Chapter 110 Know Your Place
Luca's grip on the water glass tightened suddenly, causing a few drops to spill onto the tablecloth.
He didn't say a word, but his eyes darkened, and this reaction gave Patricia a sense of certainty.
"Back then, she divorced you, just up and left, and went abroad without even a proper explanation," Patricia said softly, but every word stung. "I'm not saying she's a bad person, but if she really cared about you, how could she leave so easily?"
Windy quickly chimed in, her voice gentle and considerate, as if she only had Luca's best interests at heart. "Luca, I don't mean to bring her up and upset you," she said, lifting her reddened eyes, her lashes trembling slightly. "I just feel so bad for you. Back then, you were heartbroken over her for so long, and it pained me to see it. She's been gone for five years without a single word, clearly forgetting everything here. If you still hold on to her, aren't you just hurting yourself for nothing?"
"I agree, let the past stay in the past," Patricia added with a subtle jab, her tone still soft. "She's nothing like Windy, who actually cares about you. All these years, no matter what, Windy's stuck by your side and done so much for you."
Luca felt like a fire was burning in his chest, growing more irritated with every word.
He admitted Olivia left without hesitation back then, but Patricia's words were laced with hidden barbs, and Windy's act of caring for him felt suffocating.
"Patricia," his voice was cold as ice. "Olivia isn't the kind of person you're describing."
"Oh, Luca, don't get mad," Patricia immediately put on an innocent expression. "I was just saying it casually. As an outsider, I can see things clearly, and I'm just worried you're too caught up in it to notice you're being hurt."
Windy quickly added, her tone full of grievance, reaching out to touch his arm but stopping midway, afraid he'd push her away. "Luca, don't blame my mom. She's just worried about you." Her eyes shimmered with tears. "I'm just so scared you'll get hurt again. You're such a good person, you deserve someone who truly cares for you. I don't want to see you let down again."
But Luca didn't respond to her words. Instead, he abruptly stood up, grabbed his coat from the back of the chair, and said, "I have something urgent to take care of. I'm leaving."
"Luca, you haven't even eaten yet," Patricia hurried to stand, her tone reluctant. "No matter how busy you are, you should at least grab a bite."
"No time," Luca said, walking past her without a pause, his impatience clear in his voice.
He didn't want to stay there for another second.
Windy watched his determined figure as he left, tears finally spilling over. Her heart was filled with anger and panic. "Mom, look at him! He must still be thinking about Olivia. Otherwise, he wouldn't defend her like this!"
Patricia patted her back, her voice soft but with a ruthless edge. "That woman is nothing but trouble. Back then, she messed things up for you, and now that she's back, she might be trying to ruin your happiness again."
"Mom, what should I do?" Windy looked up with red, teary eyes, full of helplessness. "I really can't lose Luca. I've waited for him all these years."
"Don't worry," Patricia said, a calculating glint in her eyes. "She wants to steal him? It won't be that easy. I have a plan to make sure she disappears from Luca's life for good and never bothers you again."
Windy's eyes lit up, and she quickly pressed, "Mom, what's your plan? Tell me!"
Patricia played it mysterious, smiling as she patted her head. "Don't ask yet. Just follow my lead, and I'll make sure you get to marry Luca."
After leaving the restaurant, Luca's mind was filled with Patricia and Windy's words.
The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he got. He pulled out his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and found Ken's number.
He called straight away, his voice full of barely contained frustration. "Come out for a drink. Usual spot."
Ken paused for a moment on the other end, then chuckled. "Whoa, the big boss Luca wants to drink with me? Did hell freeze over or something?"
"Cut the nonsense. You coming or not?" Luca hung up, started his car, and drove to their usual quiet bar.
The bar had dim lighting and soft music playing low. Luca found a corner booth, sat down, and ordered a bottle of whiskey from the waiter. He didn't even bother with a glass, just twisted off the cap and drank straight from the bottle.
The sharp burn of the liquor stung his throat, but it cleared his messy thoughts a little.
He really couldn't figure out how things had gotten to this point.
