As Luca and Luke delved into the discussion, her curiosity got the better of her. She could not help but


    want to probe for more details.


    Luke, however, shook his head, and said, "The one pulling the strings wasn’t Evan."


    "Not him?" Luca''s curiosity intensified. If it was not Evan, then who could it be?


    Her eyes were filled with confusion and curiosity.


    "Shireen has a childhood friend, but they lost touch in middle school..." Luke came across this


    information when he was investigating Evan.


    He had not dug into Shireen''s past.


    "Then?" Luca heard him and began to form a rough picture in her mind.


    Perhaps it unfolded just as she suspected...


    Luke exined, "I''m not sure about the details that followed. All I know is that the person obstructing


    Shireen''s job search is her childhood friend."


    With a gentle lift of his hand, he lightly brushed Luca''s nose.


    Luca initially thought Luke had more information, but it turned out to be just this.


    "I think I''ve got the gist of it," affirmed Luca. There must have been some misunderstanding between


    them, which caused Shireen''s childhood friend to undermine her job search.


    Even though Luca was unsure of the specifics, she was confident that Shireen''s friend must wield


    considerable influence, exining the hurdles in her job search.


    No matter how influential her friend was, Luca reckoned that they dared not to confront Luke. That was


    why Shireen faced no interference when she went to interview at Brilliant Architectural.


    The childhood friend likely knew that Brilliant had Luke as a supporter.


    Consequently, Luca smoothly secured the opportunity at that time.


    "So, do you know how Shireen and her childhood friend are doing now?" asked Luca. After she


    returned, she did not intentionally engage with or learn about them.


    After all, it fell outside the scope of tasks assigned by Abel.


    Additionally, minimizing contact with them would make it easier to leave with fewer emotional ties if she


    werepelled to returnter.


    Are you mistaking me for a gossip hound?" Luke shook his head helplessly.


    "I''m just curious, right? But I heard that Shireen seems to have made significant strides in recent


    years? Luca shared what she knew, but it was not much.


    She was aware of Shireen winning several awards for architectural design, but beyond that, details


    were scant.


    Shireen still worked at Brilliant and appeared to have climbed the ranks.


    Brilliant was a product of Luca’s dedication and hard work. She thought of having a chat with Nina


    when she had the time to know more about Brilliant’s current status.


    With this in mind, she took another bite of fruit.


    Luke''s gaze remained fixed on her face. The weather was great, and within the walls, a tranquil


    ambiance enveloped the space.


    Luca pointed at hisputer screen, and reminded him, "If you don''t finish your work soon, your inbox


    is going to overflow with emails."


    As she spoke, two more emailsnded in his inbox.


    Luke heard the notification sound from hisptop and let out a sigh. He lowered his head and gently


    kissed Luca''s alluring lips. Then, he lifted his head and said, "Alright, I''ll buckle down on work. I''ll try to


    wrap up these tasks early today and spend time with you."


    When he mentioned spending time with her, his breath was uneven, and there was a flirtatious tone in


    his voice.


    Luca’s face reddened. She cleared her throat and took a sip of the lemon rose tea. Its fragrance failed


    to mask the sweetness on her lips. As she breathed in the air, she also caught a whiff of his distinctive


    scent.


    It was a hormonal aroma that made Luca blush even more. She picked up the book and started


    reading.


    Luke’s gaze fell on hisptop screen again and continued his work.


    It was a peaceful moment when the two of them were seated on the carpet, with the air conditioning


    casting a refreshing breeze to ward off the summer heat. It created a tranquil atmosphere between


    them.


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    After a few cups of coffee and tea and a te of fruit, they each attended to their respective tasks. One


    of them was working, while the other was immersed in a book. That was how they spent a quiet


    afternoon.


    Luca finished reading thest page of the book and could not help but heave a sigh. The writing was


    excellent, and having someone by her side made the afternoon even better.


    Luke heard the sound of her closing the book and asked, "Finished reading?"


    "Yes. The book was good." Luca tilted her head and stared at Luke. "How''s the work going?"


    "Efficiency is high. It wouldn’t be a problem to keep youpany tonight," replied Luke. His lips curled


    into a mischievous smile.


    Luca’s cheeks turned rosy again.


    There was still a hint of flirtatiousness in his tone when he said that.


    "It''s gettingte. I''m washing my face first," said Luca. She rose to her feet. She had been sitting in one


    position for a long time, and her legs felt a bit numb. The next moment, she identally stumbled onto


    the sofa.


    The wicked chair had a cushion, so her quick descent did not feel particrly painful.


    Luke was startled by her sudden movement and asked, "What''s the matter?"


    "My legs are a bit numb." Luca''s face blushed slightly. She did not expect her legs to go numb.


    In fact, she had noticed it but she was too focused on Luke.


    His captivating pheromones were so potent that she did not realize her legs had gone numb. She stood


    up too swiftly and ended up plopping onto the sofa with surprising speed.


    "Did you hurt yourself?" Luke asked with concern. He had been watching her.


    However, Luca''s fall happened too quickly for him to react. He could only watch her stand up and


    instantly fall onto the sofa before he could rescue her.


    "I''m fine. It''s not too painful. There''s a cushion on the chair." Luca shook her head.


    "Okay," replied Luke. He turned to the side to help her massage her legs. "Is it numb here?"


    Luca grimaced and answered, "Both legs are numb..."


    "Let me massage them." Luke saw the grimace look on her face. He could not bear to let her suffer, so


    he started massaging her legs.


    His slender fingers started from the ankles, gently working their way up to the slender calves.


    Luke continued massaging higher, and as he kneaded Luca''s thighs, the air became increasingly filled


    with a sense of amorousness. Luca''s face was like a vivid rose, now adorned with a blush of crimson,


    covering her fair cheeks.


    She even felt that the areas on her legs he had massaged were growing warmer...


    Luca pulled back her legs, sat cross-legged, and said, "Alright, it''s not numb anymore."


    "Bea..." Luke''s voice gradually became more suggestive. "Pulling them back won''t change anything."


    Luca understood his intentions and quickly reminded, "It''s gettingte. We still have dinner with Evan


    After that, she sprang up from the sofa like a rabbit and headed into the bathroom.


    Luke shook his head helplessly when he saw that.


    She was really a cunning little rabbit, hiding from him and darting into the bathroom.


    Was he the big bad wolf?


    Luke''s eyes were filled with dissatisfaction, but he reluctantly held back at the thought of having dinner


    with Evanter.


    They still had a few days. He had plenty of time tonight. Besides, the kids were not around. No one


    would disturb them tonight. Even if she tried to escape, there was no way she could get away.