Chapter 148: A Tactical Blunder
No high-society patriarch could tolerate being compared to a dog in front of others, let alone Arthur, the proud head of the New Orleans branch of the Day family.
His face turned a sickly shade of gray with rage.
"You arrogant little punk!" he barked. "Just because you have a bit of influence, does that mean your parents never taught you how to speak to your elders?"
Straightening his back, he tried to reclaim the authority he’d just lost.
"And another thing. Arranging Vivienne’s marriage to Dexter is for her own good! The Luiz family is one of the most powerful forces in the Gulf region. An outsider like you could never understand what the Luiz Conglomerate means to New Orleans."
His expression grew even more self-righteous.
"If the Day family wants Vanderbilt’s fleet transporting our export cargo, then Gordon Luiz is someone we simply cannot afford to offend."
Two days earlier, Gordon had personally visited the Day estate with Dexter and made one thing perfectly clear.
If the Day family wanted their shipping contracts approved, Vivienne’s marriage was non-negotiable.
Faced with the promise of enormous quarterly profits, the New Orleans branch hadn’t hesitated for a second.
Whether she was happy or miserable meant nothing to them.
As long as the numbers on the balance sheet grew, they were more than willing to sacrifice her.
Before coming to the villa, they’d already conducted a background check on Luca.
They knew he owned shares in Twist Streaming Networks and had a good relationship with Harvey Adams.
In their eyes...
That was the limit of his influence.
Comparing him to the Luiz family was like comparing a firefly to the moon.
There simply wasn’t any comparison.
"You should know your place, young man," Arthur sneered. "New Orleans isn’t your playground back in San Fierro. The waters here are deep enough to drown people like you."
"If you don’t want to wake up one morning and find every one of your businesses wiped off the map, stay away from the Luiz family."
"Otherwise..."
"...you’re digging your own grave."
Luca didn’t even blink.
He already knew Gordon and Dexter were standing with both feet over the edge of a cliff.
"Heh."
A faint laugh escaped him.
"The dog is already on its way to the slaughterhouse, yet it’s still barking about meat."
He smiled coldly.
"Just be careful you don’t choke on your own greed."
"You..."
Arthur’s lips trembled.
"Hmph! Sharp-tongued brat!"
Realizing he couldn’t win this argument, he spun around.
"Let’s go."
He motioned for Beatrice to follow him.
Before either of them could reach the front door, Luca lazily waved a hand toward the Crescent Security operatives stationed nearby.
"Smash every luxury car parked outside."
His tone remained completely indifferent.
"Our distinguished guests can walk home."
"Understood, Boss."
Several muscular operatives strode past the stunned family members, grabbed heavy steel batons from the security rack beside the entrance, and headed straight outside.
CRASH!
The sound of exploding glass echoed through the courtyard.
Arthur’s eyes turned bloodshot.
"Hale!"
"How dare you!"
Leaning casually against the sofa, Luca didn’t even bother looking at him.
"You should be thanking the heavens you’re still carrying the Day surname."
"Otherwise..."
"...it wouldn’t just be your cars getting destroyed."
"Hale!"
Arthur’s voice shook with fury.
"You really think you’re invincible?"
"We’ll see how long you can keep acting like this!"
Outside, expensive windshields shattered one after another while polished body panels crumpled beneath the heavy batons.
Neither Arthur nor Beatrice cared about the monetary loss.
The Day family could replace a few luxury sedans without blinking.
What truly hurt...
...was the humiliation.
Being chased away on foot by someone they viewed as a junior would make them the laughingstock of New Orleans high society if word ever spread.
Still...
Neither of them dared push things any further.
Luca was completely unpredictable.
There wasn’t the slightest doubt in their minds that he would personally cripple them if they provoked him again.
And with Crescent Security surrounding the estate, their own bodyguards stood no chance.
Swallowing their humiliation, the couple could only leave on foot, disappearing slowly down the long driveway.
Watching them go, Luca remained expressionless.
Yet deep down...
He genuinely felt sorry for Vivienne.
Having relatives like that truly was unfortunate.
"Darling..."
Vivienne walked over quietly and rested her head against his shoulder.
"Thank you."
Luca wrapped an arm around her waist, breathing in the soft fragrance of roses lingering in her hair.
"Don’t worry, my vixen."
His voice was gentle.
"As long as I’m here..."
"...no one will ever bully you again."
A warm smile appeared on her face.
Then she turned toward Naomi.
"And thank you too."
"You stood up for me earlier."
Naomi quickly shook her head.
"Sister Vivienne, don’t mention it!"
She smiled brightly.
"We’re family too."
This was the first time Naomi had witnessed relatives treating one another like business assets.
The color still hadn’t fully returned to her face.
She’d seen arranged marriages in television dramas before...
But never imagined she’d witness a real family trying to sell one of their own daughters for profit.
For the first time, she understood that being born into wealth didn’t necessarily mean freedom.
Sometimes...
It meant having none at all.
"Luca."
She clenched her fists.
"You have to make those Luiz scumbags pay."
Dexter hadn’t only harassed her backstage.
He’d also tried every dirty trick imaginable to trap Vivienne.
Just thinking about it made her furious.
Luca nodded.
The Luiz father and son were already racing toward their downfall.
---
He knew he wasn’t a perfect man.
But one thing never changed.
His devotion to the women beside him.
Whether it was Vivienne, Naomi, Sophie, Amelia, or Arabella...
He wanted every one of them to feel protected and cherished.
Yes, his heart had room for more than one extraordinary woman.
But he also made sure none of them ever felt neglected.
Even now...
With one arm around Vivienne and his other hand absentmindedly stroking Naomi’s hair, he unlocked his phone and began sending nearly identical messages to three separate chats.
The gifts had already been delivered, so he wanted to leave each of them a sweet note.
The first message went out smoothly.
The second...
Not so much.
Because he’d copied the previous message as a template and forgotten to replace the recipient’s name before hitting send.
Luca:
"Arabella, did you receive the custom brooch I picked out for you in New Orleans? I chose it myself. Wear it for me next time we meet. I’ve missed you so much."
He copied the message.
Pasted it into Sophie’s chat.
Changed almost nothing...
And hit Send.
Then he copied it again into Amelia’s conversation.
By the time he realized what he’d done...
It was already too late.
Sophie:
"???"
"Since when did I become Arabella?"
Arabella:
"Luca..."
"Were you copy-pasting messages again?"
Amelia:
"..."
"So my turn is next?"
Luca stared at the screen.
"..."
"..."
His eyes slowly widened.
’...Well.’
’That’s bad.’
’A complete disaster.’
For someone who prided himself on flawlessly balancing multiple relationships...
This was nothing short of an earth-shattering tactical blunder.
After several seconds of silent contemplation...
He arrived at the only logical conclusion.
’Retreat.’
’Immediately.’
As an experienced romantic strategist, he knew panicked explanations only made situations worse.
Sometimes...
Silence was the best survival tactic.
---
Three peaceful days passed inside the villa before his private phone rang again.
The caller ID displayed:
The Luiz Conglomerate Executive Secretariat.
Luca answered calmly.
"Hello."
"Director Hale?"
"Speaking."
"This is Secretary Cecelia from President Luiz’s office."
"President Luiz has instructed me to notify you that an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting has been scheduled for tomorrow at exactly 2:00 PM."
She paused briefly.
"Senior global board representative Mr. George Vanderbilt will also be attending in person."
"Understood."
Luca smiled.
"Oh, and Secretary Cecelia..."
"Could you do me a small favor?"
"O-of course, Director Hale."
"Please pass along a personal message to Gordon."
She hesitated.
"...What message?"
"Tell him..."
"...and Dexter..."
"...to stop by a barbershop today and get matching military buzz cuts."
His smile widened.
"It’ll save the prison guards the trouble of shaving their heads tomorrow afternoon."
"Hahaha."
Secretary Cecelia froze.
"...What?"
For a moment, she genuinely wondered if she’d heard him correctly.
Luca laughed lightly.
"Nothing complicated."
"Just deliver my words exactly as I said them."
After ending the call, another encrypted notification arrived.
Captain Rico.
The message was brief.
[Silas Sr. has been successfully transferred into federal custody. All physical evidence has been delivered.]
Reading the confirmation, a cold smile slowly spread across Luca’s face.
"Gordon Luiz..."
He looked out through the villa window toward the distant skyline.
"Enjoy your final day as president."
"After two o’clock tomorrow..."
"...everyone will be calling you Inmate Luiz."