I went back home thinking about his last words. After we finished our food and tea, we decided to part ways, promising each other that we would meet again for another cup of tea. I told Grandpa that Lucca was probably mad at me because I had left home without telling him. Yes, I was calling him Grandpa now since he kept insisting that I do. No one had ever called him that before. Lucca, Damian, and Dominic had always called him Master.
Before I even opened the gate, I saw a frowning man standing at the door, waiting for me. Now I knew Lucca was definitely mad at me. Who wouldn't be? I had left without letting him know. He wanted me to be careful since Damon's men were everywhere.
"Where have you been? You let me sleep just so you could sneak away from me?" he asked angrily.
"I didn't want to wake you up," I reasoned.
"You woke me up this morning just so I could use your bed," he replied, still frowning at me.
"I'm sorry, okay? I just missed my grandma, so I went to the cemetery. Don't worry, I was with your master."
The moment I said that, his frown turned into a confused expression.
"My master?" he repeated.
I nodded. "I saw him standing by my grandma's grave. I invited him for a cup of tea, and he agreed. We spent an hour at a coffee shop talking about my grandma."
His expression softened the moment he heard about Grandpa. Lucca really cared about his master.
"What else did he say to you besides talking about your grandma?" he asked, as if expecting something.
"He told me that he wouldn't be living much longer and that I should take care of you."
His face said it all. The mixture of emotions he was feeling was written all over it.
"Lucca, spend more time with your master. Tell Damian and Dominic to do the same. He said that someday soon, he'll be gone."
He clenched his fists while listening to me. I couldn't tell whether he was angry or simply trying to hold back his emotions.
I wanted to tell him about the dream I had, where King Arthur and Queen Astrid appeared, but seeing the conflicted expression on his face, I decided not to.
"You can leave me here for a while and go to Grandpa's house," I said.
"Grandpa?" he asked.
"He asked me to call him that," I replied.
"I'll go see him today. Let's go."
"But wait... do I really have to come?"
"And what? Leave you here so Damon's men can attack you again while I'm not around? Hell no," he said before walking out of the gate.
I sighed. Did I really have a choice? Lucca was my boss, and I didn't want him worrying about me. If I insisted on staying and Damon's men attacked me without Lucca by my side, it would be a disaster. As long as Lucca was my boss, I should follow his orders. Right now, this was my boss's order, so I had no choice but to obey.
We got into Lucca's car and headed to his master's house. It took us thirty minutes before we finally arrived.
We found Grandpa outside, watering his plants.
"Grandpa!" I called, catching his attention.
He looked at me, and the moment he recognized me, he smiled. I walked toward him with a smile of my own.
"What are you doing here? We just saw each other a little while ago. Did you miss me already?" he asked with a grin.
"Yeah. But someone misses you even more," I replied, glancing at Lucca, who was standing behind me.
Grandpa smiled at Lucca in greeting before inviting us into his humble little house.
"I didn't expect you two to visit today," Grandpa said. "I didn't even have time to clean up."
"No, Grandpa. Let me do it. You don't have to clean. You're not as young as you used to be," I said, gently taking the things from his hands and putting them away myself.
As I organized the items in the cabinet, unsure where some of them belonged, I noticed Lucca staring intently at his master. Maybe I should give them some time alone.
After I finished tidying up, I turned to them with a smile.
"I think I'll get some fresh air," I said. "I'll wait outside for a while."
"Don't worry about me. Just talk for as long as you want," I said, not giving them a chance to stop me before I walked outside.
Lucca might seem tough all the time, but when it came to his master, his emotions always overflowed.
Lucca's POV
I was furious earlier when I couldn't find Seraphina at her house. I couldn't even contact her because she had left her phone in her room. But when I found out that she had gone to her grandma's grave and met my master there, my anger slowly faded. Especially after Seraphina told me that my master had said his time on this earth was already limited.
I didn't think twice about visiting my master's house that day. Even though Seraphina had already seen him, I still told her to come with me because I wasn't comfortable leaving her alone at home. I didn't want my attention divided between Seraphina and my master.
When we arrived at my master's house, I found him outside watering his plants, just like in the old days. It had always been one of his favorite hobbies.
When Seraphina left us alone in the living room, though I knew it was only an excuse because she wanted to give us some privacy, my master asked if I wanted something to drink.
"I'd like some wine," I said without hesitation.
