Lucas grabbed Ivy's resume and glanced through it. When he saw that she majored in broadcasting, he looked at her and asked, "Are you sure you have the right place?" "Yeah!" "Do you even know what kind of a company this is?" he asked. She beamed. "Of course! I think it's a gaming company, right?" She remembered that Lucas used to love playing video games and would stay up all night playing, without drinking or eating anything. "It's good that he turned his hobby into a career," she thought. "Since you know that, what are you doing here? What do you have to offer?" "I can do anything," she said. "I'm a quick learner." Lucas set the resume on the desk. "You are from Aryadelle, so why did you come all the way here to Taronia?" Lucas could sense something was amiss with Ivy. Having graduated from a reputable university in Aryadelle with a degree in broadcasting, she could easily find a job in her field either there or in Taronia, so it made no sense for her to work in a
The call was quickly answered. "Darling, are you coming home?" said Avery. Avery missed Ivy, and she often had nightmares about Ivy getting into a variety of accidents. She did not share these worries with Ivy, fearing it would affect her mood. "Mom, I'm not coming home for now. I called to discuss something with you." Ivy hesitated, then continued, "Now that I've graduated, I found a job here in Taronia. I want to stay here a little longer." Avery was stunned. "Isn't this just a short trip? Why did you get a job? What kind of job is it? Isn't there anything suitable here in Aryadelle? Even if there isn't, your dad and I can arrange—" "Mom, I'm not staying in Taronia because of the job… It's because I met someone…" Ivy said. "Someone? Who is it? What's their name?" Avery realized that something was off. "Ivy, you need to explain everything to me. Otherwise, I'll be so worried that I'll go there immediately.""Mom, please don't get too worked up. It's not as serious as yo
Mike picked up the phone and chuckled when he heard Lucas's name. "Did Ivy tell you?" he asked. "How can you laugh about this? How could you keep such an important matter from us?" Avery asked. "I most certainly couldn't tell you. Ivy shared this secret with me, and I had to keep it. If I told you, you would inevitably ask Ivy about it, and then she'd know I betrayed her; she would never share another secret with me again," Mike explained. "Have you looked into this Lucas boy? What's his background? Ivy said she likes him, and I am so worried right now," Avery said. "I did a superficial check. He's an illegitimate child from a middle-class family. He attended university in Edelweiss. Looks wise, he's decent, but I'm not sure about his character. Ivy likes him, which probably means he's a decent guy! His family background isn't all that impressive, though. After all, the middle class in Taronia is quite different from Aryadelle; there's a significant gap," Mike revealed. Avery
"Keep an eye on her when she comes to work tomorrow," Lucas said. "Shouldn't you do it? She came asking for you the moment she set foot into the office. She is clearly here for you." Lucas fell silent. "Hang on! You just told me you thought you recognized her. Maybe that's true! Why else would she come all the way here?" "I shouldn't have recognized her. I've never been to Aryadelle," Lucas said. "But she mentioned that she lived in Taronia for a period of time, right? She must have come across you then. Think carefully. Have you seduced some innocent girl in the past?" "That's not possible," Lucas said. "I didn't know any women other than my mom." "Then she was probably enticed by your looks and has been in love with you since then...." Caspian said. "Sod off." "In any case, I'll ask her to be your assistant if she shows up tomorrow. She is pretty, educated, and was a TV presenter before, so she should be able to handle the job. If you marry her, your mom will surely
Caspian greeted her with a smile when he saw her. "Ivy, after careful consideration, I've arranged a more suitable position for you." "And what's that?" Ivy asked. "The boss's assistant," Caspian replied. "From now on, you'll take orders only from Lucas." Without hesitation, Ivy agreed, "Okay! Is he in the office now?" "No," Caspian said, picking up a piece of paper. "His phone number and home address are written here. Go buy breakfast and take it to him." Ivy took the paper and glanced at it. "Alright. I'll go now." After Ivy left, Caspian sighed. "It seems this woman is really here for Lucas! How lucky he is to win the heart of such a pretty lady! Why don't I have such good luck with love?" Ivy bought some croissants and took a taxi to Lucas' house. Lucas' place was located near the company, and it would only take ten minutes by car and half an hour on foot to get there. With breakfast in hand, Ivy pressed the doorbell of Lucas' house. After a short while, Lucas
"Say something!" Lucas said. "I heard from the servants who work for your family," she said. "Servants? You went to my dad's place?" Ivy nodded. "I used to live there." "Do we know each other? I don't remember you at all." "I remember you," Ivy said. "What exactly do you want from me?" Lucas asked. She blushed. "I don't want anything. Don't overthink it. I might just leave after a while." "Oh... so you are here to experience life." She nodded. "Yeah! Something like that. You don't have to pay me. Just don't chase me away." Lucas picked up the croissant from the coffee table and started eating. "How much did this cost? I'll transfer the money to you." "It's fine. It didn't cost much; you don't have to pay me," Ivy replied. "Not only do you not want me to pay you a salary, but you are spending money on me… Is your family wealthy?" Lucas teased. Embarrassed, Ivy blushed, "Just transfer it to me, then! It's only two dollars." Ivy unlocked her phone so that Lucas
Tears welled in her eyes when Lucas said "Irene". "Do you still remember her?" she asked. "She was my servant, so, of course, I remember her. You sound like you knew her," Lucas said. She nodded. "I've seen her before." "That's it?" She hesitated and added, "We spoke, too." "You are kind of like her. She liked working, too." Ivy burst out laughing. "But apart from that you two are different," said Lucas. "I'm sure you come from a well-to-do family because you always smile. She was poor and didn't even have decent clothes. She didn't laugh as much as you do." Upon hearing Lucas's words, Ivy felt a lump in her throat as she could not even remember how she used to laugh. "She must be touched that you remember so much about her," Ivy replied. "She's dead. Didn't you know?" Lucas said. "Perhaps she's not dead; she might have just gone to another place," Ivy suggested. "She is dead. You don't have to console me." "If she were not dead, would you have hired her?" I
"I just want to see your mom. Why do you always overthink things?" "Normal people don't act like you do," Lucas said. "That just means that you haven't seen enough normal people." Lucas was instantly rendered speechless. When they arrived at the hospital, Ivy bought a fruit basket at a store next to the hospital, and Lucas said, "My mom doesn't like fruits." "You eat them, then. I am not visiting someone empty-handed," she said. "Do as you please." With that said, Lucas strode toward the ward, and Ivy hurried after him with the fruit basket. "Mr. Woods, wait up! You are walking too fast!" she shouted, but Lucas did not slow down for her. In the ward, Lucas' mother greeted him with a smile as he walked in. "Lucas, why did you come so early today?" Ivy came in panting. "A-aunty! I-I'm Lucas' friend. I came to see you!" Her cheeks were flushed as she placed the fruit basket on the table and then turned to face Lucas' mother. Lucas' mother looked at Ivy, surprised. "Y