Chapter 150: The Worried Luca
"Opehlia, love," Isabella called out gently, her voice like a soft melody. Opehlia’s head snapped up immediately, her eyes wide with innocent curiosity and a hopeful smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
Isabella couldn’t help the small, almost imperceptible sigh that escaped her. How could she ever be mad at this girl?
The thought weighed heavily on her heart. Originally, she had planned to change Opehlia—teach her to be shrewd and sharp, so that no one could take advantage of her innocent nature. So that the world wouldn’t chew her up and spit her out. But as Isabella watched the girl now, her heart softened, and all those plans seemed to slip away like sand through her fingers.
Opehlia’s wide eyes glittered, waiting for the answer that seemed to hang in the air, a delicate moment suspended between them. And in that instant, Isabella couldn’t bring herself to crush that innocent enthusiasm. The girl truly was a walking bundle of hope and curiosity.
Isabella’s lips curled into a smile, both tender and mysterious. "You’ll just have to wait and see," she teased, her voice soft yet firm.
Opehlia’s eyes sparkled with excitement, but before she could ask another barrage of questions, Isabella held up a hand. "Now, let’s eat." She shifted her attention to the fruit in her hands, hoping to divert the girl’s relentless curiosity before it got out of control.
Just as they were about to settle into a moment of peace, heavy footsteps approached from behind. The air seemed to shift as a familiar figure stepped into view, his brows furrowed in frustration and exhaustion.
Luca.
His brow glistened with sweat, and his usually neatly stright hair was messy, sticking to his forehead in a way that told Isabella this man had been through something far from casual. He was out of breath, too, as if he’d been running for a very long time searching for something—or someone.