Chapter 179: A Chaotic Stream Chat
"Boss, Gordon Luiz wants to see you."
Luca looked up at Patrick. The lawyer’s suit was immaculate, his hair perfectly combed, and every detail about him screamed refinement.
’Still as pretentious as ever...’
Outwardly, however, Luca simply leaned back in his chair and replied lazily,
"No need. Tell him that as long as Annabelle Flowers doesn’t go looking for trouble, I don’t care about his pathetic little fortune."
He had no interest in why Gordon already knew he was safe.
After all, the only person capable of revealing anything was already dead.
Besides, Gordon himself was standing with one foot in the grave. There was no reason to waste time meeting a man who was already doomed.
"Understood."
Patrick nodded and quietly left the office.
With nothing urgent to do, Luca casually opened Twist Streaming and began browsing.
Right at the top of the homepage was Naomi’s livestream.
Today she wore an elegant vintage-style dress that perfectly complemented her graceful temperament. She looked refined and breathtakingly beautiful.
Beside her sat Nora, dressed in a similarly elegant gown, gently cradling a small harp. Her calm, gentle demeanor perfectly matched the soothing melody flowing from her fingertips.
The two beauties appeared together like a painting, and the livestream chat was exploding with comments and gifts.
@TheRocksHairConditionar: "Little Naomi is gorgeous today! Nora’s harp is heavenly!"
@dictatormbappe221: "So this is what they mean by a king skipping court because of beauty."
@48thOnBonniebluesLine:"Has anyone noticed Naomi’s background? Something looks different."
@dictatormbappe221: "You don’t have to tell me. This is definitely Sober Tiger’s doing."
@IDontLikeFridays: "It’s been ages since I’ve seen Sober Tiger!"
@StuckOnEpsteinsIsland: "Husband! Say something!"
@RonaldoBetter11: "Husband, don’t just watch silently!"
@SoberTiger: "..."
@feetlover4885: "Damn! My husband’s finally here! I’m so happy![shy]"
Watching the comments race past, Luca was left speechless.
’I haven’t shown up in ages... how do these people still remember me?’
’And can they stop calling me "husband" in the chat?’
The moment his username appeared, the atmosphere in the livestream shifted.
The screen instantly filled with identical messages.
"Welcome, Sober Tiger!"
Naomi noticed his arrival almost immediately.
Still, she finished the song before smiling at the camera.
"Boss Sober Tiger... it’s been a while."
Even online, she still addressed him that way out of habit.
@SoberTiger: "It has. What’s for dinner tonight?"
Naomi blinked before replying with a smile.
"Sister Nora brought fresh seafood today. We’re making a seafood feast."
@SoberTiger: "Perfect. I love the taste of the sea."
The two chatted naturally, almost forgetting thousands of viewers were watching.
They remained perfectly calm.
The audience, however, certainly wasn’t.
@TheRocksHairConditionar: "Are they flirting in disguise?"
@dictatormbappe221: "What disguise? They’re doing it right in front of us!"
@IDontLikeFridays: "Has little Naomi already become Sober Tiger’s girlfriend?"
@DisvirginedBeforeGTA6: "What kind of girlfriend?"
@P_DiddysBabyOil: "The cylindrical kind."
@JudeBellinghamsLapdog: "Elementary school bar-chart kind."
@RonaldoBetter11: "Holy crap... what are you people even talking about?"
@Ranabir_20: "I don’t belong in this comment section..."
Luca couldn’t help laughing as he watched the endless stream of bizarre comments.
’These guys really are experienced drivers...’
’No matter what road they’re on, they’ll always find a way to speed.’
After listening to a few more songs, he exited the stream.
Not because he’d grown tired of Naomi’s singing.
Rather, a call had just been transferred from the secretariat.
Arthur Day.
Ordinarily, Luca wouldn’t have bothered answering.
But he already had a rough idea why Arthur was calling.
Since he was bored anyway, amusing himself for a few minutes wasn’t a bad idea.
As soon as the call connected, Arthur’s cautious voice came through.
"Mr. Hale... I’m sorry to disturb you. If you’re free, I’d like to invite you to dinner."
His attitude was completely different from before.
For a moment, Luca almost wondered if the man had been possessed.
In reality, Arthur had no desire to bow to Luca.
Not only was Luca an outsider, but the two had become enemies long ago.
Everything changed after Lady Francine’s death.
The horrific condition of her body had shaken him to the core.
For two nights straight, he barely slept.
Whenever he closed his eyes, gruesome images filled his mind.
He knew Francine had offended countless people.
She’d always acted like New Orleans revolved around her, insulting anyone she pleased.
Naturally, she had made plenty of enemies.
But if anyone had reason to hate her enough to kill...
The first person Arthur thought of was Luca.
After all, Luca had publicly humiliated her not long ago.
The police hadn’t arrested him, but Arthur no longer dared provoke him.
Originally, he’d planned to quietly let their conflict fade with time.
Then, this morning, everything changed.
Two major raw material suppliers suddenly terminated their contracts.
Not long afterward, reports of product quality issues began surfacing one after another.
If this continued, massive customer returns would follow within days.
One incident could be dismissed as coincidence.
Several happening together...
That was no coincidence.
Arthur immediately connected everything to Luca.
First, they already had a bitter grudge.
Second, only Hale-Viv Conglomerate possessed the influence necessary to pressure suppliers and stir public opinion against the Day Family in such a short time.
Looking across all of New Orleans, no one else could have accomplished it.
But none of that mattered anymore.
Money could always be earned again.
His life couldn’t.
If Luca had truly eliminated Francine...
What stopped him from doing the same to Arthur?
That fear finally forced him to make this call.
He had to reconcile.
Nothing mattered more than staying alive.
Of course, Luca had no idea Arthur had imagined enough conspiracy theories to write an entire novel.
He only recognized the man’s intention to surrender.
Unfortunately...
He had no interest in dinner.
Nor did he intend to let the Day Family off so easily.
His voice turned cold.
"Dinner won’t be necessary. I can ignore the fact that you worked with Lady Francine to target me..."
He paused.
"But you hurt Vivienne."
"I’ll never forgive that."
Without waiting for a response, Luca ended the call.
Arthur stood frozen, phone still pressed to his ear as the busy tone echoed endlessly.
Those few words struck him like thunder.
The fear he’d been desperately suppressing completely overwhelmed him.
Just then, another message popped up on his phone.
Yet another supplier had terminated cooperation.
Arthur could only smile bitterly.
Compared to Hale-Viv Conglomerate, the Day Family was nothing.
Still...
He secretly prayed Luca would stop at destroying the family’s business.
He hoped the man would simply forget about him altogether.
What Arthur didn’t know was that Luca had never intended to kill him.
Everything frightening him now existed only inside his own imagination.
Luca’s real plan was much simpler.
He intended to bankrupt the Day Family in New Orleans...
...so Vivienne could finally enjoy watching them fall.