Chapter 176: Dinner Invitation Rejected!
For the next two days, Luca stayed busy at Hale-Viv Conglomerate. Meetings of every size filled his schedule as he made careful preparations to leave New Orleans.
"I’ll end with one last thing. From now on, I want the Day Family’s stock price in New Orleans to crash. Better yet, go bankrupt. How you do it is up to you, Mr. Fredrick."
He turned his gaze to the balding middle-aged man in his forties.
Fredrick had once headed the planning department. Luca had recently promoted him to vice president.
"Don’t worry, Mr. Hale. I guarantee I’ll complete the mission."
He spoke with real confidence. Under Luca’s control, Hale-Viv was thriving. Vanderbilt Global Maritime Group was Luca’s private property as well. With resources like those, failing to handle the Day Family would mean Fredrick should resign on the spot.
He felt genuine gratitude too. Before Luca arrived, reaching director of planning had already felt like the peak of luck. Further promotion had been impossible. Not because of any lack of ability. Everyone above him had been a crony planted by Gordon Luiz and Lady Francine. He had spent six years stuck in the same post.
Lady Francine had even tried to install a relative in his place. The man proved so incompetent, making one major mistake after another, that the plan fell apart. Even so, the relative still walked away with the deputy director title. He idled through his days and acted superior the whole time.
After Luca became president, those confidants were cleared out quickly. Fredrick’s work earned recognition, and the vice president role followed. Sitting in that chair meant real access to New Orleans’ upper circles. Few people dared disrespect a vice president of a company that size. Even if it cost him everything, he would carry out Luca’s order perfectly.
When the meeting ended, Cecelia followed him back to the office. The moment they stepped inside, she shut the door, crossed the room, and wrapped her arms around him from behind. Her cheek pressed against his back. Her voice came low and soft.
"Are you leaving?"
She had watched him carefully these past two days. She had never seen him work with such focus. The old sky-high, unbound attitude was gone. Only one reason made sense. He was preparing to return to San Fierro.
"Yes. But don’t worry. I’ll come see you often."
A faint dampness touched his back. She was crying.
"Okay." She wiped the corners of her eyes with her fingertips and peeked around his side. "Anyway, you’re not allowed to forget me."
He turned, pulled her into a tight embrace, and brushed his lips against her earlobe. "Don’t worry. How could I forget you when I love you this much?"
"That’s more like it."
Her eyes were still red, yet her tone had lightened.
After a stretch of silence she closed her eyes, pushed down the shyness, and managed the invitation herself.
"Tonight... are you coming to my house tonight?"
Her head stayed down, as if she wanted to hide her gaze entirely. Luca laughed out loud. At work she was serious and sharp. The moment the conversation turned personal she turned shy.
So cute.
What still surprised him most was how bold and proactive she became once desire took over. That contrast never got old.
"Thinking about it?" His tone teased as his right hand slid down to cup her.
She felt the shift at once. Anger and embarrassment flared together. Her phoenix eyes widened. She gritted her teeth.
"Luca, can’t you give me some face?"
Whenever the subject came up he insisted on clarity. He even guided her into saying the words. Had she failed to satisfy him somehow? Why force her to speak the embarrassing parts aloud?
"Hey. I’m doing out of love?" He sounded awkward under her stare.
"Love my foot."
"If you don’t want to talk, then don’t. Why get angry?"
She rolled her eyes, turned her face away, and spoke with a touch of apology. "Wait until we get back..."
"Hmm?"
"I’ll tell you everything when we get back!" She declared it loudly, almost defiant. "Satisfied now?"
Whether from shyness or anger, she broke free and hurried out. The warmth of her body and the soft scent of clivia lingered in his arms even after she was gone.
Just as he started looking forward to the night, the door opened again.
"Mr. Hale, Ms. Alani Stones sent an email inviting you to dinner."
She hid it well, yet he still caught the unease in her expression.
"When?"
"Tonight."
"I’m not going."
His answer stayed calm. No matter when Alani asked, the reply never changed. The repeated invitations had made one thing clear. She was determined to get what she wanted.
This was never just gratitude for Vanderbilt Global renewing its contract with Stones Group. Something else was at play. Luca disliked complicated messes most of all.
"Okay. I’ll reply right away." Her voice carried a lightness she did not even notice.
Earlier in the secretariat she had already ordered food and supplies for the evening on express delivery. If some woman outside summoned him now, she would be left alone in her room.
Lonely.
Cold.
Sitting by the window like a widow.
Before their relationship she would not have cared. Now that they were close, now that she had tasted the sweetness of being together, she refused to let anyone steal the night without reason. Since he had refused so firmly, she would reward him properly later.
In a luxury residential community across New Orleans, a secretary spoke carefully.
"Miss, about Mr. Hale..."
"He refused?" Alani showed no surprise, as if she had expected it.
The secretary nodded. "Yes. Miss, shall we...?"
"We return to Whitehaven tomorrow. The date for the Capital isn’t far off."
Mention of the Capital pulled a quiet sigh from her. Did she really have to follow the family’s arrangements?
Four years earlier she had watched a woman in a white dress, beautiful as an angel, face the same demand on the day she came of age.
The marriage partner was The Maison Premier’s eldest grandson, the dream of countless young ladies in the Capital. The woman had stayed expressionless, neither sad nor happy, under every watching eye. Her only answer was a single "No."
The eldest grandson turned his anger toward the woman’s mother. The mother went further still.
"You are not good enough for my daughter."
One sentence shattered his dignity. He left in shame. In that moment Alani had felt pure envy.
Not for the woman’s family background. She envied the protection. A family that stood firm and refused to let anyone force her hand.