Chapter 3
822 Words
“The performance you gave at last year’s closing ceremony, people at school are still talking about it.”
“You watched it too?”
“Of course. When the ballet department’s beauty takes the stage, how could the guys in our department possibly miss it?”
Hearing that, a faint blush rose to Luna’s cheeks, her smile growing brighter.
Adrian had a way with words, his compliments were just right, sincere without a hint of slickness. Paired with his handsome face and those large, bright, sparkling eyes, he was like a sweet, milk-scented puppy. When someone like that kept speaking in such pleasant, flattering tones, who could possibly resist? Luna was just an ordinary girl with ordinary tastes, of course she couldn’t resist either.
Just then, a cold voice rang out, low and edged with a dark undertone, laced with restrained anger.
“Ari, what are you doing here?”
Adrian and Luna turned their heads at the same time.
A flicker of surprise crossed Adrian’s face when he saw who had spoken, but he quickly returned to normal. Turning to Luna, he said casually,
“This is my brother, Lucian.”
Then he turned back to Lucian and continued the introduction,
“And this is Luna. She came over with her mother today.”
When speaking to Luna, Adrian’s tone softened noticeably, his manner turning polite and refined. He even leaned slightly toward her, as if unconsciously adopting a protective stance.
Compared to the sharp, cold demeanor he showed whenever he faced Lucian, this was almost like two entirely different people.
Lucian clenched his fists, an indescribable irritation rising within him.
Before he could even speak, Adrian beat him to it.
“It’s time for lunch. Let’s head inside. Mom and Aunt Carter are probably waiting for us.”
After that, the three of them slowly headed back inside, the atmosphere quiet, not a word spoken.
In the dining room, the two mothers tactfully arranged for Lucian to sit beside Luna, their matchmaking intentions unmistakably clear.
Throughout lunch, the adults occasionally asked a few questions about work and daily life. Lucian answered each one politely, his tone calm and measured. But that was as far as it went, he was neither particularly enthusiastic nor in any way discourteous.
Adrian sat beside his mother, keeping his head lowered as he ate, barely taking part in the conversation from beginning to end.
After a while, Emily suddenly asked,
“Ah, Lucian, are you busy this afternoon?”
Lucian replied,
“There’s still a lot to take care of at the company. I only managed to make time to come back and have a meal with you, Mom.”
Hearing that, Emily paused slightly. By instinct, she glanced at Luna, then at Mrs. Carter, a hint of awkwardness crossing her face.
“Then what about Luna…”
Luna could naturally tell that Lucian had no interest in this arrangement at all. To be honest, she didn’t have any particular feelings toward him either.
So she smiled naturally and spoke up first,
“It’s alright, Aunt Emily. Adrian was just telling me about his studio earlier. Would it be okay if I went to take a look in a bit?”
Only then did Adrian lift his head, his manner casual, his voice carrying a hint of delight:
“Of course. My studio is upstairs. I’ve been practicing figure drawing lately, if you don’t mind, you could sit as a model for me for a bit. Maybe I can even sketch a portrait for you.”
Lucian lifted his gaze to look at Adrian.
His eyes were as sharp as blades, as if they could bore a hole straight through him.
The atmosphere at the table suddenly grew tense.
Before Luna could respond to Adrian’s offer, Lucian spoke first.
His voice was steady, sounding perfectly courteous on the surface,
“What I mean is… although there’s still a lot to handle at the company, I’ve already delegated it to someone else.”
He turned to look at Luna.
“If you don’t mind, Luna, I could take you out for a walk this afternoon.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than both mothers lit up with delight. Emily hurriedly nodded.
“That’s right, you’re the CEO. You should know how to delegate to your subordinates. You can’t take on everything yourself.”
Mrs. Carter smiled and chimed in as well,
“Young people should go out for a walk more often to relax their minds. That way, they’ll be more productive too.”
Without waiting for Luna’s response, the two mothers had already made the arrangements for her.
As for Adrian, he kept his head lowered, continuing to eat.
He didn’t say another word, only quietly picking food into his bowl. His long lashes cast shadows over his eyes, making it impossible to tell what thoughts lay hidden deep within those dark pupils.
- Writer
