Chapter 376: Because I Like You
"Wren, why are we going back to the family home?" Lucia Lancaster asked, confused.
Wren Sutton looked at the lit-up hospital across the street and explained softly.
"I want to go back and get a family photo to take to the ICU tomorrow. I’ll put it by your brother’s pillow."
"I want him to know that the whole family is waiting for him to wake up, waiting to welcome him home."
"It’s a kind of silent call to him, I suppose."
"It is, of course it is." Lucia’s nose tingled. "Wren, you’re always so thoughtful."
She stood up immediately without another word.
"I’ll go get it. You rest here at the hotel."
"It’s dark out. I don’t feel right about you going out alone. Let’s go together," Wren Sutton said, a worried look on her face.
"Don’t worry, Wren. I’m Lucia Lancaster. No one in Aston would dare to mess with me," Lucia said with a lighthearted tone, her eyes crinkling into a smile.
"Besides, I wanted to grab a few things from home anyway. You just rest easy and don’t worry about me. I’ll be back soon."
Wren Sutton started to say something else, but Lucia had already grabbed her car keys and turned to leave.
The night sky was dotted with stars, the moonlight bright and clear.
Lucia drove home and had a maid bring out the photo albums. She picked out the family portrait that had everyone in it.
The matriarch was already asleep, so Lucia didn’t disturb her. She went to her room to get a few things and left quietly without lingering.
On the way back to the hotel, she passed a milk tea shop.
It was Lucia’s favorite spot.
She parked on the side of the road and went in to buy two cups of hot milk tea.
Soon, the clerk handed the bagged milk tea to Lucia.
Lucia was carrying the paper bag in one hand and her car keys in the other. Just as she was about to reach her car, a few bleached-blond punks, reeking of alcohol and stumbling unsteadily, suddenly darted out from a street corner and surrounded her.
The punks’ eyes were hazy and insolent, their lewd gazes fixed squarely on Lucia.
"Hey, gorgeous. Good evening."
’Their accents aren’t local.’
Lucia frowned in disgust, her cold gaze fixed on the leader of the group.
"Move. You’re in my way."
Her tone was calm, carrying a natural air of aristocratic authority.
This only made the blond punk more excited, his eyes lighting up. "Ooh, feisty one, aren’t you? Got some personality. I like that. Heh heh."
Lucia’s gaze turned icy. "I suggest you move right now. I’m a Lancaster. If you mess with me, it won’t end well for you."
She revealed her identity, hoping to scare them off with the Lancaster family’s influence. It was her most instinctual reaction as the young lady of the house.
But these blond punks were drifters from out of town, not from Aston. They knew nothing of the Lancaster family’s power and status and just assumed Lucia was bluffing.
Far from being scared, they erupted in laughter.
"The Lancasters? What kind of bullshit name is that? Don’t you try to scare me."
The leader spat on the ground, his gaze falling on Lucia’s designer bag and luxury car, his greed on full display.
"Hand over all your money, now. Or else don’t blame us for what happens next."
Lucia’s eyes darkened. ’They’re completely unreasonable and don’t recognize who I am. If I fight them head-on, alone, I’ll definitely lose.’
She didn’t argue further, nor did she hesitate or panic. Calmly, she lifted her hand, opened her bag, took out all the cash inside, and held it out to them.
"All my money is here. Take it all."
"Take off the watch, too. And that necklace. Hurry up, don’t dawdle!"
Lucia did as she was told and gave them everything.
’All I want is to get away from here as quickly as possible and ensure my own safety. Losing some money to avoid a bigger disaster is the most rational choice right now.’
But after getting her things, the punks’ gazes grew even more brazen. They had been given an inch and now wanted a mile. Their eyes were glued to Lucia’s delicate face, their expressions turning lewd as even viler thoughts crossed their minds.
"The little lady knows her place, huh? But this little bit of cash isn’t enough to get rid of us. You’re so pretty, with such a great body... why don’t you have a little fun with us boys? We’ll make it worth your while."
As soon as he finished speaking, the lead punk reached out to grab Lucia’s arm.
Lucia’s face paled. Fear instantly surged through her, and she instinctively recoiled, swinging her purse forcefully.
"Get away from me! Don’t touch me!"
The punks closed in on her, surrounding her completely. Vile laughter rang out, and their words were utterly filthy.
"If we don’t touch you, how are we supposed to have our fun? In a little while, you’ll be begging us to touch you."
"Hey beautiful, come with us. We’ll take good care of you, make sure you... feel real good."
Lucia was so disgusted she felt like throwing up. It was the first time in her life she had ever encountered something like this; it would be a lie to say she wasn’t terrified.
"Help! Perverts!" she screamed, trying to get the attention of any passersby.
