Chapter 110: Did You Bring My Daughter-in-law?
"Luca, is this your car?"
Hearing Luca Hale greet her, Lucy Smith finally relaxed. She hadn’t mistaken someone after all.
At the same time, a storm swept through her heart.
She had no idea what had happened to Luca over the past few months, but she was certain of one thing. At the beginning of the year, there was absolutely no way he could have afforded a BMW worth nearly eighty thousand dollars.
"I guess you could say it’s mine," Luca replied with a smile, giving the steering wheel a light tap.
Technically, the BMW was a gift for his father, but he’d registered it under his own name to make the paperwork easier.
Lucy let out a slow breath before shaking her head in disbelief.
"You’re incredible."
"Lucy, what took you so long just to buy a few things?"
A gentle male voice interrupted them.
A tall, slender man with refined features walked over, naturally taking the shopping bags from Lucy’s hands before she even had a chance to protest.
"Luca, let me introduce you." Lucy smiled warmly. "This is my fiancé, Johnathan Chris."
She then turned toward the man beside her.
"Johnathan, this is Luca Hale, my childhood friend."
The two men exchanged polite nods.
Luca quietly sized him up.
Johnathan stood almost as tall as he did. His clothes were impeccably pressed, without the slightest wrinkle, giving him the appearance of someone meticulous and disciplined. More importantly, the first thing he’d done after arriving was relieve Lucy of her shopping bags.
’Looks like he genuinely treats her well.’
Judging by the happiness on Lucy’s face, Luca could tell she hadn’t chosen the wrong person.
His first impression was a good one.
"Well then, Lucy, I won’t interrupt you and my future brother-in-law any longer."
Luca leaned slightly out of the window with a grin.
"Just don’t forget to invite me to the wedding, alright?"
"Hahaha..."
With a wave, he slowly drove the BMW X5 away.
The silver SUV gradually disappeared around the corner.
Johnathan gently tugged at Lucy’s sleeve.
"Let’s go."
Lucy nodded absentmindedly.
After taking only a few steps, she suddenly grabbed his arm.
"What do you think?" she asked hopefully. "Should we ask Luca for help? Maybe... maybe he’d be willing to invest in us."
Johnathan fell silent for a moment.
Eventually, he sighed.
"The amount of money we need to finish developing the game is enormous. Most people simply wouldn’t take that kind of risk."
He glanced toward the road where the BMW had disappeared.
"Even if your childhood friend can afford a luxury SUV like that, coming up with several million dollars in available cash is an entirely different matter."
The hopeful sparkle in Lucy’s eyes gradually faded.
She lowered her head, unable to hide the disappointment on her face.
Johnathan wasn’t wrong.
Even if someone happened to have millions sitting in their bank account, why would they gamble it on an independent game studio with no guarantee of success?
But they had truly reached a dead end.
...
Half an hour later, Luca Hale arrived at Stillwater Bay Estate.
As soon as the BMW rolled to a stop at the entrance, a sharp-looking security guard approached the driver’s side window with a polite smile.
"Good afternoon, sir. How may I help you today?"
Before Luca could answer, another man hurried over.
He appeared to be in his forties, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, carrying himself with the confidence of someone in senior management.
"Zach," he instructed calmly, "please register this vehicle’s license plate in the estate’s database. I’ll handle Mr. Hale."
"Understood, Manager Joshua."
Zach nodded and jogged toward the security office.
Once he was gone, the middle-aged man turned back toward Luca, bowed slightly, and introduced himself with a warm smile.
"Mr. Hale, my name is Jeremy Joshua, the property manager of Stillwater Bay. Please give us a moment while your vehicle information is entered into the system. Once that’s finished, you’ll be free to enter at any time."
Luca smiled.
"Manager Joshua, I’m curious. How did you recognize me so quickly?"
Joshua answered without hesitation.
"When we completed the residency files for your parents, we also created records for every member of your immediate family. As it happens, I personally reviewed the photographs of both you and your sister."
Luca simply nodded.
What he didn’t know was that Joshua was being far too modest.
It hadn’t been coincidence at all.
As the property manager of Stillwater Bay, he’d memorized every member of the Hale family by heart.
After all, if he couldn’t instantly recognize the residents of Estate No. 1, he wouldn’t deserve to manage the most prestigious community in the city.
A few seconds later, the walkie-talkie in Joshua’s hand crackled to life.
"Manager, Mr. Hale’s license plate has been registered. The gate is open."
"Received."
Joshua clipped the radio back onto his belt before respectfully gesturing toward the entrance.
"Mr. Hale... welcome home."
"Thank you."
Luca nodded appreciatively before gently pressing the accelerator.
The silver BMW rolled smoothly through the elegant, tree-lined streets of Stillwater Bay.
Two minutes later, he stopped in front of Stillwater Bay Estate No. 1.
Stepping out of the car, he walked to the entrance and knocked firmly on the heavy wooden door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Who is it?"
His mother’s familiar voice echoed from inside.
"Mom, it’s me. Your son."
The door slowly opened by about ten centimeters.
His mother peeked outside.
But instead of looking at him, her eyes immediately swept across the driveway and surrounding yard, searching for someone else.
"Mom." Luca laughed helplessly. "I’m standing right here. Don’t tell me you can’t recognize your own son."
"I know you’re here."
She continued looking around.
"I’m looking for my daughter-in-law."
Her gaze finally landed on him.
"So... where’s Naomi?"
Luca rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Trish’s still at school preparing for his entrance exams."
Then, pretending not to understand what she actually meant, he flashed an innocent smile.
"Come on, Mom. Let me inside first."
"Heh."
His mother let out a cold laugh.
Did he really think she didn’t know exactly what game he was trying to play?
"You didn’t bring Naomi back, did you?"
She smiled sweetly.
"In that case..."
"Goodbye."
Bang!
The heavy front door slammed shut without the slightest hesitation.
Fortunately, Luca instinctively leaned backward.
Otherwise, the edge of the door would’ve smacked him squarely on the nose.
He stood frozen on the front step for several seconds.
Then he sighed.
’Yep....’
’She’s definitely my mom.’