would actually witness Lucas asking him for advice. Surely, he wasn’t imagining things?

Lucas frowned slightly, puzzled. “I’m asking you a question. Why aren’t you answering?”

“Oh, no, I just haven’t wrapped my head around it yet,” Desmond stammered, still dazed.

Lucas frowned. “What do you mean you haven’t wrapped your head around it?”

“I just didn’t expect someone like you, Mr. Carter, to actually ask me something like this.”

The moment the words slipped out, Desmond instinctively clapped a hand over his mouth. He had seen Lucas’s eyes grow darker. It was over. He was definitely going to be sent off to Southwest now. He had accidentally let his true thoughts slip. Life had clearly been too easy lately–he was getting careless.

But Lucas said nothing, only looking slightly pensive. Was that really how terrifying he appeared in his subordinates‘ eyes?

“Forget it, I won’t blame you today.” Lucas sighed, his expression touched with confusion. “I never wanted to ask you either, but since last night I just haven’t been able to figure it out.”

Desmond’s curiosity immediately flared. He even took two steps closer. “Mr. Carter, if there’s something you want to ask, just tell me directly. If I can help you, I’ll do my best.” It was rare to see his boss this vulnerable. Hearing about it was one thing but seeing it with his own eyes–he had to know what had really happened.

Lucas gave a brief account of Aurora’s attitude.

After listening, Desmond mulled it over before giving his conclusion. “Honestly, I think Mrs. Carter has every right to be upset. After all, Mr. Carter, you were the one at fault here. If I were a woman, I’d hold a grudge against you too.”

With that, Desmond clicked his tongue and shook his head, giving Lucas a look that screamed, “What a scumbag.”