Chapter 22 High-Profile Public Display of Affection, It's Fake!
Lucas often puts on a cold, indifferent front - partly due to his personality, partly because his image requires it.
His true emotions are always buried deep inside.
At this moment, with camera flashes going off constantly and reporters swarming like vultures, I looked into Lucas's eyes and saw through that fake coldness to his nervousness and concern.
Lucas's brow was tightly furrowed, his jawline tense, and his arm around my waist felt like unbreakable steel.
"You two have been separated for a month - how does that feel?"
"Can you directly address the marriage crisis rumors?"
"Which lady does Mr. Valeri actually like?"
Lucas's displeased gaze swept coldly across the room. The reporters' voices grew quieter and quieter. One reporter received a full three seconds of Lucas's stare - I recognized him as the one who had pushed me and nearly made me fall.
Lucas turned slightly to shield me in his arms, raising his left hand in front of my forehead to block the blinding camera flashes.
His deep voice sounded close to my ear: "How does the separation feel? I miss her."
"Can I respond directly? No."
"Whoever I say I like will become fodder for your news stories, so why would I tell you?"
My ear pressed against Lucas's chest, and through the thin fabric, I could feel the burning heat from his skin.
He held my waist as we walked toward the car. Reporters chased after us, urgently asking: "Your aunt said Ms. Sorelli is the other woman - what do you think about that?"
Lucas scoffed and said bluntly: "She's lost three husbands and has long been mentally unstable. You actually believe what she says?"
Reporter: "Amelia has already confirmed Grace's story! She's accusing Ms. Sorelli of hiding her identity to marry you - there's suspicion of marriage fraud!"
Lucas grew impatient: "Can hiding things between husband and wife really be called deception? It's called keeping things interesting! Doesn't your wife have secrets?"
After the emotional assessment results came out, Lucas was like he'd taken a stimulant - firing back at all the reporters before pulling me into the car with him.
Listening to his steady, strong heartbeat, I felt a bit dizzy, realizing I'd actually gotten into the same car with him.
"These people really have nothing better to do." Lucas let go of me and tugged at his collar.
I noticed his body temperature had risen again. Familiar with the routine, I found the medical kit and thermometer from the back seat, then opened a bottle of water for him: "Drink water, take your temperature, talk less."
Lucas suddenly leaned close to me, our breaths tangling as mine grew increasingly erratic. One hand gripped my chin, as if he was about to kiss me the next second.
He asked: "Why do you care about me?"
I stared intently into his eyes, trying to find traces of love for me in them. I asked him back: "Why did you say those things to the reporters? They'll get the wrong idea!"
"Wrong idea about what?"
"They'll think there's love between you and me." I clenched my fists, a thin layer of sweat forming in my palms.
"Is that a bad thing?" Lucas smiled slightly and asked back. "Starstream City is only so big. You four siblings appeared out of nowhere and took over the territory south of Northern District, the government district, the chaos zone, and north of the co-governed area, spanning east to west. You've clearly become the fifth major power in Starstream City."
"We're married, which makes us natural allies. Letting outsiders think we're at odds does us no good."
After Lucas finished speaking, he instinctively reached for his cigarette pack, then remembered something and put the cigarette down.
He took the thermometer and tucked it under his arm, then reached out for the water.
I didn't give it to him. Instead, I tilted my head back and drank half the bottle myself, crushing the bottle with an expressionless face until it crackled.
I asked myself: what was I hoping for just now?
After being disappointed so many times, haven't I learned my lesson?
"Stop the car," I said.
Alfred, who was driving, carefully tried to persuade me: "Mrs. Valeri, let us take you back?"
"Stop the car!" I raised my voice.
"It's not convenient to stop here," Lucas suddenly asked in confusion: "Why are you crying?"
I raised my hand and roughly wiped the tears from my cheeks with the back of my hand, turning to look out the window, unwilling to look at Lucas again. But the car window reflected his image - he was looking at me, his expression unclear.
He pretended to be affectionate in front of the reporters, while I was moved like a fool.
For the past three years, I'd been fooled by exactly this kind of illusion!
He wasn't going to kiss me either - he was the person dangling bait next to the fish, wanting to watch me stupidly take the hook.
Large tears fell from my eyes. Lucas frowned but said nothing.
Alfred panicked: "Mrs. Valeri, what Mr. Valeri actually meant was..."
"I think the same way," I said coldly. "As long as we can achieve our goals, we're just using each other. I'm not losing out. Stop the car - don't make me say it a third time!"
Alfred pulled the car over to the side. Adrian had been following behind in another car and stopped nearby when he saw what was happening.
I messily wiped my face with my sleeve, using too much force. My cheeks hurt from the rubbing, but there was a strange sense of satisfaction.
Lucas tried to stop me, looking very annoyed.
I slapped his hand away and smacked him across the face.
A crisp sound rang out, and a clear red handprint appeared on Lucas's cheek.
I sneered: "Like badges? There's one for you. Go show off that slap mark to the reporters!"
I got out of the car and slammed the door hard, then got into my own car. "Adrian, take me home!"
I cried for over ten minutes, crying until my eyelids were red and swollen. I didn't expect Brian to be waiting for me at the front gate - he immediately noticed I'd been crying.
Brian anxiously and helplessly tried to comfort me: "Bella, don't be angry. Grace is just a bitch with a foul mouth. I'll deal with her for you!"
I blew my nose and asked in a muffled voice: "What did she say?"
Brian handed me his phone. On the screen was a breaking entertainment news headline: "Isabella Suspected of Being the Other Woman, Interfering in Lucas and His First Love's Years-Long Relationship."
The article was full of exaggerations describing how I had approached Lucas by any means necessary, threatening him into marrying me. It even included several photos of Lucas and me at previous events - clearly moments when I was cooperating with Lucas to play the loving couple, but twisted to portray me as "scheming" and "deliberately clingy."
Right after that was another news story saying I had maliciously bullied an elder.
I clicked on it, and sure enough, it was about me kicking Grace out of the hotel.
The comment section was full of people joining in to curse at me.
Amelia had a carefully managed social media account online and was quite a popular influencer. My account had only been verified after my birthday and had very few followers.
Internet users compared me with Amelia, calling me mud from the ground while praising Amelia as a cloud in the sky.
Brian carefully comforted me: "Bella, it's okay to be angry, just don't let it hurt your health."
"Thanks, Brian, I'm fine." I walked through the front door holding Brian's arm. "These two think they can deal with me with these little tricks? Dream on! Let public opinion ferment overnight. The higher they stand, the harder they'll fall."
I had detailed evidence about Grace being kicked out of the hotel, and I'd also collected plenty of negative news about Amelia. They'd generously handed me this opportunity - wouldn't I be letting them down if I didn't fight back?
That evening, I made my plans, but things turned out a bit different from what I'd expected.
The next morning, Lucas and I made headlines across all of Starstream City's major news outlets: "Kingpin of the North Responds Boldly: No Divorce!"