"You know I don't drink wine, Lucca. I only have tea and coffee," he replied.
"Then don't bother," I said, and he sat back down.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly laughed, confusing me.
"Did Seraphina tell you everything?" he asked while looking at me.
"That you told her you're dying? Yeah. She told me to visit you and spend your remaining time here on earth."
"I like her, Lucca."
His words made me fall silent. Did he like her because she was her grandmother's granddaughter?
"If you're thinking I like her because of her grandmother, no," he said, reading my expression. "I like her for who she is."
I remained silent, listening intently.
"I've heard so much about her over the years, but the moment I finally talked to her, I knew she was a good person."
"She's like a mirror of me. We have almost the same personality. It's surprising that she talked to a stranger when she normally wouldn't."
"Maybe she trusted me right away because I'm old," he said with another laugh.
"I saw the ring on her finger, the same ring I gave to her grandmother. It hasn't changed."
"Did you tell her about the ring, Master? Maybe if you explained everything, she'd give it back to you."
He shook his head.
"Then what? Tell her I need the ring because you're dying? That ring holds sentimental value for her. It's not about how much it's worth; it's a piece of her grandmother's memory. The way she talked about the past, I could tell how deeply she loved her grandma."
I let out a deep sigh. I had thought we were finally getting closer to retrieving that ring.
"Are you that worried?" Master asked.
"Who wouldn't be, Master? I only have a few months left, and I don't even know exactly when I'll die because I still haven't obtained the ring."
Although my relationship with Seraphina had improved, there was no guarantee she would give me the ring once we became closer.
After spending almost two hours together, I decided it was time to leave. Master wanted us to stay for lunch, but I suggested eating at a restaurant instead. He simply smiled and told me he didn't want to eat out because he was expecting another friend to visit later that day.
In the end, Seraphina and I left without him.
I stayed quiet the entire drive home. I knew Seraphina wanted to ask me something, but perhaps she sensed that I wasn't in the mood to talk, so she remained silent as well.
Master Jhong's POV
After Lucca and Seraphina left, I immediately called my friend Hernan, one of the Masters, and asked him to come over to my house. The past kept haunting me, and the guilt I carried grew heavier with each passing day.
After an hour of waiting, an old man stepped into my house.
"What's with the rush, Jhong?" he asked as he sat down on the sofa.
"I met Seraphina this morning. It wasn't just a chance encounter, we actually talked."
Jhong's expression turned serious. He knew everything about my plan and what I had done from the past until the present.
"What about it?"
"Seraphina dreamed about me and her grandmother. She even mentioned the names King Arthur and Queen Astrid."
Hernan was shocked by what he had just heard. My friend knew about the past as well. Back then, he had been my right-hand man.
"What did you tell her? Did you tell her everything?"
"I would never do that. If I did, she might tell Lucca, and he'd probably hate me for making his life miserable."
"Then why not tell him everything he wants to know? I told you, Jhong, you can't hide the truth forever. We're too old to keep living with our regrets."
"I gave the key to Lucca. It's the key to the truth. I told him that once I die, he can open it."
Jhong stared at me in disbelief.
"I know," I said quietly. "I also know how unbelievable it sounds."
There were still truths that had to remain hidden, for now.
But I can reveal one secret.
A secret that only Hernan and I know.
Lucca's parents are not his biological parents.
Lucca is connected to me.
Seraphina's POV
Lucca decided that we would eat at an Italian restaurant. I told him to order whatever he liked and that we could just share everything he ordered.
He mentioned several unfamiliar dishes that were difficult to pronounce. I simply stared at him while he effortlessly said each name.
"Please wait a few minutes, ma'am and sir," the waiter said before leaving with our order.
I looked around the restaurant. There were only a few customers. I had expected it to be crowded since it was lunchtime, but it wasn't.
After looking around, my gaze wandered back to Lucca, who was busy using his phone. He was probably texting someone.
I couldn't help staring at him.
As the days passed, I found myself appreciating his features more and more. I had always thought he was handsome, but seeing him become less rude and sarcastic made him even more attractive.
"Are you drooling over me?" Lucca suddenly asked, startling me.
I immediately touched my lips to check if I was actually drooling, but they were dry.
Then I realized he was just teasing me.
"So you do know how to joke now, huh?" I said sarcastically.
"You keep staring at me," he replied as he set his phone on the table.
