Chapter 3

My body stiffened, and I instinctively hung up the phone, mentally lamenting how people always seemed to love speaking up suddenly behind others' backs.

I turned around to see Lucas's obviously displeased expression.

Hesitating for a moment, I explained, "Oh, it's nothing. Just a former colleague from the lab asking what I plan to do after resigning. I was joking with them, saying I'm going home to inherit the family business."

Lucas frowned, about to speak, but I had already walked several steps away. I looked back and called out, "Aren't we going? There are still a few paintings to see."

Hearing this, Lucas held back his words, nodded, and followed.

Back in the exhibition hall, Lucas bought several more pieces of art at high prices and had them wrapped and presented to me.

I looked at the boxes in my hands and said softly, "I don't collect this sort of thing."

Lucas smiled and ruffled my hair. "You'll get used to it. Don't worry about wasting money. Even if you wanted the stars, I could afford to give them to you for a lifetime."

My lips moved, but I ultimately swallowed the rest of my words.

I didn't collect this kind of art worth merely hundreds of thousands.

My collection, every piece priceless and worth hundreds of millions, was currently on loan to the Louvre or the Met.

The art exhibition ended, and the crowd gradually dispersed. Lucas, myself, and that group of people didn't linger.

Everyone had driven their own cars and should have gone their separate ways. But just as we got into the car, before the engine started, Charlotte tapped on the passenger side window.

The window slowly rolled down to reveal her shy face, her voice having turned sugary and delicate, completely devoid of the acidic meanness from the restroom.

"Lucas, my driver has a sudden emergency. Can you drop me off on your way home?"

Lucas frowned, about to refuse, when she added, "Uncle and Auntie asked you to take care of me. You haven't forgotten, right?"

Lucas's face darkened, evidently recalling something. He eventually agreed.

Seeing him nod, the smile on her face brightened visibly. Immediately, she pushed her luck and looked at me: "But I get carsick. Can I sit in the front?"

Lucas looked at me, but before he could speak, I had already pushed open the door, stepped out, and quickly settled into the back seat.

My movements were so fast that I was already settled in the back before Lucas could react.

The words stuck in his throat, making him look somewhat uncomfortable.

He seemed to hesitate, wanting to explain that it was just a seat and not a big deal. But when his gaze swept to the rearview mirror and saw me resting with my eyes closed, he chose silence.

At that moment, Charlotte got into the car. As the door closed and she saw me resting in the back, a smirk of triumph climbed onto her lips.

Her voice was soft and sweet, her eyes casting a seductive look at Lucas. "Is Miss Vivian tired? Let her rest for a while then."

Perhaps sensing my unusual silence, Lucas didn't engage much with Charlotte. He simply nodded and silently started the car.

I must have really fallen asleep, because when I woke up, the car was already parked in the garage of Lucas's apartment, and Charlotte was long gone.

Lucas gently stroked my face. "Awake? You were sleeping so soundly, I didn't have the heart to wake you."

Still a bit groggy, I nodded, pushed the door open, and walked straight toward the main entrance without waiting for Lucas.

Lucas caught up with me at the door, blocking my path. "Angry? Charlotte really is just the daughter of my parents' business partner. Don't overthink it."

I let out a generic "Mmh."

Lucas thought I was still angry. He took my hand and coaxed softly, "She really is just a family friend's daughter, babe. You know I only love you."

After speaking, he smelled the scent of "First Snow" on me—the perfume we developed together. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he leaned in to kiss me, but I pushed him away.

Watching his stunned expression, I walked directly inside.

"I have a bit of a headache and don't feel well. I'm going to my room to rest."

With that, I locked the bedroom door, completely cutting off Lucas's chance to enter.

The next morning, in the downstairs dining room, Lucas and I were having breakfast when the phone placed to the side suddenly rang.

It was a scheduled alarm I had set previously. Reminder: "Meet the parents."

Lucas saw the notification too.

Previously, I had planned to confess my identity to him and suggested he meet my parents, and he had agreed.

We looked at each other. I was pondering how to cancel this meeting when, a second later, his phone rang too.

It was Charlotte.

I couldn't hear what she said, but his expression shifted slightly. When he turned to look at me, he apologized and canceled our meeting.

"Vivian, something urgent came up at the company that needs handling. Shall we reschedule meeting your parents?"

I nodded calmly. "Perfect, I have some things to handle today too."

Lucas left quickly, and I followed suit.

I went shopping on the luxury avenue, buying a gift for each of the best friends I was meeting later.

When we met, everyone gasped as they opened the packaging and saw the brand-new limited edition handbags inside.

"Vivian, where did you get so many high-quality knockoffs? They look exactly like the real thing!"

"These are real." Watching their astonished expressions, I couldn't help but chuckle. After explaining, seeing they still looked skeptical, I laid my cards on the table regarding my true identity. "Actually, the stuff I told you before about an alcoholic father and a sick mother—that was all fake. My real identity is the sole heiress of the Davenport family. I'm here to say goodbye because I'm going home to take over the group."

Hearing this, everyone was first shocked, then euphoric, screaming that a real billionaire heiress was right beside them. The shrieks nearly lifted the roof of the café.

After the excitement, someone remembered Lucas and hurriedly asked, "But if you go back, what about Lucas? Does he know your true identity?"

Mentioning Lucas, the smile on my face faded a little. "He plans to marry someone else."

"Impossible!" My friends were in disbelief. "In our eyes, he's always been a deeply devoted man!"

"Exactly! Three years ago, you said you liked the Aurora Borealis, and to make you smile, he booked an entire hotel in Iceland. Two years ago, when you had pneumonia, he turned down a multimillion-dollar merger and flew back from New York to care for you personally, staying awake all night. And a year ago, your car accident. The truck came straight for you, but he yanked the steering wheel to protect you. You didn't even lose a hair, but he broke three ribs and lay in the hospital for three months, almost not waking up. Now he wants to get married? How could the bride not be you?"

Listening to my friends recount the past, a wave of bitterness still surged in my heart. The Lucas of that time truly loved me enough to risk his life. But now...

I shook my head and smiled faintly. "He did love me, but his family feels I'm not worthy of him and is forcing him into an alliance. Before I could tell him the truth, he had already printed the invitations. From what he says, he plans to keep me as his secret muse after the marriage."

My friends instantly exploded.

"What? A muse?!"

"Make the heir of the Davenport group a mistress? Is Lucas's family insane!"

"Heh, is that so? He'll regret it later, just wait and see!"

"Exactly! If he finds out you left secretly and his family discovers your true identity, they'll go crazy!"

Just then, Lucas and Charlotte walked in from outside, frowning as they heard our conversation.

"What true identity?"

Seeing them appear together, one of my friends was about to speak in anger, but I stopped her. I looked at the two newcomers, my expression cold.

"Why are you two here?"

Facing my question, Lucas looked somewhat guilty, his eyes shifting. "'Aurora' has a collaboration with the Rothschild family, so we agreed to meet and talk."

Hearing his answer, I just smiled. I certainly knew what their so-called "collaboration" was—it was a marriage alliance.

Because they were discussing "business," Lucas and Charlotte didn't sit with us, but took the adjacent table—close enough for me to witness their intimate interaction.

Like him cutting her steak, her sharing her favorite dessert with him, him handing her a napkin, her wiping sauce from the corner of his mouth...

The two behaved intimately, making my friends fume with rage, but I remained expressionless.