02

As the morning meeting drew to a close, Kara's gaze drifted towards the window, peering out through the floor-to-ceiling windows on the top floor of the company. She could faintly see Lucas's school in the distance.

The thought of him mentioning coming to have lunch with her earlier that morning made her inexplicably nervous.

The agenda for today's meeting was particularly extensive, and by the time it concluded, it was already past lunchtime.

"Kara, would you like to have lunch together?" Manager Leo approached and asked.

Kara glanced at her watch, thinking that the boy should probably be back at school by now. She nodded and headed downstairs with Leo.

After stepping out of the elevator, Kara's gaze inadvertently caught sight of a figure, causing her footsteps to subtly pause.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked gently in a low voice. "Are you feeling unwell?"

Kara lowered her head slightly. "I suddenly remembered that there's a document I need to send out urgently. You go ahead and eat first."

"Do you want me to accompany you upstairs?" Leo asked persistently.

"No need," Kara shook her head repeatedly.

"Alright." Seeing Kara's firm stance, Leo had no choice but to leave on his own.

Seeing Leo walk away, Kara breathed a sigh of relief, but her nervousness returned when she saw Lucas.

The young man's black hair gleamed with luster, the cufflinks embedded in his white uniform sparkled which his slender wrists peeked out from the cuffs.He approached with a clean aura, moving slowly.

"Why aren't you back in class yet?" Kara looked up at the significantly taller young man ,asking with a hint of annoyance.

The young man shrugged nonchalantly. "Having lunch with you seemed more important."He added, "Looks like you're quite popular in the company too."

Kara's expression stiffened for a moment, then she changed the subject. "What do you feel like eating?"

With his hands in his pockets, Lucas replied, "Anything."

Kara suggested, "How about going for some pasta?"

"No."

"What about Chinese food?"

"No."

"What about sushi?"

"No."

Kara had never encountered anyone more picky and difficult to please than him.

At last,Lucas didn't linger for long at lunchtime. After grabbing a quick meal nearby with Kara, he headed back to school.

"Tonight, don't take Robert's car. I'll come pick you up." The young man reminded Kara as he was leaving.

In the restroom, Kara overheard two female employees chatting.

"After work, let's go shopping," one of them suggested.

"No, let's do it tomorrow. I'm going to watch a movie with my boyfriend tonight," the other replied.

As quitting time approached, the clouds hung low, signaling an imminent rain.

Considering Lucas's usual style, he probably wouldn't have brought an umbrella.

Kara picked up her purse, preparing to leave work early.

Passing by Leo's office, Leo chased after her and asked, "It's going to rain. Do you want me to drive you home?"

"Thank you, but I have other plans. See you tomorrow," Kara politely declined.

"Okay," Leo looked somewhat disappointed as he walked away.

Standing at the school gate, Kara couldn't help but sigh. The time spent as a student truly was wonderful.

Students streamed out of the school gate in groups. Kara spotted the tall young man wearing a loose-fitting navy blue uniform, casually slinging his backpack over his shoulder who features were handsome and noble, his expression aloof, giving him an air of unapproachability.

Upon seeing Kara, the young man's expression momentarily froze, then he smiled and jogged over to her.

Lucas's gaze lingered on Kara. In his dark, slightly cold eyes, glimmers of sunlight danced in the corners, softening his expression.

"I didn't expect you to come," he said.

"It's about to rain, and I don't think you brought an umbrella."

The young man shrugged nonchalantly, but the thought of being alone with Kara later in the evening brought a smile to his face,"What do you want to do tonight?"

"We go watch a movie? How about that?"Kara pondered and asked.

On rare days when her husband wasn't home, Kara accompanied her stepson to watch a horror movie.

Lucas's intention was to use the opportunity to get closer to Kara, but the horror movie turned out to be completely devoid of any thrilling scenes, making it extremely boring.

Both of them struggled to keep their eyes open and managed to finish watching the movie.

After leaving the cinema, it indeed started to drizzle outside.

Kara, dressed lightly, was soaked by the rain and shivered a bit.

Lucas took off his uniform jacket and helped Kara put it on, covering her exposed skin.

Standing at the roadside, waiting for a taxi, the silhouette of the young man blurred in the flickering of neon lights.The tips of the young man's hair were damp, and his eyelashes were adorned with droplets of water.. Kara even felt that this night between them was like a dream.

The secrets she carried often weighed so heavily on her that she couldn't breathe, yet the young man seemed like a ray of redemption, seeping into her life little by little.

Kara sniffed, she couldn't afford to be weak, not for anyone.

The two sat in the backseat of the taxi. Lucas seemed a bit weary, leaning against the window with his eyes closed.

Suddenly, there was an abrupt brake, and the driver honked the horn in frustration.

Startled by the noise, Lucas lazily opened his eyes and turned his head.

His eyes met hers.

Lucas remained silent, calmly watching her with clear eyes, devoid of any signs of grogginess that typically accompany waking up.

His features were exceptionally handsome. With shallow, double-lidded eyes and the slight upward curve of his eyebrows and outer corners of his eyes, combined with his perpetually disdainful expression, he always seemed to carry an edge.

In that moment, Kara felt her face flush involuntarily.

The two of them returned to the villa in silence, each carrying their own thoughts.

Before parting ways, Kara handed the uniform jacket to Lucas. "Your clothes," she said.

Lucas made no move to take it.

Kara observed him curiously as he stared at her lips, his gaze direct yet thoughtful.

"Wearing my clothes, aren't you happy?" Lucas paused for a moment, then suddenly chuckled. "Can't wait to distance yourself from me as soon as we get back to this house, huh?"

In the end, he accepted the clothes, taking a deep sniff. "Goodnight," he said.