Chapter 58: Why lie, Luca?
"In the morning, you told me you rejected me because of... something in your family," Sara’s voice trembled. "Do you expect me to keep believing lies after you’ve already confessed so much to my face? You proposed a one-year marriage contract, then said you wanted it to last forever. You want me to fall in love with you all over again. Tell me, Luca... what exactly is going on in your head?"
Her questions hit him like a punch, and his throat went dry. He hadn’t meant for the truth to slip out this morning, but anger had ended his restraint.
"Why are you so quiet?" Sara pressed, her brow furrowing. She swung her legs off the bed and stepped closer, stopping right in front of him. Her fingers gripped his collar, shaking him slightly.
"Is it really that hard to speak the truth? If you won’t say it, then I’ll assume everything you’ve told me since this morning has been a lie. You know you’re only confusing me more with all this. If you truly loved me back then, why didn’t you tell me? Why lie, Luca? You know what you did to us? Your lies ended our friendship that very day. If not love, at least, we shared a good friendship."
Luca held her hands, lowering them when a knock occurred on the door. He turned around and went to open the door.
"Young Master, these are some evening snacks for you," the maid said politely.
Luca took the tray from her and gave a small nod, gesturing for her to leave. Setting it down on the table, he turned toward Sara. "You must be hungry," he said.
Sara crossed her arms, her frustration evident. "Are you avoiding my questions? Fine! I won’t ask you anything anymore." Her voice trembled slightly before she turned and disappeared into the washroom.
Luca exhaled heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. He sank onto the sofa, leaning back with a tired sigh as he waited. After a few minutes, Sara emerged, a towel in hand, gently patting her damp face.
"You should eat something," Luca said, standing up as he started toward the washroom, perhaps to give her space, or to escape the tension between them.
"He chose not to answer me," Sara murmured to herself, lowering onto the sofa. "What would happen if he just told me the truth?"
Her gaze drifted to the tray. She picked up a churro, taking a small bite. Grabbing the mug of hot chocolate, she sipped slowly. She took out her phone from her pocket and called her grandmother.
A few rings later, Katherine answered the call.
"Good evening, Grandma," Sara greeted warmly.
"Good evening, dear." Katherine’s voice came through the line. "I was just watching the press conference your husband attended today. I can’t believe some of the things Luca said up there. He spoke with such confidence, and it sounded like he truly loves you. Tell me, did you two talk about your feelings during your honeymoon?"
Sara sighed softly, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Grandma, let’s... not talk about that right now," she murmured. "You tell me instead, are Marcella and her kids still giving you a hard time?"
Katherine’s tone shifted immediately, growing serious. "Something has definitely happened. The three of them seemed unusually cheerful today. I have a feeling they’re planning something against you, Sara." She paused before adding, "You need to look into what’s going on in the company. Last night, Frida complained to your father, accusing him of always favoring you. I wasn’t present in the dining room, but a servant informed me."
Sara’s eyes narrowed slightly, her earlier weariness giving way to thought.
"Dad wants Frida to be appointed as the company’s director," Sara said with disbelief.
"What?" Katherine exclaimed, clearly shocked.
"Grandma, let’s just ignore them for now," Sara replied, trying to sound calm. "Please don’t stress yourself because of them. I’ll find out what’s really going on soon."
Just then, she heard the sound of the washroom door opening. Turning her head, she saw Luca stepping out.
"Sara, don’t get hurt, and don’t hesitate to ask Luca for help if you need it," Katherine said gently from the other end of the line.
"Hmm."
The line went dead. She lowered her phone and looked toward Luca. "That was Grandma," she said.
"How’s she doing?" Luca asked, his gaze flicking to the tray on the table. "Hot chocolate?" His eyes brightened for a moment as he spotted the mug, realizing the butler still remembered his favorite evening snack. He picked it up, dipped a churro into the chocolate, and took a bite, the faintest smile tugging at his lips.
"She’s doing fine," Sara replied, studying him closely. "So... have you made up your mind to tell me the truth?"
Luca’s hand froze midair. He glanced at her briefly before drinking the hot chocolate.
"That was in the past. There’s no use to speak about it anymore. As for the present, I’m willing to give my everything to you. Yes, I contradicted myself. The reason is that if you stay with me for my entire life, then my parents won’t pester me. You’ve seen how they were trying to impose Ivanna in my way as if she was an item," Luca explained, still hiding the truth, the feelings as if he was afraid of something.
"All right," Sara said softly, lifting the mug to her lips. She took a slow sip of the hot chocolate, her silence heavier than any accusation.
Luca studied her. "You seem to have doubts," he said carefully.
"No," she replied, setting the mug down with a quiet thud. "I’m not surprised anymore. You’re a mafia, Luca. You threaten people, and you lie. Those three things are certain now." Her voice didn’t shake. "So, from here on, our relationship will remain strictly business. Nothing more. I won’t let my heart get bruised again."
She stood, meeting his eyes with cold resolve. "Don’t ever ask me to love you. It won’t happen. Not in this life."
~~~~~
"That bastard made me wait all day," Diego spat as he finally collapsed onto the living-room couch. He flung the file across the glass coffee table and barked for water.
"Why are you making such a scene?" Marcella asked, eyebrow arched.
"Mom, Luca called me to come see him this morning," Diego snapped, pacing for a moment before sinking back down. "Then he left with Sara and left me waiting like I was invisible. His secretary lied to me, saying he’d be back any minute. Does he think I’m his servant? I swear I wanted to torch his office, but I—"
He didn’t finish as Adam’s voice interrupted him.
"You still haven’t learned a shred of humility," Adam’s voice thundered across the room.
Diego immediately jumped to his feet, his frustration bubbling over. "Dad, I have been humble! I waited for Luca the whole damn morning," he protested. "But Sara, she’s the one who started all this. She never liked me, and I’m sure she told Luca to keep me waiting on purpose. She committed the fraud, yet she’s the one living comfortably, like nothing ever happened!"
"Stop complaining about it," Adam said firmly. "Freshen up. I have something important to discuss with you."
"Sure," Diego muttered, not daring to argue. He turned and headed upstairs, his footsteps echoing against the marble floor.
Once he was out of sight, Adam turned to Marcella. "I want Frida to get engaged to the man I had originally chosen for Sara."
Marcella’s eyes widened. "What? Really?" she asked, trying to mask her surprise with a nervous smile. "Frida hasn’t come home yet, she’s still at work, staying late as usual," she added quickly, her tone laced with pride.
Adam didn’t seem impressed. "Monte Picasso and his wife will be here tomorrow," he said. "They were disappointed when Sara suddenly married Luca, and I don’t want history repeating itself. I hope Frida doesn’t make the same mistake."
Marcella swallowed hard, nodding obediently even as unease flickered in her eyes.
"She’s not like Sara, dear," Marcella said quickly, her voice softening in an attempt to please him. "Frida would never disappoint you. Sara never cared about this family’s name, but Frida, she’s always respected your choices."
"You still haven’t stopped belittling Sara, have you?" Katherine’s voice cut through the room, sharp and cold. "Your precious daughter had a secret affair with Asher, the same man who was seeing Sara."
"Mom, enough," Adam snapped, his tone edged with warning. His eyes hardened as he looked between them. "I told you both, don’t bring up Sara’s name in front of me again."
Marcella and Katherine both glared at each other.
"You are doing wrong, Adam. Do you know how much Sara misses you? She still believes you will talk to her once? You also made mistakes, but that didn’t mean your father ever hurt you. Think about it with a calm mind. Think the situation Sara presently in," Katherine stated in a calm tone.