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
"Do you like me?" he paused. "Why?" Her heart raced. "Because you look handsome." Amused, he said, "You are lying!" "How can you tell?" Ivy asked. "Considering your looks, I'm sure you have a lot of pursuers, and there are bound to be guys more handsome than I among them." "Fine, but sometimes chemistry is important, too. I think there's a chemistry between us," she said. "You just won't tell me the truth, huh?" he said. "That's not the point. Are you going to take your mom to Aryadelle for treatment? If you want to—" "No," he said. "I spoke to her about it, and she does not want to go anywhere else." "Your mom doesn't want to spend your money, right? I understand that," Ivy said. Back when Ivy's grandmother was ill, she would not allow Ivy to buy even generic painkillers because she wanted Ivy to save the money instead. "You're rubbing salt on my wound with that statement," Lucas said. "I'm sorry. I just want your mother to live a little longer. I can help you
Ivy heard footsteps coming from behind her, and she turned to look around to see Lucas walking toward her. "Mr. Woods!" Ivy got up and beamed at him. He frowned. "Are you stupid?" "Huh? What makes you say that?" "Why are you sitting here? Don't you have other things to do?" he asked. She shook her head. "I don't! I don't know anyone else either." "Didn't you say that you used to live here? Why don't you know anyone here?" "I wasn't particularly close to anyone, so I might as well just sit here." "It's raining," he said. "Shouldn't you at least find shelter or something?"She stretched out her hand, catching the raindrops. "It's just a drizzle. It's cool." Lucas found her peculiar and did not know how to continue the conversation, so he turned around, intending to return to the office. "Mr. Woods, please let me stay in your company! I promise not to disturb you." Ivy caught up with Lucas. "I'll be leaving in a few days, and I won't bother you anymore." Lucas turn