Chapter 24 Provocative Texts at Midnight
"Get away, don't touch me!" Olivia backed away in fear.
The two men wouldn't leave her alone, trying to grab her waist.
In a panic, Olivia shielded her stomach and shouted, "I'm pregnant! Don't touch me!"
The two lost interest instantly, rolling their eyes in annoyance. "A pregnant woman at a bar? What a buzzkill!" They walked off.
Her eyes were fixed on Luca and Windy, as if she could hear them laughing and talking.
When they finally disappeared from her sight, Olivia felt a heavy, painful ache in her chest. She let out a bitter laugh. Luca never needed her.
Yet here she was, pregnant, pushing through her discomfort to rush from home to the bar, and nearly getting harassed by strangers.
What a waste.
Olivia quickly walked away and got into her car.
"Olivia?" Ken happened to catch a glimpse of her hurrying into the car. He froze for a moment, then tried to chase after her to explain. "Olivia! Wait!"
Just then, a low gasp came from behind.
Ken turned back and saw Windy struggling to hold Luca up. Luca swayed, almost falling to the ground. Windy yelped, trying hard to support him, nearly falling herself.
Ken was frustrated and torn, but he had no choice. He gave up chasing Olivia and went back to help, steadying Luca with Windy.
"Luca, wake up. We'll take you back," Windy said softly, gently tugging at his sleeve.
Luca heard a faint voice and frowned, too drunk to open his eyes. He mumbled, "Olivia, is that you?"
Both Windy and Ken heard it.
Windy's expression stiffened, a flash of jealousy in her eyes. But she quickly hid it. "Luca, it's me. You're drunk. Let me take you back, okay?"
Windy turned to Ken. "I'll take him back."
Ken hesitated. "You're taking him home?"
"Yes. To my place. It's late, and I don't want to bother his family," Windy said, sounding sincere.
Ken wavered. Sure, he was a bit of a playboy, but at the end of the day, he was Luca's friend.
Luca and Olivia were married. It was clear Olivia had misunderstood something and left in anger. And Windy obviously had feelings for Luca. If she took him back to her place and something happened, Ken would feel guilty.
"Let me handle this, Windy," Ken said, rejecting her idea. "Luca's too drunk for you to handle alone, and I saw Olivia here earlier."
Windy looked surprised. "Really?"
"Yeah, she probably got the wrong idea. That's why I can't let Luca go home with you. I'll book a room upstairs and stay to look after him." Noticing the injury on Windy's forehead, Ken added, "You should head back and rest, too. You've got a cut on your head."
Windy hadn't expected Ken to refuse her, and her smile almost faltered. She bit her lip, looking hurt. "Ken, I know you mean well, but it's not what you think between Luca and me. You've probably heard Luca mention it—I saved his life once, so he's always looked out for me. As for Olivia, she's never really liked me. Even if there's a misunderstanding, I'll clear it up with her tomorrow. I just can't feel at ease leaving Luca somewhere else."
Ken rubbed the back of his neck. The way she put it, it sounded like she and Luca were just friends who cared about each other. And he had heard that Windy once saved Luca from nearly drowning.
Still, thinking of Olivia's departing figure, he felt this wasn't right. If the paparazzi caught wind of this, as Luca's friend, he'd be in big trouble.
"Windy, I can't agree to this," Ken said firmly. "Luca just called out Olivia's name, and now you're suddenly here wanting to take him home. That's not okay. I'll have someone drive you back. Don't worry about Luca—I'll take good care of him."
Without waiting for her to argue, Ken called the club manager over and arranged a suite on the top floor.
"Ken…" Windy stood there, watching Ken help Luca upstairs, her eyes filled with anger and frustration.
She shot a fierce glare at Ken's back but followed anyway, putting on a smile. "Ken, let me help you!"
Late at night, Olivia returned to the villa.
The house staff only knew she'd gone out to pick up Luca, not expecting her to come back alone. "Madam, didn't the master come back with you?"
Olivia shook her head expressionlessly and went straight upstairs.
The staff exchanged looks, unsure of what was going on.
Back in her room, Olivia couldn't stop shivering.
She took off her clothes, curled up under the blanket, and tried not to think about what happened at the bar.
Just as she was about to fall asleep, her phone buzzed, startling her awake.
Groggy, she picked it up and saw a picture from an unknown number.
Olivia opened the image.
In a hotel room, Luca lay on the bed, shirtless, fast asleep, the blanket pulled up to his waist.
On a chair by the bed, a white jacket was casually draped over it.
It was the one Windy had worn today.
Olivia stared at the photo for a full ten seconds.
Then she let out a laugh.
Windy's tactics were so cheap and laughable.
So eager to stake her claim, showing off that they slept together.
Too bad, Olivia didn't feel much anger anymore.
She couldn't be bothered to guess if Windy sent this herself or had someone else do it.
She shot back at the unknown number: [Who sneaks into a drunk guy's bed like that? Think stolen things are better? I guess your mom, the homewrecker, didn't teach you much. No matter what you do, you'll never be Luca's wife for the time being.]
After sending it, Olivia put her phone on silent, tossed it to the foot of the bed, and pulled the blanket over her head again.
At the same time, Windy had just been dropped off at home by Ken's driver.
She was removing her makeup in front of the mirror when her phone screen lit up.
Windy picked it up and saw Olivia's message, full of insults and mockery. It felt like a slap to her face.
Trembling with rage, Windy swept the perfume bottles off her vanity, sending them crashing to the floor.
That wretch!
Olivia, that wretch who was about to be kicked out, dared to send her a message like this!
Windy glared at her phone screen, wishing she could tear Olivia apart.
The next afternoon, in the hotel suite.
Luca frowned, feeling a splitting headache.
He struggled to open his eyes, taking in the unfamiliar room.
Propping himself up, Luca rubbed his temples, unable to recall last night.
"You're awake?" Ken's voice came from nearby.
Ken was sitting on a sofa not far away, playing games on his phone.
"How did I end up here?" Luca's voice was hoarse.
"What do you think?" Ken put down his phone and walked over to pour Luca a glass of warm water. "Last night, you got so drunk you wouldn't wake up no matter how much I tried. Olivia didn't bother with you and just left. I had no choice but to bring you here."
Olivia?
Luca frowned. Last night at the bar, he'd had too much to drink and thought he saw a woman who looked a lot like Olivia.