He'd always only felt gratitude toward Windy, so how did everyone misunderstand it like this?
"Impressive, man. Haven't seen you drink like this in years," Ken said, plopping down across from him, staring at the bottle in Luca's hand with wide eyes.
Luca didn't look up, taking another swig. "I'm annoyed."
"Annoyed about what?" Ken waved to the waiter to bring him a glass. "Is it Olivia? Or Windy?"
At the mention of those two names, Luca's movements paused, and his brows furrowed even more.
"Both," he said, slamming the bottle on the table with a dull thud. "I've only ever seen Windy as a little sister. How does everyone think there's something going on between us?"
"Little sister?" Ken snorted, pouring himself a drink and taking a sip. "Dude, do you even believe that yourself?"
"What else then?" Luca looked up, irritation flashing in his eyes. "She saved my life back then. Taking care of her is the right thing to do, but I've never had any other feelings for her."
Ken raised an eyebrow, amused by Luca's frustrated, wronged expression. "Windy's feelings for you are obvious to everyone in our circle. You've never outright rejected her or accepted her, so isn't that just giving her hope?"
Luca froze, the bottle in his hand stopping mid-air.
He'd never thought about it that way. He just felt it was his responsibility to take care of Windy, but he didn't realize that this unclear attitude was making things worse.
"I thought I made myself clear," Luca's voice dropped.
"Clear?" Ken rolled his eyes. "If you were really clear, you wouldn't still let her tag along to events with you or give her such expensive gifts on her birthday."
"Those were..." Luca tried to explain, but didn't know what to say.
Those gifts? Windy had begged for them, and since they weren't a big deal to him, he agreed.
Those events? Windy had come up with excuses beforehand, and he didn't want to embarrass her, so he let her come.
Now that he thought about it, to others, didn't that look like he was okay with it?
He really needed to set boundaries with Windy, or the misunderstanding with Olivia would only get worse.
The next morning, as soon as Luca got to the office, he saw Windy standing at the door with a cup of coffee, a gentle smile on her face. "Luca, you're here. I made this coffee especially for you, your favorite kind."
Luca looked at the coffee, remembering what Ken said last night, and felt a wave of irritation.
Before, he thought this was just Windy being nice, and there was no reason to refuse. But now, he saw that this kind of excessive care only made things awkward for both of them.
"No thanks," Luca said, stepping past her into the office, his tone flat. "I'll make my own."
Windy's smile froze on her face, and she almost spilled the coffee in her hand.
She stood there, stunned, hardly believing her ears. Luca had never turned down her coffee before. This was the first time.
"Luca, what's wrong?" Windy followed him into the office, her eyes slightly red. "Did something my mom said yesterday upset you? She's just worried about me. She didn't mean anything by it. Please don't take it to heart."
As she spoke, she secretly watched Luca's expression, trying to figure out how to smooth things over.
Luca sat behind his desk, looking at some papers without even glancing up. "It's not about your mom."
"Windy," he set down his pen and looked at her, his eyes no longer warm but distant. "You don't need to bring me coffee anymore or keep hovering around me. You have your own work. Focus on your own stuff."
Windy's tears fell instantly. She bit her lip, her voice choked. "Luca, did I do something wrong? Tell me, I'll change, okay? I just want to be nice to you. I don't mean anything else. Don't treat me like this, please?"
Seeing her on the verge of sobbing, Luca felt an odd sense of annoyance.
Before, he would've felt guilty and softened, but now he just felt tired.
He was done with this crying act every time something happened.
"You didn't do anything wrong," Luca's tone remained cold and firm. "It's just better if we keep some distance. I've always seen you as a little sister. I don't want others to misunderstand, and I don't want you to misunderstand either."
Those words hit Windy like a knife, stabbing deep into her heart.
She knew Luca was drawing a clear line between them.
But how could she accept that?
She'd waited so many years, finally getting Olivia out of the picture. And now that Olivia was back, Luca was pushing her away?
No way. She absolutely couldn't let this happen.
Windy wiped her tears and forced a smile. "Okay, I understand, Luca. I'll be more careful from now on and won't bother you anymore."