Chapter 86
Gaia's fingers clenched the corner of her design documents, her knuckles turning white.
"Soren, I know you're looking out for the company."
Her voice was strained, but she didn't lower her head. She looked straight at Soren. "But Ms. Wipere is right too. If I back down now, I'll spend the rest of my life stuck doing testing and maintenance. I don't want that."
Soren's frown deepened.
"I don't want to spend my life hiding behind other people." Gaia's voice steadied, each word deliberate. "I know I'm not ready. But I'll put everything I have into preparing. Even if I don't win an award, at least I'll have tried. Years from now, I won't have any regrets."
Soren looked at her like she was a stubborn child who didn't know any better.
"You really are…" He shook his head without finishing the sentence, turned on his heel, and strode toward the R&D department.
Gaia stood in place, watching his back disappear down the hallway. She took a deep breath and hugged her documents tighter.
She looked down at the neat, slender handwriting on the cover, her eyes reddening again.
Ms. Wipere had given her this chance. She couldn't let her down.
She wiped the corners of her eyes, turned, and headed back to her workstation.
Back in the office, Lucinda was finishing up the remaining paperwork.
The sun had set. She'd just closed the last file when her phone buzzed.
Tamsin's name lit up the screen.
She answered. The voice on the other end was bursting with barely contained excitement. "Lucinda! You free? Griffin opened a resort out in the suburbs and says we should come help him launch it and boost the vibe."
Griffin Harrison was someone she'd met back in high school—a senior classmate. The three of them used to walk to and from school together. They were tight.
Lucinda leaned back in her chair and raised an eyebrow. "How come I didn't know about this?"
Tamsin frowned too. "He told you ages ago. You were probably too busy to notice. Check again."
Lucinda picked up her phone and scrolled through. Sure enough, Griffin had sent her a message early that morning—right when she'd been in the middle of that fight. She'd missed it.
"See it now? We're all going tonight to give him a good turnout. I already promised him. You better not bail on me."
Lucinda hummed in agreement. "Fine."
After hanging up, Lucinda glanced at Griffin's message again. The address was in the outskirts of Starlight City—about a forty-minute drive.
She grabbed her coat, pushed open the office door, and walked out.
The elevator descended. She crossed through the lobby. The revolving door released her into the cool night air.
That's when she saw the black Maybach.
It sat quietly by the curb, headlights off, nearly blending into the darkness.
But Lucinda recognized the license plate instantly. Her steps faltered, her brow creasing slightly.
She walked over. The window was halfway down. She leaned in for a look.
Reginald sat in the driver's seat with a laptop balanced in front of him. His fingers moved across the keyboard, his gaze focused, his brow furrowed. He radiated an aura that screamed 'stay away.'
The back seat was scattered with files. The passenger seat held a cup of coffee that had long since gone cold.
Lucinda stood there, watching him turn his car into an office. Her mouth twitched.
Did he treat the car as an office?
She tapped on the window.
Reginald looked up. The moment he saw her, the coldness in his eyes melted away.
He closed the laptop, pushed open the door, and stepped out. "Finished work?"
Lucinda glanced at him, then at the spread of documents inside, the stone-cold coffee. She sighed inwardly. "When did you get here?"
"Not long ago." His tone was casual.
Lucinda didn't call him out.
The coffee cup had condensation beading down the sides. It had been sitting there for at least half an hour.
"Get in. I'll take you to dinner." Reginald walked around to the passenger side and reached for the door handle.
"Can't tonight." Lucinda swatted his hand away. "I need to head out to the Starlight City suburbs. A friend just opened a resort and wants me to come support the launch."
Reginald's hand paused mid-air. He turned to look at her, his brow knitting together, the light in his eyes dimming visibly.
"I'll drive you." His voice was firm.
"No need. Go back to work."
"I'm done working." His tone was certain.
Lucinda glanced at the still-open files in the back seat, then back at his face—which was practically screaming 'I'm following you today whether you like it or not.' She took a deep breath. "Reginald, I need a little personal space."
Reginald's expression froze for a moment.
Hurt crept into his eyes. His mouth opened as if to say something, but in the end, he shut it.
He stayed silent for a few seconds, then said quietly, voice muffled, "Then spend tomorrow with me."
Lucinda looked at him and nodded helplessly. "Fine."
"The whole day." He pushed his luck.
"…Fine."
The corners of Reginald's mouth finally curved upward, though the smile still carried a hint of 'I don't want to let you go but I have no choice' reluctance.
He pulled open the door. Lucinda bent down and slid into the seat. He circled back to the driver's side and started the car.
The car drove halfway across the city, leaving the downtown area behind. The roads on the outskirts of Starlight City grew quieter on either side.
Streetlights were sparse, tree shadows swayed, and in the distance, at the foot of the mountain, warm yellow lights glimmered faintly.
The resort was built halfway up the mountain—white walls, dark tile roofs, nestled among bamboo groves. A red carpet ran up the stone steps at the entrance, flanked by two rows of uniformly dressed attendants standing at attention.
The car stopped in front of the main gate. Lucinda got out and headed toward the resort entrance.
Her pace was unhurried. When she reached the entrance, the doorman gave a slight bow. She sidestepped the queue and walked directly toward an inconspicuous side door.
There were no markings on that door, but the moment the doorman saw her approach, he jogged over and pulled it open for her.
It was the resort's VIP entrance—no lines, direct access to the heart of the venue.
Her figure disappeared through the door. She never looked back.
In the corner of the parking lot, Allegra had just stepped out of a white sedan. She stood at the back of the queue, waiting to enter.
This resort was newly opened, and the standards were high. You had to book days in advance just to get in.
She was scrolling through her phone when a familiar figure caught her eye—getting out of a black sedan.
Her head snapped up, her gaze locking onto that direction.
Lucinda.
Her again.
Allegra's brow furrowed instantly. She raised her phone, aimed the camera in that direction, and snapped several photos in quick succession.
The images on her screen stirred something sour and indescribable in her chest.
She recognized that car—understated but insanely expensive. But the license plate was too blurry in the dim light to make out, so she couldn't trace the owner.
And the man leaning against the car door? Even from this distance, even in the low light, she could only make out his profile.
But that strikingly handsome silhouette was enough to make Allegra's heart race involuntarily.
Why?
Why does someone like Lucinda—someone so used up—still get to have a man that good-looking?