Chapter 177: A Discovery Best Kept Secret
Luca had no idea what Alani Stones was really after, and frankly, he had no interest in finding out.
By then, he had already sent the driver back on his own and slipped into the passenger seat of Cecelia’s Mini.
"Couldn’t you at least let me hitch a ride?"
Watching him buckle his seatbelt with practiced ease, Cecelia rolled her eyes.
"I’m the boss," he replied with complete seriousness. "What kind of boss drives a car like this?"
"Oh? So you’re too important for my little car now, Mr. Hale?" She folded her arms and snorted. "Then get out."
The old Cecelia would never have dared say something like that. Back then, she genuinely believed her modest Mini didn’t suit Luca’s status.
But after spending time with him, she’d realized something. This wasn’t a man who spent every day indulging in expensive seafood and luxury restaurants. He was just as happy eating skewers from roadside stalls.
He wasn’t distant or arrogant.
He was simply... lazy.
Luca flashed her a mischievous grin.
"I don’t mind driving."
He leaned closer with a wink.
"But if I’m driving, it has to be a big truck."
"The kind with blinding headlights."
"I..."
The meaning behind those words hit her almost instantly.
She looked away, refusing to meet his eyes.
’This shameless man...’
Why was it that every conversation somehow ended with her being the embarrassed one?
Whether it was words or... everything else, she was always the one being led around by this younger man.
Her cheeks puffed out slightly.
"Fine." She huffed. "If you want a ride, it’ll cost you."
She extended her hand.
"Double fare."
"Deal."
Luca nodded without hesitation.
Just as she expected him to hand over money, he gently took her hand instead.
Before she could react, he closed the distance and captured her soft lips.
Their fingers intertwined naturally as the kiss deepened, warm and lingering.
"Ah!"
A startled cry shattered the moment.
Both of them froze.
Cecelia’s eyes widened as she hurriedly pushed herself upright and scrambled out of Luca’s embrace.
Turning toward the sound, they saw two young women standing beside the parking lot.
One was tall.
The other was much shorter.
Both stared at the car with identical expressions of shock.
The shorter girl had both hands over her mouth, her eyes sparkling with equal parts disbelief and excitement, like someone who had just stumbled across the biggest office secret imaginable.
The squeal had clearly come from her.
Luca recognized them immediately.
Roseline.
Jessie.
They worked in the same office as Cecelia.
Luca, thick-skinned as always, wasn’t bothered in the slightest.
Cecelia, however, wished the ground would swallow her whole.
These weren’t strangers.
They were her subordinates.
People she saw every single day.
How was she supposed to face them tomorrow?
She cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Ahem... It’s you two. Mr. Hale and I were just..."
Before she could finish, Jessie smiled politely.
"Don’t worry, Sister Cecelia."
She grabbed Roseline by the wrist before the younger woman could blurt out another word.
"We didn’t see anything."
"You two carry on."
Without waiting for a response, she dragged Roseline away as fast as she could.
Whether they’d "seen anything" or not, everyone knew the truth.
The moment they disappeared around the corner, Cecelia leaned back in her seat and covered her face.
She looked utterly defeated.
How could she have been so careless?
It was all Luca’s fault.
Why did he have to kiss her in the company parking lot?
The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became.
She raised her hand and smacked his arm.
"It’s all your fault!"
To her, it had been a proper slap.
To Luca, it barely qualified as a pat.
It felt more like she was sulking than actually angry.
After Cecelia drove away with Luca, Roseline and Jessie remained where they were, watching the Mini disappear into the evening traffic.
"Sister Jessie..."
Roseline pouted.
"Why did you drag me away? I wanted to watch more."
Jessie sighed.
"You can ship them all you want."
She glanced sideways at her.
"But if you don’t want to lose your job, today’s little discovery stays between us."
Roseline immediately nodded.
She wasn’t foolish enough to gossip.
Protecting the president’s privacy had been one of the first lessons she’d learned after joining the secretariat.
Still...
"I can’t believe the handsome boyfriend Cecelia mentioned..."
"...was President Hale."
She laughed softly.
"No wonder she said he was just as handsome as President Hale."
Jessie chuckled.
"What? Jealous?"
"So jealous I’m about to drool."
Roseline dramatically wiped the corner of her mouth.
"Sister Cecelia is unbelievably lucky."
Then she thought about Cecelia’s graceful figure, mature charm, and gentle personality.
"...Actually, I suppose it makes sense."
Back at Silverbrook Residences, Cecelia stopped by the security office to collect the grocery bags she’d ordered earlier.
She handed them all to Luca with a bright smile.
"You cook."
She lifted both wrists toward him.
"I’ll help."
She followed him into the kitchen without another word.
Truthfully, she’d been craving his cooking for days.
Her own family’s recipes had always seemed delicious.
Until she’d tasted Luca’s.
After that, everything else felt ordinary.
Whenever the two of them cooked together, he naturally became the head chef.
Dinner was halfway finished when Cecelia’s phone rang.
She glanced at the unfamiliar New Orleans number, frowned, and answered anyway.
"Hello?"
Before she could say another word, an elderly woman’s furious voice exploded through the speaker.
"You finally answered, you shameless woman!"
"My youngest son is getting married! Transfer thirty thousand dollars immediately!"
"If it weren’t for you killing my son, none of this would’ve happened!"
Luca heard every word.
He immediately recognized who it had to be.
Her former mother-in-law.
Captain Rico’s investigation had mentioned the woman before.
An overbearing, impossible old shrew.
At the time, Luca hadn’t paid much attention.
After all, Cecelia had sold the marital home after her husband’s death and given half the proceeds to that family.
As far as he was concerned, the relationship should have ended there.
Apparently, the other side didn’t agree.
Without saying a single word, Cecelia ended the call.
She immediately blocked the number before calmly placing the phone back on the table.
She had clearly done this many times before.
Every time they wanted money, they’d simply call from a different number.
Fortunately, they didn’t know where she lived now or that she’d joined Hale-Viv Conglomerate.
Otherwise, they would’ve come knocking long ago.
"Do they call often?" Luca asked quietly.
She shook her head.
"Only when they need money."
"I’ve never given them anything."
"I just block every number they use."
After her husband’s death, she’d already done everything she believed she owed that family.
She had no intention of becoming their lifelong source of income.
Luca nodded.
"Good."
He said nothing else.
But he’d already made a mental note.
He’d have Captain Rico deal with it.
Waiting until those people discovered Cecelia’s address would be foolish.
If they frightened her... or worse...
That was a risk he had no intention of taking.
Any potential threat should be eliminated before it had the chance to become a real one.
That had always been Luca Hale’s way of handling things.