The clashing auras were palpable in the air around Luzen. He didn't want the situation to escalate or draw Luca in, so he wrapped an arm around her waist.
He turned to face Luca with an intense gaze, completely ignoring Daniel standing beside them.
"Darling, are you jealous seeing me close to someone else?" Luzen whispered in a seductive tone.
Instead of making Luca admit his feelings, Luzen's words only provoked another side of him.
Luca smiled faintly. He turned his body to face Luzen directly.
He looped both arms around Luzen's neck, closing the distance between them even more.
His eyes—like sapphires—stared deeply into Luzen's. For a moment, Luzen was mesmerized: they were beautiful, glowing, yet dark. As if anyone brave enough to look would be pulled into an endless abyss.
"Beautiful…"
Luzen said it without realizing. He lifted a hand and touched the tip of those lovely eyelids gently, carefully.
For a split second, Luca froze at Luzen's gesture. Having forgotten what a sincere touch felt like, he was caught off guard.
Luca grabbed Luzen's hand that was touching his face. Then he leaned in and whispered,
"Mr. Dominic Luzen, are you teasing me? Even though I'm your mistress, I don't need anyone to uncover what's in my heart. So you don't have to use Daniel or anyone else to test it."
"Then tell me—how do you feel about me?"
"Mr. Dominic, it seems you've forgotten my status. I'm your mistress—does it matter to you what I feel right now?"
"It matters. At the very least—"
Before Luzen could finish his thought, Daniel suddenly cried out in pain.
"Arrgh..! Brother Zen, my head hurts!"
Daniel's voice was almost a shout.
Without a word, Luzen let go of his embrace around Luca and rushed to Daniel, who was groaning and holding his head.
"Niel, are you alright? Tell me—has your headache come back again?" Luzen asked, his face filled with worry.
"Brother Zen…"
Daniel's body went limp, and he almost fell. Luzen acted quickly, catching the fragile figure and supporting him against his chest.
From nearby, Luca watched everything unfold without blinking. He was left speechless.
He couldn't fathom how Luzen could be so foolish as to fall for this man named Daniel. There was no way the guy was actually in pain.
Look at his bright face and lips—there wasn't a single sign of discomfort.
Luca knew this would happen. He watched clearly how Luzen had let go of him so easily, choosing to care for someone who was obviously lying.
What Luca saw before his eyes made his heart grow harder and colder. He laughed softly, his heart aching with grief for the countless time.
'Once again, I almost made a stupid decision by trusting someone even a little—and what do I get? A joke! Lucas Gabriel De Romanov, remember your purpose. Don't let this silly little feeling ruin your plans.'
Luca sighed. "Mr. Dominic, it seems your precious little brother is feeling unwell."
Strengthening his resolve, he approached them and checked Daniel's pulse.
And sure enough—Daniel's pulse was normal, only slightly weaker than most people's. Daniel did have a fragile body, but he wasn't in any pain right now.
The man was faking it.
And as if fate was playing a cruel trick, something unexpected happened—something that triggered Luca's dark memories from the past.
As he checked the pulse on Daniel's wrist, he caught sight of a crescent-shaped birthmark behind Daniel's right ear—one that looked exactly like a Romanov family member's.
He knew exactly who that birthmark belonged to. 'Lucien?'
He let go of Daniel's wrist.
His hands began to shake immediately. Not wanting to arouse suspicion, he clenched both fists and hid them behind his back.
The shock left his body feeling suddenly weak, as if all his strength had been drained away.
Fragments of the past flooded his mind like a broken tape. Memories of Lucien dying in front of him, his hands covered in Lucien's blood—memories that would haunt Luca for the rest of his life.
Luca stepped back. He tried his best to compose his face and expression so Luzen or Daniel wouldn't notice. But the shock of seeing Lucien's mark before his eyes left him so flustered that he didn't realize Luzen had already carried Daniel away.
Behind him, Vernon arrived in a hurry after seeing Luca's pale face from a distance.
"Luca, are you okay?" Vernon whispered.
The sudden whisper from behind made Luca jump. He turned around to find Vernon standing there.
In his heart, he felt relieved it was him. "I—I'm fine. Vernon, take me away. Hurry! Now!" Luca whispered, his voice almost a command.
Seeing Luca's pale face and trembling hands, Vernon immediately took both of them in a firm grip.
"Luca, look at me. You need to calm down, then we'll leave here." Vernon spoke firmly, forcing Luca to meet his eyes.
Their gazes locked. The certainty in Vernon's words helped ease Luca's emotional turmoil.
Even though Vernon didn't know what had happened, he was certain of one thing: Luca was not okay right now.
This was the first time Vernon had seen Luca so frightened—pale and shaking. Even when facing powerful enemies, he had never shown fear. But this time… he showed it all.
Vernon took Luca's right hand and led him away from the restaurant—only after making sure Luzen was far enough away to avoid running into him.
All the way to the mansion, Luca was silent. Vernon didn't want to ask anything that would make him uncomfortable.
Even after they arrived at the mansion, Luca chose to go straight to his room, ignoring the few people who greeted him.
Vernon went to his office to take care of a few things—especially about what had happened at the restaurant.
He asked the hacker who usually stayed at the mansion to access the dark web, hack the restaurant's CCTV, and investigate the masked man who had been with Luzen.
That was Vernon—a man madly in love with Luca. Whatever concerned Luca, he would do it even if it meant turning the world upside down.
Unfortunately, even though Vernon did everything, Luca only saw him as a friend and colleague.
And the irony was: the moment Luca took an interest in someone, fate seemed to say they were destined to cross swords.