Taking the elevator down to the lobby, Luca stepped out into the bright morning sunshine. Golden Water Bay looked especially beautiful under the clear sky, with its tree-lined walkways, blooming gardens, and sparkling fountains creating a peaceful atmosphere. Taking his time, he strolled along the winding path, still savoring the faint sweetness lingering on his lips from the night before.
Before long, two beautiful women appeared ahead.
One of them, in particular, was breathtaking. Her graceful figure turned heads effortlessly, and her naturally voluptuous curves made her impossible to overlook.
The moment Naomi spotted him, her face lit up.
"Luca!"
She opened her arms and ran straight toward him without a second thought.
Maybe it was because they hadn’t seen each other for several days.
Maybe she simply missed him that much.
She threw herself into his embrace, happily rubbing her fluffy head beneath his chin.
"Luca... honey... I missed you so much."
The instant she reached him, she forgot Raven was even standing nearby.
All she wanted was to be held.
It was obvious how deeply she’d missed him.
Luca smiled softly as he stroked her hair.
"Easy now. We’re outside, remember? Try to protect your image."
He glanced toward Raven with a teasing smile.
"And... your senior’s watching."
Although Raven’s expression remained icy, it wasn’t quite the same as before.
Luca didn’t pay much attention to it. He had never cared much about how strangers viewed him.
As long as he lived his own life well, that was enough.
What he didn’t know was that earlier that morning, Raven had shown Naomi the photo she’d secretly taken the previous night, the one of him embracing and kissing Arabella on the balcony.
She’d hoped it would open Naomi’s eyes.
Instead, Naomi calmly admitted she’d known the truth all along.
She told Raven that she accepted the fact that Luca had other women in his life. All she wanted was for him not to forget about her, and to keep loving her.
That answer completely overturned everything Raven thought she knew about her.
The Naomi she remembered was kind, sensible, generous, and careful about keeping her distance from men.
She’d rejected countless admirers over the years, including wealthy young masters.
She’d always seemed like the untouchable campus goddess.
Yet now...
She willingly accepted standing beside Luca, even knowing other women shared his heart.
Watching Naomi cling to him so naturally left Raven feeling nothing but disappointment.
Still, she said nothing.
She had already given every warning she could.
The rest was Naomi’s decision.
No matter what happened, though, she knew one thing for certain.
She could never look at Luca the same way again.
All she could do now was hope he would never break Naomi’s heart.
"Luca, where are you going today?" Naomi asked, looking up at him with bright, smiling eyes that reflected only him.
"I haven’t decided yet." He smiled. "What about you two? Where are you headed?"
Her eyes sparkled.
"Perfect! Raven and I were planning to grab lunch later. Want to come with us?"
"Sure."
Seeing the excitement written all over her face, Luca couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
The two exchanged warm smiles, their happiness obvious to anyone watching.
A few steps away, Raven deliberately turned her head to one side.
Yet from the corner of her eye, she still watched the two of them.
She couldn’t understand it.
Naomi genuinely didn’t seem bothered by his other relationships.
And Luca...
Just last night he’d been passionately kissing another woman.
Yet now, every look he gave Naomi was filled with unmistakable tenderness.
It simply didn’t make sense.
If Raven could hear Luca’s thoughts, perhaps she’d understand.
He might be shamelessly affectionate, but whenever he was with someone he cared about, his attention became completely genuine.
Was he a scoundrel?
Absolutely.
But he was also capable of becoming the most attentive, affectionate boyfriend imaginable the moment he was with the woman in front of him.
An ordinary playboy only offers excitement.
A caring man offers emotional security.
Someone like Luca somehow managed to be both at once.
The three of them left the residential complex together.
Not far away, Mercer was showing a client around a property.
When he looked up and saw Luca walking alongside two beautiful women, he stopped in his tracks and rubbed his eyes.
’Seriously...?’
Yesterday it had been one stunning beauty.
Today it was another.
And they all lived in the same neighborhood.
Wasn’t he worried everything would explode one day?
Then again...
Maybe being handsome and rich really was enough to make miracles happen.
Daniel sighed enviously.
’President Hale truly is my role model.’
The group eventually arrived at the San Fierro Commercial District.
Luca pointed toward the nearby San Fierro Grand Hotel.
"Why don’t you two browse the shopping district for a while? I’ll head into the hotel."
"Okay."
Naomi nodded without hesitation and happily linked arms with Raven before leading her toward the bustling commercial district.
She almost never questioned Luca’s decisions.
The moment he stepped into the hotel lobby, greetings echoed from every direction.
"President Hale!"
"Good morning, Mr. Hale!"
Luca smiled and waved.
"Morning, everyone."
Some newly hired employees stared in amazement.
They had only seen photos of him in the company group chat before.
Seeing him in person was a completely different experience.
"He’s even more handsome than the pictures..."
"So? We weren’t exaggerating, were we?" one veteran employee whispered proudly.
"Our president really is that handsome."
Another young employee pouted.
"So what? Doesn’t everyone have the right to chase someone handsome?"
Back in university she’d been considered the department beauty.
She wasn’t expecting to marry into wealth.
Still...
If she could spend even one night with President Hale...
That would hardly count as a loss.
Maybe she’d even end up living out one of those CEO romance dramas.
She might even marry into the Hale family while carrying his child.
"Shh..."
A male colleague leaned closer and lowered his voice.
"President Hale already has a gorgeous girlfriend."
He glanced around to make sure nobody was listening before whispering another rumor.
"And... I heard he has a thing for married women."
Ever since his dinner with Miss Brooks, the sales director of Octaveo Pharmaceutical, gossip had spread through the hotel like wildfire.
Somehow, the story had evolved into a rumor that President Hale preferred married women.
As a result, several attractive married employees whose marriages weren’t exactly happy had quietly begun paying extra attention to their appearance.
Whenever Luca appeared, they suddenly walked with swaying hips, smiled more sweetly than usual, and greeted him in voices soft enough to melt butter.
"Mr. Hale!"
General Manager Roman Pierce came jogging over, his thinning hair bouncing as he hurried across the lobby.
The moment he’d heard Luca had arrived, he’d abandoned everything upstairs and rushed down personally.
"You all carry on with your work," Luca said with a wave. "I’m just borrowing the kitchen to cook something."
Roman froze.
"...Huh?"
His eyes widened.
For a moment, he wondered if he’d misheard.
President Hale...
Wanted to cook?
What kind of unbelievable development was this?
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