The first thing everyone did after arriving in San Fierro, at Luca Hale’s insistence, was enjoy dinner together at the San Fierro Grand Hotel before heading to the villa.
Although Luca had already described the place to them more than once, words alone couldn’t prepare them for the sight that greeted them.
The moment they stepped through the gates, everyone fell silent.
Mr. and Mrs. Hale were already accustomed to living in a villa, yet they still couldn’t hide their amazement. Their home in Ashford had once seemed luxurious enough, but compared to this place, it felt almost ordinary.
The difference between a villa worth less than a hundred thousand dollars and one valued at well over a million wasn’t simply about size.
They were worlds apart.
Of course, property prices in San Fierro were much higher than those in Ashford, so comparing the two wasn’t entirely fair.
Even so, this estate was on another level altogether.
Mr. Hale slowly wandered through the entrance hall before stopping in front of the enormous ornamental stone displayed in the center.
He circled it twice, then reached out and gave it an appreciative pat.
"This stone’s pretty nice," he said. "Maybe we should get one for our place too."
Luca smiled.
"It is beautiful. The patterns are completely natural. According to the property manager, it’s worth more than three hundred thousand dollars."
Mr. Hale froze.
His hand shot back as though he’d touched something hot.
"...How much?"
Before Luca could answer,Daisy looked up and replied seriously,
"Grandpa Candy, Brother Luca said three hundred thousand."
She turned toward Luca with sparkling eyes.
"Brother Luca, did I remember right?"
Luca laughed, scooped her into his arms, and gently tapped the tip of her nose.
"You remembered perfectly. Our Daisy is so smart."
He looked back at his father with a grin.
"If you like it that much, I can buy one for you too."
"Nonsense!"
Mr. Hale waved both hands immediately.
"When did I ever say I liked it?"
Three hundred thousand dollars...
For a rock?
Sure, it looked nicer than the rocks along the riverbank, but not three hundred thousand dollars nicer.
Even though the family’s financial situation had completely changed, his spending habits hadn’t.
He still believed a phone didn’t need to cost more than a few hundred dollars, let alone spending hundreds of thousands on something that couldn’t be eaten, used, or played with.
As evening approached, Trish finally came home carrying several shopping bags.
After greeting everyone, her eyes immediately landed on Daisy, who was sitting quietly beside Sophie Kennedy.
She blinked.
"Sophie... are you already a mom?"
As expected, her first sentence left everyone speechless.
Luca rubbed his forehead.
"Can you stop making wild guesses? This is..."
Before he could explain, Trish cut him off.
"I know. Daisy."
She smiled proudly.
"Sister Sophie already told me everything."
While speaking, she rummaged through one of her shopping bags and pulled out a fluffy rabbit doll.
She crouched in front of Daisy and gently waved it from side to side.
"Little Daisy, your big sister brought you a present. Do you like it?"
The moment the rabbit appeared, Daisy’s eyes lit up.
She instinctively reached toward it—
Then abruptly stopped.
She slowly withdrew her hand and turned toward Luca instead.
"Big Brother Luca... may I take it?"
Her parents had taught her never to accept gifts without permission.
Even now, she hadn’t forgotten.
Luca crouched beside her and gently rubbed her head.
"Of course."
He smiled warmly.
"Trish is family too. Family can give each other presents."
Only then did Daisy happily accept the rabbit.
She hugged it tightly before looking at Trish with a bright smile.
"Thank you, Sister Trish."
"Oh my goodness..."
Trish covered her mouth.
"She’s so adorable!"
She suddenly realized something.
It wasn’t that she disliked children.
She just disliked noisy children.
Back when they still lived in the old neighborhood, the children downstairs would gather after school every afternoon, shouting and running around until she couldn’t concentrate on studying.
She’d gone through several pairs of earplugs because of them.
But Daisy...
She was quiet, polite, and unbelievably well-behaved.
Anyone would melt around a child like this.
Trish pinched Luca’s sleeve with a mischievous grin.
"Brother, you and Sister Sophie need to hurry up."
She pointed at Daisy.
"I want a little niece as cute as her."
The moment those words left her mouth, every adult in the room instinctively looked toward the couple.
Mr. Hale and Mrs. Hale’s eyes practically glowed with anticipation.
Their priorities had quietly changed.
Before, all their attention had been on Trish’s college entrance exams.
Now...
They were waiting for grandchildren.
As for marriage?
At this point, they had almost stopped bringing it up.
With Luca’s complicated love life, there wasn’t much point pressuring him.
Diana gently squeezed Sophie’s hand.
The meaning couldn’t have been clearer.
She hoped to hold a grandchild one day too.
Not long ago, she’d thought there was no reason to rush. Sophie was still young.
But after experiencing serious illness, her outlook had changed.
If she could see both of her daughters happily settled before the end of her life, she’d have no regrets.
Sophie had already found someone she trusted completely.
Rachel was still young, so there was no hurry.
Still...
Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to quietly ask Luca if he knew any reliable young men.
With a business as large as his, he must know plenty of outstanding people.
As Rachel’s future brother-in-law, surely he wouldn’t recommend just anyone.
Feeling everyone’s eyes on him, Luca coughed awkwardly.
’Seriously...’
’Did Trish really have to bring this up in front of both families?’
With Diana sitting right there, even someone as thick-skinned as he was couldn’t joke about it.
Beside him, Sophie had already lowered her head.
Her cheeks were burning bright red.
She couldn’t bring herself to say a single word.
None of the parents knew that the two of them hadn’t used protection recently.
For all they knew...
There might already be a little surprise on the way.
Neither of them was about to admit that aloud.
Instead, Luca simply laughed and steered the conversation elsewhere.
That evening, everyone gathered around the hot pot.
Since Daisy couldn’t handle spicy food, a separate clear broth had been prepared just for her.
Normally, no one in San Fierro would bother with clear broth during the summer.
Winter was another story.
The meal was lively from beginning to end.
Laughter echoed throughout the villa as everyone chatted, teased one another, and enjoyed themselves.
Watching both families sit around the same table, Luca couldn’t stop smiling.
It felt...
Comfortably like home.
Late that night, after everyone had gone to bed, he quietly lifted the blanket and slipped beneath it.
Almost immediately, a pair of soft arms wrapped themselves around his neck.
He smiled.
"Did I wake you?"
"No."
Sophie’s face nestled against his shoulder, her warm breath brushing gently across his skin.
After a brief silence, she spoke softly.
"My mom wants to move out."
Luca paused for a second before sighing.
"That’s my fault."
He had overlooked how awkward it must feel for Diana to continue living in someone else’s home.
No matter how warmly everyone treated her, it was never truly her own place.
Fortunately, that problem would soon be solved.
There were more than enough empty rooms in the villa.
Although...
Thinking about it now...
Golden Water Bay was starting to feel a little crowded after all.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter