Chapter 54: You Can't Always Give in to Men

Standing side by side with him, Livia thought it over seriously. "Not really."

Angelo turned to face her. "Why not?"

"What would I do there while you're on business?"

"Weren't you the one who wanted to go out with me?"

"Call that fun?"

"I'll be with you once I'm done with my work."

"No thanks," Livia declined firmly.

Angelo was puzzled. Just moments ago, when they discussed buying plane tickets, she seemed thrilled. Why the sudden change of heart?

Livia glanced at the time. "You’d better hurry to the security check, or you might miss your flight."

"Are you rushing me?"

Her face registered shock. "What if you miss your plane? I'm thinking about what's best for you, okay?"

Angelo snorted, "You better be."

"Or what?"

Before she could say more, Livia's phone began to ring.

She picked it up and saw it was a voice call from Lucas. She suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

Angelo could clearly see the man's name on the caller ID from his angle. He squinted, fixing his gaze on Livia, waiting to see how she would handle it.

Livia declined the call and texted back: [Is something up? It's not a good time for me right now.]

"Not a good time?" Angelo's voice was icy cold in her ear.

She stuffed the phone back into her purse, forcing a smile. "It's loud here. Can't really talk."

"Livia."

Her phone buzzed again before she could respond.

The notification sound cut through the noisy environment, keenly picked up by Angelo.

He said coldly, "Someone texted you."

"No, they didn't." Livia didn't even look at her phone.

"Livia!" Angelo was losing his patience.

Fearing his reaction, she retrieved her phone and checked the text—it was from Lucas.

[I don't need anything. Just heading back today. On my way to the airport, I wanted to say goodbye.]

That's when Livia remembered Lucas mentioning his departure.

As she was about to reply, Angelo snatched the phone away.

"Hey! Give it back!" She tried to grab it, but the height and strength disparity left her powerless.

Angelo, holding her phone, promptly deleted Lucas from her contacts—a move he had long intended to make.

Livia glared at him. "why did you delete my friend?"

"As a man, it's crystal clear to me he's got his eyes on you.” He handed back her phone. “People like that are better off out of your life.”

Livia was livid. “You’re way out of line!”

“What? You got a thing for him? Planning to play with him after I leave?” Angelo narrowed his eyes. “Or is it that he’s your backup plan?”

Livia was livid.

She took a deep breath, fearing she might lose her temper right then and there.

Clenching her fists, the rage wouldn't fully subside. "You really have no respect for people. You delete a contact from another guy who messaged me, but you happily accept calls from Valentia in the middle of the night?"

"There's nothing going on between her and me."

"Then what's going on between me and Lucas?" Livia was on the verge of exploding.

Angelo glared at her. "You still claim you have no thoughts about that guy? Look how upset you are now."

Livia felt like she was talking to a brick wall. To Angelo, his words were gospel and hers, mere excuses.

She was speechless.

Sometimes, Angelo could be so domineering and paranoid.

"Fine. Whatever you say," she conceded, turning sharply to leave.

Angelo glanced at the time. He needed to go through security.

Watching her resolute departure, he cursed under his breath and decisively headed to the checkpoint.

Livia walked outside, took out her phone, and tried to retrieve Lucas as a contact. It would be awfully embarrassing if he texted her only to find out he'd been deleted.

A black car was parked at the curb, and the passenger was greeting someone inside briefly before leaving. it was a spot only for quick stops.

"Miss Ashcroft?" Lucas was surprised to see Livia.

As soon as she heard his voice, Livia looked up. "Lucas, that was fast."

"I was already in the car when I texted you," said Lucas, pleasantly surprised. "What brings you here?"

Trying to avoid the topic, Livia smiled and said, "Just dropping off a friend."

"No wonder." Lucas checked the time. "I have a flight at noon. There's some time to kill. Feel like grabbing a drink somewhere?"

"Sure."

They headed towards a café near the airport, coincidentally running into the same two people from the underground parking lot interview.

Those interviewers had just finished with another man and woman and were looking for their next subjects when their eyes landed on Livia and Lucas.

Livia and Lucas both had a refined and cultured air about them. Both gentle and with good looks, they created a beautiful scene.

"Excuse us, we're doing street interviews. This episode is about farewells and reunions at airports. Can we take a few minutes of your time to ask you a couple of questions?" The female host hadn't recognized Livia and waited expectantly for their response.

Livia glanced at Lucas, who was familiar with street interviews and saw them as an art form.

"I don't mind," Lucas said amiably.

Recalling the previous encounter with Angelo and how she longed for some form of payback, Livia agreed. "Sure."

The camera focused on them as the female host handed over the microphone, "What's the relationship between you two?"

Livia and Lucas exchanged a glance. "We’re friends," they said.

"How do you feel about saying goodbye at an airport? Is a hug or a kiss more appropriate?"

It was a blunt question that took Livia by surprise.

"It depends on the relationship," she responded.

Lucas nodded in agreement.

Livia elaborated, "For couples or lovers, a kiss would be fitting. For friends, a hug should suffice."

Again, Lucas nodded.

"You two seem to have great chemistry. Is there any chance of a romantic involvement?" The host was quite taken by their looks—the man with his half-rim glasses, dapper and scholarly, just like a genteel nobleman straight out of a novel, and the woman strikingly beautiful under the glare of the cameras.

Caught off guard, Livia asked, "Does this pertain to your interview topic?"

"Of course. Men and women at the airport are either parting ways for good or reuniting after a long separation. There's always some emotional entanglement."

Livia fell silent.

With a smile, Lucas declared, "I'd relish an encounter with her, but she has a boyfriend. We're just friends."

His candid explanation won the host over, and she didn't press any further.

Wrapping up with a few regular questions, she let them go.

"I never thought our little coincidence would seem like a tale to others," Lucas said, trying to ease any awkwardness.

With a resigned smile, Livia replied, "A man and woman together almost always suggest a story in people's minds."

Lucas concurred. "Has your friend boarded his flight?"

"I guess so," Livia said nonchalantly.

'Angelo was so persistent this morning. It was as if another personality took over him, arguing even at the airport. If he was dating somebody else, he'd probably have been dumped by now. Yet, I’ve fallen for such a guy.'