Chapter 117: Dinner At Stone Free Hotel!
After Luca gave Sophie’s small hand a reassuring squeeze, she finally gathered enough courage to step forward.
"M-Mr. Hale... Mrs. Hale... Hello. My name is Sophie Kennedy."
Her palms were damp with nervousness, and her voice quivered ever so slightly as she greeted Luca’s parents. Even the tips of her delicate ears had turned a translucent shade of crimson from embarrassment.
The sight was simply irresistible.
Mother Hale was instantly charmed. Looking at the timid, well-mannered girl before her, she couldn’t summon the slightest trace of dissatisfaction.
She genuinely couldn’t understand what kind of incredible fortune her son had stumbled upon to earn the wholehearted affection of such a pure-hearted young woman.
"Come here, sweetheart. There’s nothing to be nervous about."
Mother Hale stepped forward with a warm smile and gently took Sophie’s hand.
Sophie instinctively glanced back at Luca. Seeing him nod encouragingly, she lowered her head shyly and allowed Mrs. Hale to lead her toward the car.
The two women settled into the back seat together, and before long, Mother Hale naturally slipped into the classic role of an affectionate mother asking one question after another.
When she learned that Sophie had put her own postgraduate plans on hold because of Diana Kennedy’s serious illness, sympathy and admiration filled her heart.
This girl looked gentle and fragile, yet beneath that delicate appearance was remarkable strength. The moment she entered the workforce, she had willingly taken on the burden of supporting her family.
Although Mother Hale never asked directly, she already knew the answer in her heart.
Her son must have been the one who stepped in during their darkest moment.
After all, what ordinary young family could casually produce tens of thousands of dollars for specialized medical treatment on such short notice?
If something similar had happened to the Hale family during their struggling years...
How would they ever have managed?
Over the next two days, the entire Hale family, along with Sophie, faithfully returned to the Ashford Academy of Languages for every examination session, accompanying the students and waiting outside to cheer them on.
At last, the graduation entrance examinations officially came to an end.
As the final announcement after the English paper echoed across the campus, streams of students poured out through the school gates.
Trish Hale walked out holding Rachel Kennedy’s hand, both girls wearing relaxed smiles that instantly eased everyone’s worries.
Luca and the two parents unconsciously let out long sighs of relief.
Judging from the expressions on their faces...
Things had gone very well.
"Mom! Dad!"
Trish bounced toward them with boundless energy.
Rachel, as always, was much quieter.
"Hello, Mr. Hale. Mrs. Hale."
She greeted them politely before her eyes drifted downward.
Almost immediately, both girls noticed Luca and Sophie’s tightly intertwined fingers.
"See, Rachel?"
Trish grinned mischievously.
"I told you we’d become real sisters someday."
Rachel nodded enthusiastically.
Ever since the day they met again in the old neighborhood, she had realized how deeply her older sister loved Luca. Seeing them finally standing together openly made her genuinely happy.
"Come on, everyone."
Mother Hale beamed.
"I’ve already arranged a proper celebration dinner. You two girls worked so hard. Today we’re treating you well."
Unfortunately, the BMW X5 only had five seats, making it too cramped for everyone.
After a brief discussion, Luca and Sophie volunteered to take a taxi behind the others instead.
Inside the quiet cab, Sophie leaned gently against Luca’s chest with her eyes closed, a peaceful smile resting on her lips.
Her slender fingers slowly played with his hand on her lap, absentmindedly tracing circles across his palm.
The simple intimacy filled her heart with quiet happiness.
"Luca..."
Her voice softened.
"Now that the exams are finally over... are you going back to San Fierro soon?"
A hint of reluctance lingered beneath her words.
She understood that Luca couldn’t stay away from his work for too long.
Luca wasn’t eager to leave either.
"Sophie."
He stroked her hair gently.
"Why don’t you and Aunt Diana come back to San Fierro with me? I’ll arrange a comfortable home for both of you."
It wasn’t only Sophie he hoped to bring there one day.
He wanted his own parents to move as well.
Unfortunately, every time he mentioned it, they refused.
Ashford was home.
It held every memory of their youth, every friendship they’d built over decades.
Even if Luca became unimaginably wealthy one day, they still wanted to spend the rest of their lives in this familiar little city.
For Luca himself, before leaving for university, the whole world had once been no bigger than Ashford.
