Chapter 262 Occasionally have a secret romance with me.

Chapter 262 Occasionally have a secret romance with me.


As soon as the door closed, Lucas eagerly pulled Ariana into his arms.
"Are you really going to live apart from me? Is there no room for negotiation?"
"Yeah," Ariana sighed. "I didn't expect it to happen so soon. My mom already said it, and I can't really argue with her."
"Why can't you argue? Just tell her you can't live without me and want to stay together! We're getting married anyway."
Ariana glanced at him. "Do you think I'm like you, shameless? As a woman, saying I can't live without you and want to stay with you—how embarrassing is that?"
There was no way Ariana could say that.
Lucas grumbled, showing his dissatisfaction.
"We're getting married soon, just bear with it," Ariana chuckled, reaching out to pat Lucas on the cheek.
"Do I look like someone who can bear it?"
"You do."
"!" Lucas was frustrated. "I really want to marry you soon, so you'll be all mine."
Lucas felt conflicted. Of course, he wanted Ariana to return to her family, where there were many people to care for her.
But he didn't want anyone else to take up their time together.
"You have to promise me something."
"What is it?" Ariana knew that Lucas was feeling uneasy, so she was willing to agree to whatever she could.
"Promise to sneak away with me sometimes."
Ariana playfully pushed his hand away and tapped his head. "You're being silly!"
"I'll miss you, really, really miss you..."
Lucas swayed back and forth, holding Ariana close.
His charm was something Ariana couldn't resist.
"Alright, alright, I'll try my best."
"Not just try, you must, you absolutely must."
"If you keep pushing, I won't even try."
Lucas quickly mimed zipping his lips shut.
Ariana didn't have much to pack, so she finished quickly.
However, with Lucas's playful interruptions, what should have taken half an hour stretched into an hour and a half.
As she was about to leave, Lucas reluctantly held onto Ariana's hand.
James rubbed his eyes. "I need to put some eye drops in when I get back. That was too much to handle!"
Ariana returned to the family home, and while she was packing her things, neither Autumn nor Matthew came to see her.
Autumn and Matthew were in the study the whole time.
"I had the lawyer draft an agreement today," Matthew said, handing it to Autumn.
Autumn took the agreement and skimmed through it. "You're giving Ariana shares?"
"Yes."
Stella happened to be walking by the study and stopped when she heard voices.
Shares?
She didn't have any yet.
Matthew, being the only son, naturally inherited the family business, making the family structure quite simple and the distribution of shares more relaxed.
Among the four kids, Evan was already a pillar in the entertainment industry with a stable career and assets. Samuel was an athlete and a member of the national team. Having a lot of assets could be troublesome for him, but with his endorsements, bonuses, and salary, he wasn't short on money either.
James was set to join the company as the Vice President, which meant he had shares in the company.
As for Stella, being a girl, it seemed unnecessary for her to have any shares.
So, among the four Bluefield siblings, only James had company shares.
"This is what I'm thinking," Matthew said gently. "We've owed her so much. Besides giving her shares, I don't know what else we can offer. She's getting married, and having shares would give her some security. What do you think?"
"I feel the same way. It always seems like we're giving her too little. Giving her some shares is a good idea."
Stella felt a pang of bitterness in her heart.
"But I'm worried Stella might feel uncomfortable about it. Maybe we should give shares to both kids."
"That sounds fair. Let's give Stella some shares too."
Hearing this, Stella felt even more upset.
It turned out she was only getting shares because they were giving some to Ariana.
If it weren't for Ariana, would she ever have received any shares at all?
Dad knew from the start that I wasn't his biological child. He never treated me like her real daughter, did he?
I'd rather not have the shares at all than have them given to me out of pity!
Quietly, she left the study door and headed to Ariana's room.
The door was open.
James and Ariana were inside together.
"Did you see the painting in my room? The one you gave me for my birthday last time."
"You still have it?"
"Of course, I kept it. If I ever fall on hard times, I might sell it. It's a painting by the famous artist Lemon!"
Ariana laughed, "It's not that exaggerated."
"Isn't it strange? The two of us ended up as siblings," James said with a broad smile.
"Yes, it's quite amazing."
"Big brother sent me a message asking what you like. He's coming back soon."
"Tell him not to bother. I don't need anything."
"It's just a gesture from big brother. Now that you're back home, we have to show some appreciation. By the way, you haven't called me third brother yet, have you?"
Ariana looked at James, feeling a bit awkward, "I can't say it."
"Give it a try."
Ariana stared at James. Her brother was around her age, unlike their parents. There was always a bit of awkwardness between peers.
"Pfft—" They both burst into laughter.
"I really can't say it."
"Alright, I won't pressure you. Take your time to get used to it."
The two of them were having a great conversation.
Stella listened from outside, feeling uneasy. Her third brother, and perhaps even her eldest and second brothers, would all become Ariana's brothers in the future.
They would spoil her just like they spoiled Stella.
But what about Stella?
Would they still treat her like they did before?
Stella quietly returned to her room.
She felt so sad!
Yet there was no one in the family she could confide in.
She had to put on a brave face and pretend she was happy.
She was already starting to regret revealing the truth.
If she hadn't said anything, maybe she could've kept the secret forever.
An adopted daughter wouldn't take her place, after all.
That night, Stella hid under her blanket and finally let herself cry, feeling deeply upset.
Her phone buzzed. She wiped her tears and saw it was a message from her second brother, Samuel.
"Stella, are you still awake?"
Stella sent a voice message to Sam, "I'm not asleep yet."
Sam could tell something was off in Stella's voice.
"What's wrong, Stella? Did someone upset you? Have you been crying?"
"I'm not crying, just feeling a bit unwell. I'm going to sleep now, big brother."
After sending the message, Stella put her phone on silent.
...
Meanwhile, Lucas was already feeling miserable being alone in his empty room.
Little did he know, a shocking surprise was waiting for him!