But as luck would have it, there wasn’t a single person on the street. The milk tea shop and other stores behind her were closed, and no one could hear her cries for help.
"Fucking bitch, you dare scream for help? We’ll give you something to scream about. Gag her and drag her into an empty alley. We’ll line up, boys, and take turns."
With her eyes red with fury, Lucia struggled desperately, wishing she could kill them.
"If you dare touch me, my family will make you die without a place to be buried!"
"Still talking tough, huh? Drag her away."
"Help! Somebody, help me..."
Just in the nick of time, a sharp figure charged over. Radiating a chilling aura, he sent the punks flying with a single kick.
He then shielded Lucia behind him, his broad shoulders firmly blocking all the malicious gazes.
It was Caleb Caldwell.
He hadn’t been long gone from the hotel when he suddenly remembered he had only bought snacks for Lucia, nothing to drink.
He knew she loved the milk tea from this particular shop, so he had driven over specifically to buy a couple of cups to bring to the hotel.
He never expected that just as he got out of his car, he would see such a scene: the girl he loved, cornered by a group of blond punks...
Caleb wanted to flay those bastards alive.
He was radiating pure violence, his eyes as cold as forged ice, and his voice was bone-chilling. "You’re courting death. How dare you touch her."
The punks were stunned by Caleb’s powerful aura. The alcohol’s effect wore off in an instant, but they still tried to talk tough.
"Mind your own damn business. She’s my girlfriend, I’m just here to pick her up—"
Before he could finish his sentence, with a loud THUD, Caleb sent him sprawling to the ground with a single punch. The man lay there like a dog, howling in pain.
"As if you’re worthy."
Seeing this, the other punks were both scared and defiant, thinking they could win against Caleb with their numbers.
"It’s been a while since I’ve stretched my legs. Get him, boys!"
Caleb snorted in contempt, calmly shielding Lucia.
"Just the few of you?"
Enraged, the punks charged forward, snarling and cursing.
Caleb’s expression hardened. He took them down one by one as they came. His movements were clean and decisive, knocking them all to the ground in an overwhelming display of power.
"Don’t think I’ll let you off just like that. You can wait to rot in a prison cell."
Caleb took out his phone and called the police, then contacted the Caldwell family’s steward to handle the matter.
The punks were in too much pain to get up. They finally realized they had provoked someone they shouldn’t have and were in catastrophic trouble.
They lay on the ground, crying and begging, kowtowing to Caleb, all of their previous arrogance gone.
Caleb looked down on them with disdain, not even bothering to glance at the trash on the ground.
He turned and instinctively pulled Lucia into his arms to comfort her, his heart aching for her.
"Lucia, don’t be afraid. It’s over now. No one will ever dare to hurt you again."
Feeling wronged, Lucia leaned against Caleb’s chest without moving. Tears clung to her eyelashes, and she was still tightly clutching the two cups of milk tea.
’I can’t believe Caleb appeared out of nowhere. This is like something out of a romantic drama.’
"You... How did you get here?"
Recalling what had just happened, Lucia was still terrified, breaking out in a cold sweat.
’If no one had come to save me, would I have been dragged into that alley by those bastards by now...?’
Caleb looked down at Lucia’s frightened expression, and his heart tightened. He gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"I came specifically to buy you milk tea."
"It’s a good thing I came. This is fate. Heaven sent me to protect you."
"I’m here now, so you don’t have to be afraid. If you want to cry, just cry. It’s not embarrassing. I’ll keep it a secret for you."
Those few simple words slowly calmed Lucia’s panicked heart. The terror in her eyes was replaced by an indescribable warmth.
She didn’t cry. Instead, she looked up at Caleb. "You came here just to buy me milk tea?"
Caleb replied earnestly, "Mhm. I know you like the milk tea from this place, so I was going to buy two cups and bring them to the hotel."
He looked down and saw the bag in Lucia’s hands.
"Why did you come out here all by yourself? If you wanted milk tea, you could have told me. I would have bought it for you, or you could have ordered delivery."
"From now on, don’t come out alone so late at night."
A warm feeling washed over Lucia. She sniffled and explained softly, "I went home to get something and thought I’d grab some milk tea on the way back."
’So that’s what happened.’
Caleb’s heart still ached for her, but he didn’t ask any more questions. He took the milk tea from Lucia’s hands.
"I’ll take you back to the hotel."
He opened the passenger side door, and after Lucia sat down, he personally fastened her seatbelt for her.
"Caleb, thank you," Lucia said with sincere gratitude.
Caleb dotingly patted her head, his eyes filled with a gentle, deep affection he had never shown to any other woman.
"Lucia, you don’t have to thank me. You’ve always been the person I want to protect most in my life. Because I like you."