Coco blinked. "I'll accompany you to the study later. You can focus on your work while I draw you," she suggested.Lucas arched an eyebrow."Don't worry about it," she reassured. "I can work with this much. You don't have to stay still while I draw you. Besides, you won't move much when you work, and… It's not like I'm taking the art to a competition or anything…""I just want to draw you," Coco said pleadingly."Alright. Do as you please. Just don't tire yourself," Lucas warned."I know," she replied.After dinner, the couple went into the study together.Lucas sat at his desk, busy with his work. Grabbing her drawing tools, Coco set up her easel in front of the sofa as she got ready to draw Lucas.Coco had not studied art in college. Only when she began to draw comics did she start going to classes, learning to draw systemically. As a fast learner, Coco was especially talented and learned quickly. The teacher who had taught her sketching thought it was a waste that she had
Lucas wondered if she knew she was the most tempting woman he had ever met. He got up and walked over to her. "Don't look at me like that. I may lose control.""I-I'm not looking at you in any particular way," Coco stammered. She swore she did not mean to seduce him. "The way you're staring at me now… It's a test for me," Lucas explained. "If you want me to wear less, pick another time, okay? Not when I'm working.""You can draw me any way you want. Even if it means dedicating myself to art."Coco's heart started to pound so loud and hard in her chest, her face turning hot and red. Just imagining Lucas doing whatever she wanted made her heart flutter like crazy.Dedicate himself to art? Could it be what she thought it was? "D-Do you mean… You'll let me draw you in… Your naked form?" Coco asked literally."If you want to. There's nothing wrong with that," he replied, almost giving Coco a nosebleed.Coco's eyes lingered on his beautiful torso, firm muscles, chiseled chest, an
In her sketch, Lucas saw how much Coco loved him. The way she drew him, the way his eyes were full of love. So, this was what he looked like in her eyes. She seemed to realize how deeply he was in love with her.Lucas would keep every picture she drew of him. He carefully took the sketch off the easel and stored it safely. As long as she wanted, he would model for her til their hair turned grey.Her drawings of his would be the proof of their lifelong love!-Coco and Lucas spent their New Year's Eve together. Coco invited Leia to the villa, and Lucas' parents came too. They spent the night together, partying and celebrating.During dinner, Jared and Carmen lifted their glasses in the air in a toast, thanking Leia for all she had done. Jared and Carmen had always treated Leia with respect. Leia had saved Coco's life, indirectly saving their son and the Gomez family.Many outsiders said Leia was unworthy of the Gomez family, especially since she was uneducated and came from the vi
"I'll come with you," Lucas agreed readily, and the couple returned to their room.When they got back to the room, Lucas spoke again. "Okay. Let's talk."Coco suddenly wrapped her arms around Lucas' waist, burying her face in his arms."What's wrong?" Her strange behavior made him a little nervous."I felt an urge to cry while watching the TV show," Coco whimpered. She did not want her in-laws and Leia to see her crying, so she had made an excuse to go upstairs instead of worrying them. Lucas cupped her face in his hands although startled by her tears. "Thinking about your parents?""Yeah, but not just that," Coco sniffed."When I was a kid, my parents used to watch the TV with me on New Year's Eve. Later, when I stayed with my uncle's family, I had to grab a small stool and sit far away to watch the TV with them. Their TV was in the master bedroom, so all of them would sit on the bed and watch it except for me.""I wasn't happy. When I became independent, I moved out and live
Carmen guessed she was right. "Well, I'm warning you not to do it again. If anything happens, I'm going to kick your ass."Lucas helplessly nodded as he listened to his mother's lecture. When he came back to the room, Coco looked at him curiously. "What did Mom ask you?""She told me to hold back," Lucas grumbled, leaving Coco puzzled."Because we spent half an hour in the room earlier, Mom thought my desire got the better of me, and I made you stay with me," Lucas explained.Coco finally understood what it was all about, her face turning bright red."Did you explain to Mom? About what happened?" she asked quickly."How would I have explained? That you wanted to cry?" Lucas mused, making Coco feel embarrassed. Telling Carmen the truth would only make things complicated."Whatever they think," Lucas shrugged, not caring about what others think"But… Will Mom think… I'm risking my health just for momentary pleasure?" Coco stammered while worried about leaving a bad impression o
"If not four, I want at least two kids," Coco swooned, imagining two toddlers surrounding her, calling her ‘Mommy’."You have to keep trying after this one, then," Serenity teased."By the way, did something happen to Jackie?" Coco asked, noticing that Jacqueline was acting really strange. Jacqueline was the most outgoing among the kids, constantly chattering. Her usual smile was gone, and she was exceptionally silent, merely interacting with her youngest sister and watching cartoons on the TV."She's had some problems with her friend. She's been sulking for some time," Serenity sighed."Is she mad at her friend? But she's not the kind who holds grudges. Did they get into a fight?" Coco wondered, thinking about how serious a conflict between children could be. "It's a little different this time. Adults are involved too," Serenity lowered her voice, telling Coco about Morris and his family.Coco listened, bewildered at the story. Humans would always be greedy, especially when l
"Is that so?" Jackson said with a playful smile. "I’d like to see how you handle it if Coco gives birth to a girl this time.""In any case, if it's a daughter, I'll protect her well, making sure she never faces any hardship. For her future boyfriend, I'll make sure he never dares to betray her," Lucas replied."And if it's a son?" Jackson asked."If it's a son, he'll need to be toughened up. I won’t spoil him too much," Lucas said.It was clear that he had double standards for his children."What if your son resembles Coco? Would you still not spoil him?" Jackson asked with a teasing smile.Lucas was at a loss for words. If his son looked like Coco... Well, he might need to reconsider his stance.-Morris absentmindedly watched his parents frantically pack their belongings, stuffing everything they could into suitcases."Daddy, Mommy, are we leaving?" he asked in a small voice.Everyone was happily celebrating the New Year, but a new wave of debt collectors kept showing up
Marissa resented the Valor family deeply. If they had been willing to help pay off her debts from the beginning and hadn't distanced themselves from her family, she wouldn't have been forced to borrow from loan sharks."I'll beg Jacqueline for help! She... she’ll help me!" Morris said urgently."The Valor family has clearly cut ties with us. Stop dreaming!" Marissa shouted. "Now, everyone knows the Valor family has kicked us to the curb. I told you to please Jacqueline, but what happened? You didn’t do enough to please her, and she’s upset with us because she overheard a few things!"Marissa had always blamed everyone else but never considered her own mistakes.Morris lowered his head, clutching the hem of his shirt tightly. That day, he had wanted to stop Jacqueline when she left heartbroken, but in the end, he was too scared to do so.It had been so many days, and Jacqueline still hadn’t visited him. Although his piano teacher told him he could continue his piano lessons, it wou