Luca fell silent for a moment. He ignored Vernon's words and focused on the thoughts that were disturbing his mind.
"Hey, Luca! Are you even listening to me?" Vernon snapped, lightly smacking Luca on the head after realizing he had been talking to himself.
Luca bristled at being hit. He shot Vernon a sharp, deep gaze. "You're noisy. I heard everything you said. Give me a moment to think. And send me Luzen's schedule for the next week."
"Oh… okay."
Vernon immediately shrank back. Seeing Luca angry reminded him of women during PMS—terrifying enough to make his spine chill.
Vernon left to have someone check Luzen's schedule for the coming week.
If asked why Luca knew so little about Luzen despite living together, the answer was simple—he had only known Luzen for a short time. He hadn't even fully acted like a kept man yet, all to lower Luzen's guard.
If Luca already knew Luzen that well, how could he have failed to notice Luzen sneaking out to the place where his darkest past was buried? That was why, although Luca was an intelligence agent tasked with extracting secrets from his targets, he still needed outside information for basic daily matters and time to adapt.
While waiting for Vernon to send Luzen's weekly schedule, Luca replayed the video Vernon had sent him, watching it over and over with intense focus.
He had lost count of how many times he replayed the same footage, trying to catch the smallest irregularity—especially the part where Luzen entered a room that used to be Luca's bedroom.
Luzen, what exactly is your connection to all of this? Why did you go to a place you should never have gone to? Are you also responsible for the Romanov family's deaths?
The same questions kept looping in his head, just like the video itself.
Vernon returned and patted Luca's shoulder while shaking his head. "You're spacing out again. You should go home and stay with Luzen. Your thoughts are all over the place."
"I'm not."
"You're stubborn. I'll send the schedule to your email. You should go out and get some air instead of staying here. If you keep spacing out, your brain might short-circuit."
"Yeah, yeah, you're noisy. Since when did you become this talkative?" Luca muttered, glancing at him.
He minimized the laptop screen and closed it, then stood up with the laptop in hand.
"I'm heading out. Don't forget to send the information. If I get the chance, I might sneak into his office."
"No need to rush. From your previous reports, both Luzen's office at the company and at the apartment have hidden CCTV, and our team hasn't cracked them yet. Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"I know. I'll think of a way to access the surveillance later. Just do your job."
As Luca was about to leave, someone tapped his shoulder. He stopped and turned around with a hostile expression.
With an innocent face, Vernon said, "How about having lunch with me? It's already lunchtime, and Emile is out on a mission."
"No. I can eat by myself."
"Hey, don't reject my kindness so quickly. I just got news from my subordinate who's checking Luzen's schedule. He's having lunch today with someone from City Z. Aren't you curious about who Luzen is meeting?"
Vernon was truly a bastard. He was deliberately provoking Luca, eyebrows wiggling openly without even trying to hide it.
"I don't care who he's meeting. My job is to gather deep information about him, not stalk him."
Luca stared at Vernon suspiciously, his eyes narrowing. "You're not planning something, are you?"
"Of course not. I'm sincerely inviting you to lunch." Vernon grinned shamelessly and leaned closer, whispering, "You know, I've always wanted to monopolize you, Luca."
An imaginary vein popped on Luca's forehead. His irritation flared. "What do you mean by that? Are you testing my patience, Vernon?"
"No, no. Forget it. You heard wrong."
"Hm, good that you know your place. You're a playboy who flirts with everyone. I'm still sane enough not to go crazy hoping for anything from you."
"Damn it! I'm not that bad."
This time Luca leaned closer, his tone suddenly formal. "Oh? Mr. Vernon defending himself? You do realize I've worked with you for over five years. Is there anything about you I don't know?"
He scanned Vernon from head to toe with a faint smile.
Damn it—he was sweet. That was the only thought in Vernon's head instead of replying.
Vernon shuddered. "You're terrifying when you talk like that. Stop being formal. So, are you coming to lunch or not?"
"Fine, fine. I'll have lunch with you. You're paying."
Vernon immediately beamed. This was only the second time he'd managed to take Luca out to eat. Just thinking about it made him giddy.
Luca glanced at him indifferently. "Satisfied now? Disable the high-security mode. I'm going out."
"Ah, right. I forgot."
Vernon snapped his fingers, the fingerprint sensor activating, and the room returned to normal mode.
Luca left the office and went back to his room to put away his laptop. He changed into a more casual outfit—a sky-blue cardigan, navy jeans, and off-white sneakers.
There was no need to ask how he looked. He was undeniably cute and sweet, enough to leave Vernon stunned when Luca walked out of the mansion.
Vernon quickly rolled down the car window, staring in awe. "Luca, you're not trying to seduce me, are you?"
"No. Stop talking nonsense and save your flirting for someone else."
"I'm serious. You look really cute in casual clothes. You should wear this style more often."
Luca sighed. "If you keep talking, I won't go with you. Got it?"
"Oh… okay. I'll be quiet."
Luca walked to the car and got in without another word. He'd already exhausted his patience with Vernon for the day.
During the drive, Luca remained silent, and Vernon followed suit. He knew that once Luca was in a bad mood, even a missile strike wouldn't get his attention.
Twenty minutes later, the car arrived at a five-star restaurant in City X.
Luca and Vernon got out, greeted by the security staff at the entrance. Vernon tossed the car keys to the guard. "Park it in the usual place."
"Yes, sir."
They entered, and Vernon went straight to the receptionist to book a VIP room.
A waitress led them to the spacious second floor, lined with various VIP rooms of different styles.
This time, Vernon booked a private room for two. Just as they were about to enter, Luca's sapphire-blue eyes caught a familiar figure—Luzen.
"What is he doing here?" Luca murmured.
He stopped in his tracks. Luzen was sitting with another man wearing a cap that partially hid his face. The two were alone, talking and laughing.
Something deep in Luca's subconscious urged him to find out more, but Vernon interrupted first.
"Hey, let's go in."
Luca turned and entered the room next to Luzen's.
Who is the man with Luzen?