"Caspian, are you making fun of me?" Ivy asked. "Of course not. This is the first time I've seen so many women interested in Lucas. It's exciting!" Caspian said. Ivy fell silent. Caspian elbowed Lucas and said, "You are in luck this year! Feeling troubled?" Lucas glared at him. "You're overthinking this! Is romance all you think about?" Caspian flinched. "I'll just keep quiet and watch the drama unfold." Ivy picked up the jug and poured herself a glass of water. Caspian immediately handed her his glass. "I want water, too." Ivy poured him a glass and turned to Lucas. "Do you want water?" Lucas simply handed her his glass without a word. As Ivy finished pouring him a glass of water, Missy arrived alone. Caspian promptly smiled and asked, "Ms. Feake, where's your companion?" Missy replied, "He's resting at the hotel. I didn't ask him to come." "Oh! Then I'll have the waiter bring the dishes out now." With that, Caspian signaled the waiter to start serving them.
Ivy immediately stopped them. "He can't drink. Let's just drink juice," she said before standing up to order juice. Missy grabbed her hand and said, "Your boss hasn't said anything, so why are you panicking? I'm just a woman; it's not like I could do anything to him." Ivy gave up, and Missy raised her glass to click it against Lucas'. "Lucas, I know you've just graduated and might not have a high tolerance for alcohol, but it's fine. You need to drink more to build up your tolerance! This wine doesn't have a high alcohol content anyway!" She immediately finished her wine in one big gulp, and Ivy swallowed hard at the sight. Missy set down her glass and gestured at Lucas. "Aren't you going to drink? Why are you just staring at me?" As he had downed his wine earlier, Lucas' cheeks were flushed. He rarely drank so he was already feeling a bit tipsy. "Ms. Feake, I can drink, but if I have this glass of wine, we won't be able to discuss anything." Lucas' clear aversion and dista
"Did you come to Taronia for Lucas?" Caspian asked "Not entirely. Even if Lucas wasn't here, I still would have come." Caspian nodded. "I've known him for so many years, and I've only ever heard him mention one woman." Ivy's eyebrows arched. "And who is that?" Caspian continued, "His former nanny. She passed away, and he dragged me to church to pray for her one day." A bitter look crossed Ivy's face. Caspian went on, "He was quite emotional that day. He'd been drinking. Once he sobered up, he didn't remember any of it." "So he prayed for me before..." she murmured. "What?" Ivy shook her head with a smile. "It's nothing! I just find it hard to believe that Lucas, who doesn't seem superstitious, would pray for someone who's passed away." Caspian chuckled. "Hahaha! He had too much to drink that day. While I was helping him home, he saw the church and refused to go any farther. So we went inside to pray. I asked him who it was for, and he said it was for his former nann
"Don't misunderstand me! I don't consider you a substitute for my ex. You're much better than him. My ex had no ambition and nowhere near your level of competence..." Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Ms. Feake, I'm not interested in your personal life." Missy chuckled. "Then what are you interested in? Lucas, there's no one else here so you don't need to be so cautious." "I'm not being cautious; I'm speaking the truth. Ms. Feake, give up on any notions you might have. I'm not interested in you." Lucas' tone grew sterner. "I'm not interested in investing in your father's company either. If it wasn't for Caspian's insistence, I would never have met with you." Lucas' cold and detached attitude shocked Missy. She had never seen such an indifferent man, apart from Hayden. She had once been infatuated with Hayden. She had been coldly rejected by him in a similarly straightforward manner. "Could you please explain why you don't like me? I'm good-looking, and I have a great body..." Missy
Lucas' face was still flushed from the alcohol. "What did you think would happen between us?" He paused and glanced at Ivy. "Where's Caspian?" "He's probably sleeping in your office. Your face is quite red. Do you want to go home and rest?" Ivy asked. "I'm not drunk," Lucas retorted. "I can drive you home, you know! I drove Caspian's car today, and I realized I'm not too bad at driving." Ivy followed behind him as he walked on. "Where's Ms. Feake? Did you drop her off at the hotel?" she asked as they entered the office. "No, we just chatted briefly and went our separate ways," Lucas replied. "What did you talk about? I feel like Ms. Feake has a thing for you. Did she confess her feelings or do something to you?" Ivy inquired. "You seem to know everything. Are you assuming that or did she tell you about it?" Lucas asked. "It's just a guess! Her behavior was quite obvious." Ivy followed Lucas into the office. "What did you two actually talk about?" Lucas frowned. "Are you
Ivy noticed that he was hesitating and took the form back. "Why don't I send it to her? I have her number." "Ivy, why are you helping me?" "Because I'm your employee, of course!" Lucas was more casual and bold after drinking and said, "Why won't you tell me the truth? I have my own judgment. Don't take me for a fool!" Ivy batted her eyes innocently. "Mr. Woods, are you drunk? Should I go make you some tea?" Lucas pinched the bridge of his nose. His senses were intact, but he did feel slightly dizzy so he did not stop her from making tea. Carrying the form, Ivy picked up Lucas' teacup and made her way to the refreshment area. She brewed a cup of herbal tea and then took out her phone to snap photos of the form, sending them directly to her brother. Hayden was familiar with her handwriting, so, even if she sent the pictures to Missy, her brother would eventually realize that it had been her who had filled out the form. Thinking that her brother's actions were going too fa
Staring intently at him, Ivy murmured, "Lucas, it's me, Irene! Can't you recognize me? Is it really that hard? Even though my face has changed, my personality hasn't! Who else would be so nice to you?" Ivy sighed involuntarily. At the same time, a knock sounded from behind her. Ivy immediately turned and was startled to see Caspian standing at the door. Quickly, Ivy walked to the door, pulled Caspian outside, and closed it behind them. "Caspian, how did you sneak up on me like that?" "I wasn't sneaking up on you. You were just so engrossed with staring at Lucas that you didn't hear me." Caspian said with a laugh, "Ivy, is Lucas really that handsome? You are head over heels for him. I don't think he's much better than me. Why don't girls chase after me?" Ivy stared at Caspian for a moment, then teased, "Lucas is more handsome than you." "I'm taller than him!" "Are you? I feel like you two are about the same height!" "Being taller by one centimeter still counts as being
Ivy took out another piece of cake and took a bite out of it. "He knows that I like him. I made it quite obvious." Lucas' mother chuckled. "And how did he respond?" "I'm from Aryadelle. It's quite far from Taronia," Ivy said. Lucas' mother instantly froze as she understood the implications of Ivy's words. "Are you saying you wouldn't be able to marry and move here?" Ivy nodded. "My parents wouldn't let me marry here, and I don't want to leave them. They treat me really well." Lucas' mother nodded in understanding "I can see that. You're always smiling, have a good personality, and it's clear that you come from a happy family." Ivy affirmed her assumptions: "Yes. My parents weren't very keen on letting me come here, but I insisted. They didn't stop me, but they would absolutely not allow me to settle down here." "If you're doing well in Aryadelle, there's no point in settling down in Taronia. Even though I haven't been abroad, I know that Aryadelle is quite developed." Luc