Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Luke Brown’s long fingers rested on the gray-brown door. He turned his head to look at me, the corners of his mouth lifting in a half-smile.

“Lucy White, have you misunderstood something?”

Now that I’d mustered up the courage to ask, I didn’t want to back down. At the very least, I wanted to hear Luke Brown’s explanation—otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to stay here in peace.

“When I fired the loyal employees my grandfather left me, why did you take them in? And why did you give them back to me? Were you planning something all along?”

“Why are those investors afraid of me? Did you really get back at them because of me?”

“You said we divorced because I cheated, but Ethan Green never touched me—was that because of you?”

“You tied him down with that project, making it seem like he was threatening you. But in reality, you’d already dug a hole for him to fall into, hadn’t you?”

I stared at Luke Brown, asking the last question weighing on my mind.

“Why? You clearly knew my house was right next door, but you still insisted on making me live with you and even made me sign a cohabitation agreement? Luke Brown, I want to know the truth.”

I suppressed the fear in my heart and took two steps toward Luke Brown.

But Luke Brown suddenly held up a hand to stop me.

“Lucy White, I’m a businessman. I evaluate every company I invest in. It’s not because of you.”

“If you insist on bringing our relationship into this, then I’ll say this: everything I did was because of the kindness your grandfather showed me.”

“As for why I wouldn’t let you leave,” Luke Brown slowly moved closer, closing the distance between us completely. He leaned down, his face inches from mine. The scent of pine grew stronger, making me dizzy.

“Lucy White, you’ve faked amnesia a dozen times since we were kids. I’m just playing along with you.”

“And the reason our villas are next to each other is because they were bought by the same person—your grandfather. One for you, one for me.”

“Is there anything else that made you think I’m head over heels for you? Ask now, so you don’t have to act like you’re guarding against a thief around me all day.”

I was so embarrassed that my face turned bright red. I wanted to dig a hole in the ground and crawl into it. After holding it in for a long time, I snapped, “Luke Brown, then why did you stick your tongue in when you kissed me?!”