Read with BonusRead with Bonus

Chapter 02 Interview

"I heard during your illness, Miss Zimmerman stayed by your side through thick and thin. Are you two the talk of the town with wedding bells in the near future?"

A lump caught in my throat as my gaze fell on Lucas on the stage.

He offered a half-smile and casually raised his hand, showcasing a simple silver ring on his left ring finger.

It was the very ring I had scrimped and saved to buy for him to cheer him up.

A ring so unassuming seemed out of place on the finger of a distinguished Young Executive.

Yet he seemed oblivious to its ordinariness, tenderly tracing it with his fingertip.

"Yeah, we're getting engaged," Lucas announced, his glance sweeping over the audience.

Deliberately or not, his eyes met mine in the corner for just a fleeting moment before turning away.

The microphone was soon passed to Nicole: "Miss Zimmerman, rumor has it you're currently in a project with Director Maxwell Sterling, who seldom casts newcomers. Is Mr. Xavier's influence take effect?"

Her smile didn't waver as she acknowledged, "Of course."

"I have always been confident in my professional skills, but I won't deny that Lucas really went above and beyond for me."

"And I fully deserve this special treatment."

Her candid demeanor only earned her more admiration from the crowd.

Someone asked, "Can you share the story of how you supported each other during tougher times?"

The smile on Nicole's lips froze momentarily.

In that eerie silence, it seemed as though time itself had slowed down.

After a lengthy pause, Lucas chuckled lightly, taking the microphone to say, "There's nothing much to tell. The memories between her and me, they're best kept just between us."

I felt a sudden sting in my eyes, my pen clutched tightly in hand shook as I bowed my head.

Every time I closed my eyes, the past came flooding back.

Lucas, in his youth, being brash and defiant, had made his fair share of enemies.

After his fall from grace, some came looking for trouble.

Trying to defend him, I was pushed down the stairs and left bloodied and bruised.

The ones responsible fled in terror.

Biting back the pain, I stood up pretending nothing had happened and walked back to his side: "Let's go home."

But Lucas suddenly took my hand, "You're hurt, we need to go to the hospital."

I protested, "I’m fine..."

"I smell blood!" Lucas said with a tension in his voice that immediately set me on edge.

His tone crescendoed, unleashing tears that cascaded from eyes clouded with emotion, each falling like a dimmed star through cosmic dust.

He enveloped me in his lean arms, a surprisingly strong embrace for his age.

Yet the name that escaped his lips was my sister's: "Nicole Zimmerman."

"When I'm healed, I'm going to give you the grandest wedding the world has ever seen..."

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter