Jessica did not expect Lucas to ask that. She subconsciously denied it. "No."
"But that illustration." Lucas paused, he realized that his previous attitude might have made Jessica get him wrong.
Lucas then softened his tone and went on, "Don't get me wrong. I'm just saying that the illustration looks similar to the portrait of me you drew."
"Mr. Thomas, have you read that story? That story is about a 14-year-old schoolgirl falling in love with a high school boy. It had nothing to do with our marriage," Jessica said calmly.
"Then why are the two pictures so similar?" Lucas asked again.
Jessica raised an eyebrow. She did not expect Lucas to see the subtle similarities in the two pictures. She looked up at Lucas.
Jessica knew that Lucas could see her through once she hedged.
"It's OK for you to deny it. I'm just asking. Don't mind me." Lucas didn't push Jessica.
"Since you have already had an answer, why did you even bother to ask me?" Jessica somehow got pissed off. With that, she turned to leave.
Jessica didn't understand. Why couldn't Lucas talk to her peacefully like this before they got a divorce?
Lucas stood where he was. He saw Jessica leave with anger. Yet somehow, he felt pleased.
Lucas knew that Jessica must be the author of "Youth".
But Lucas didn't remember such a girl from school.
Lucas had always been reserved. When he was in high school, not many girls dared to approach him. They all kind of feared Lucas.
Luna was the only exception. She always followed Lucas and Hari. Originally, Lucas didn't like that tagalong. Yet gradually, Lucas got used to that.
Lucas thought about it and decided to let Vincent look into it.
Jessica was distracted on her way back.
Jessica didn't expect Lucas to care so much about that story she published. She thought Lucas didn't love her and thus couldn't care less about her.
But if that was true, why did Lucas ask her about that so timidly?
Back then, Jessica did love Lucas.
Thus, Jessica wouldn't allow anyone to use her middle school romance against her.
"Jess, what happened?" Hannah asked with concern when she saw Jessica coming back.
"Hannah, Lucas just asked me if I were the author of 'Youth'," Jessica glanced at Hannah and said.
"How did he know about that?" Hannah's eyes widened. As Jessica's best friend, Hannah knew that Jessica was Cynthia.
Some hooligans once blocked Jessica's way when she was fourteen years old. Jessica fainted after she fought with them. Lucas saved her. After that, Jessica had a secret crush on Lucas. That was why Jessica wrote that story later.
Thus, the protagonist was based on Lucas.
Jessica knew that her love must be unrequited. She never thought that Lucas would respond to her.
Relationships were not like trades. Lucas didn't like Jessica and Jessica had no resentment over that.
"Because of that illustration, he could tell that the two illustrations were drawn by the same person," said Jessica. "Hannah, let's go back."
Like Jessica, Olivia and her friend Bailey also left the venue early. Olivia left because she was too embarrassed to stay while Bailey left after she received a call from her father.
Lucas didn't joke when he said about ending the cooperation.
Olivia returned home early and saw Rebecca in the corridor on the second floor. She did not want Rebecca to question her, so she turned and hid in Lucas' study.
Olivia saw the magazine and the copy of Jessica's sketch on Lucas' desk.
"That's odd. Why would Lucas read such an old magazine?" Olivia muttered to herself as she flipped open the magazine. Then, she saw "Youth".
"Why does this illustration look like Jessica's sketch I found?" Olivia constantly compared the two pictures. She then read the story with curiosity.
But soon Olivia felt bored because it was just a story of a young girl having a crush on her senior. She did not understand why Lucas was reading a story like that.
Or perhaps Lucas read it only because the illustration looked like Jessica's sketch?
An idea flashed into Olivia's mind and she thus had a plan.