The moment he looked at me, I felt myself melting like ice under the sun.
"Why? Am I not allowed to?" I asked, pretending to be brave. Staring at him wasn't exactly a crime.
"You didn't ask for my permission."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Do you say that to everyone who stares at you? Did they ask for your permission too?" I shot back.
He didn't answer.
Still, it always ended up being my fault. Somehow, I had developed a habit of staring at him whenever he wasn't looking.
Then, for the first time since I had met him...
He smiled.
You could say I was overreacting, but my eyes widened and my mouth fell open. I was completely stunned by what I had just witnessed.
It was such a rare sight, a smile from Lucca, the man who was always serious, rude, sarcastic, and impossibly mysterious.
When Lucca noticed my reaction, his smile immediately disappeared and he frowned.
"What?" he asked, sounding slightly uncomfortable.
Didn't he realize that he had just smiled?
I instantly regretted not taking a picture of it. Although, knowing him, he probably wouldn't have let me use my phone anyway.
"Lucca..." I said in disbelief. "You just smiled."
I was still staring at him in shock.
His frown deepened.
"You're such a weird, fragile little woman," he muttered before looking away.
"Of course I am! That's the first time I've ever seen you smile. Lucca, you're even more handsome when you smile."
"Stop talking about it. It was unintentional. You're never going to see that again," he said, trying to stop my excitement.
I knew I was overreacting.
But I couldn't help it.
Dominic and Mira definitely had to hear about this.
Our conversation was interrupted when the waiter returned with the food Lucca had ordered.
There was pizza, pasta, freshly baked bread, vegetable salad, and steak.
The waiter informed us that dessert would be served after our meal because they didn't want the ice cream to melt while we were still eating the main course.
I watched as Lucca placed the table napkin on his lap.
Then I copied him, carefully watching which utensils he picked from the unfamiliar set arranged on the table.
I started with the pasta because it was the dish that had caught my attention the moment it arrived.
The first bite made my eyes light up.
It was incredibly delicious and so satisfying. Even though I had never been to Italy, I couldn't help but feel as if I was tasting authentic Italian pasta.
"Do you always eat at restaurants like this?" I asked.
"No. I usually eat food like this in Italy whenever Dominic and Damian are craving Italian cuisine."
I stopped chewing.
"When you're just craving it?" I repeated.
Did that mean they simply flew to Italy whenever they wanted Italian food?
As if they were only driving to the next city.
Money really could do almost anything.
It let you buy what you wanted and go wherever you wished.
"Do you want to go?" he suddenly asked.
"Me? No," I answered immediately.
"You'll appreciate the food even more when you eat it in the country where it originated," he said before taking another bite of his pizza.
"Lucca... since I'm your personal assistant, if you ever travel abroad, will I have to go with you too?"
"Yes," he answered shortly.
I couldn't hide my smile.
The thought excited me and frightened me at the same time.
At least I'd get to travel for work with my boss while exploring countries I'd never visited in my entire life.
Lucca's POV
I didn't know what I was feeling as I watched Seraphina eat with a smile on her face after I told her that she would be traveling abroad with me for work.
She looked genuinely excited today.
She was different from the Seraphina I had first met.
If I had to describe it, she had changed a lot. She had become more transparent with her emotions.
Just a while ago, she caught me smiling.
To be honest, I hadn't even realized I was smiling. I was only trying to annoy her, but her reaction amused me enough to make me smile without noticing it. Unfortunately, she caught me.
And then she overreacted.
When we left Master's house earlier, I hadn't been in the mood to talk. I couldn't even explain what I was feeling. All I knew was that there was a heavy weight pressing against my chest.
That was why I stayed silent during the entire drive.
Seraphina never asked me what was wrong.
Maybe she was simply respecting my silence.
I didn't expect the heaviness in my chest to disappear the moment we arrived at the restaurant.
Maybe it was because of Seraphina.
Watching her enjoy the food somehow eased the burden I had been carrying.
Now I was actually considering taking her to Italy someday so she could experience authentic Italian cuisine.
I was certain she'd love it.
As I took another bite of my pizza, my phone vibrated.
A message from my executive assistant appeared on the screen.
Sir, are you coming to the office today? Someone is waiting for you.
I quickly replied.
Who?
A few seconds later, another message appeared.
Ma'am Hillary Kho.
The moment I read the name, I frowned.
What was my ex-girlfriend doing at my office?