Perhaps one day, when he grew old, he’d want his world to become that small again.
"My mom probably won’t agree to move permanently."
Sophie smiled apologetically and shook her head.
Luca understood immediately.
After everything Diana had gone through, it was only natural that she’d want to stay somewhere familiar while recovering.
"But..."
Sophie’s eyes brightened.
"In another two months, Mom should be almost fully recovered."
"I’ll bring her to San Fierro for a long vacation."
"Then we’ll get to see each other much more often."
Even if they couldn’t meet every day, it would still be infinitely better than being separated by two cities.
"It’s a deal."
Luca smiled warmly, rubbing his cheek lightly against the top of Sophie’s head.
Whatever Sophie decided...
He would support her completely.
Before they realized it, the taxi rolled beneath the grand entrance canopy of the Stone Free Grand Hotel.
"Welcome back, Mr. Hale!"
A burly man nearly 1.9 meters tall in a perfectly tailored suit strode forward.
Behind him stood more than ten department managers lined up neatly in formal business attire.
The moment the taxi stopped, the man personally opened the rear passenger door.
His booming greeting echoed throughout the entrance plaza.
The taxi driver nearly jumped.
Looking at Luca through the rearview mirror, he wore an expression of complete disbelief.
From the beginning of the trip, he’d already guessed the young couple wasn’t ordinary.
The girl dressed simply, yet possessed breathtaking beauty.
The young man carried himself with effortless confidence and quiet authority.
Now...
Seeing an entire hotel’s management team lining up to welcome him personally confirmed every suspicion.
Apparently, some billionaires really did take taxis just to accompany their girlfriends.
Helping Sophie out first, Luca couldn’t help laughing.
He lightly punched the burly man in the chest.
"Not bad, Mason."
"So becoming general manager has completely changed the way you carry yourself?"
"Hehe..."
Mason Reid scratched the back of his head sheepishly, looking somewhat embarrassed in front of all the staff.
Truthfully, he was still learning every day from the experienced department managers.
He simply refused to let Luca down.
Not because Luca owned the Stone Free Grand Hotel...
But because Luca was his brother.
If he couldn’t even manage a hotel properly after being given such an opportunity, he’d resign himself before Luca ever had the chance to fire him.
After exchanging greetings with the other managers, Luca followed Mason upstairs.
Together with Sophie, they entered the hotel’s exclusive top-floor private dining suite.
The room covered nearly one hundred square meters.
A massive polished round table occupied the center, while two elegantly dressed attendants stood quietly by, waiting to serve.
Mother Hale, Father Hale, Trish, and Rachel were already seated.
The moment they saw Luca enter, the room instantly came alive.
"Brother!"
"Sophie!"
"Son, hurry over and sit down!"
The overlapping greetings filled the spacious room with warmth.
Looking around at everyone’s smiling faces, Luca felt an indescribable sense of comfort settle deep inside him.
This...
This was the peaceful, fulfilling life he had always wanted.
"Let’s eat."
Still holding Sophie’s hand, he smiled softly.
The two exchanged a quiet glance before taking their seats together.
After everyone raised their glasses to celebrate the girls finishing their examinations, Mason Reid politely excused himself, leaving the family to enjoy the evening in private.
Throughout dinner, Trish was easily the liveliest person at the table.
Now that the examinations were finally over, she practically radiated freedom.
Unfortunately for her, Mother Hale firmly refused to let her touch a single drop of alcohol.
Pouting dramatically, Trish settled for draining an enormous glass of sweet soy milk instead.
Even Rachel, who was usually quiet and reserved, found herself eating far more than usual now that months of academic pressure had finally disappeared.
After the celebratory feast ended, Father Hale, slightly flushed from a few drinks, was carefully escorted into a waiting taxi by Mother Hale before they headed back to Stillwater Bay.
Meanwhile, Sophie sat sideways on the front of Luca’s scooter, carefully holding an insulated thermos filled with nourishing dishes she had thoughtfully packed for her mother, Diana.
Behind them, Trish and Rachel walked side by side along the riverside path, whispering, laughing, and occasionally teasing each other.
Ahead of them, Luca and Sophie weren’t doing anything particularly intimate.
They simply walked close together.
Yet their perfectly synchronized steps beneath the early summer moonlight quietly painted a picture of romance all on their own.