8. A Familiar Stranger

Meeting her boss’s son made Arianna’s heart race. His cute, chubby face looked so much like the boy back home, Leanders.

Arianna felt drawn to the boy because he reminded her of her first child, the son she had lost.

Her feelings were a mixture of joy and sadness. If she had a choice, she wished Gregory could become her son, filling the place left by the firstborn she had never even gotten the chance to hold.

Arianna quickly shook her head. It was impossible. Gregory was the son of a man with status and power far beyond anything she could reach.

If there was even the slightest chance of something like that happening, it was probably one in a thousand. Especially since Arsenio had such a close relationship with Sharon. To Arianna, their relationship seemed to be more than merely professional.

The atmosphere inside the VIP room at Zhou’s Eat fell silent again after the door closed firmly behind Jane and Gregory.

Jane’s departure, with Gregory in tow, had left behind a heavy tension.

The waiter deftly served roasted Peking duck, turtle fin soup, and several other authentic dishes onto the table before stepping back with a respectful bow.

Arianna pretended to busy herself with arranging her spoon and fork, desperately avoiding the pair of green eyes across from her. Those eyes seemed capable of seeing straight through her thoughts.

“My son doesn’t usually warm up to strangers easily,” Arsenio’s deep voice finally broke the silence. He poured warm chrysanthemum tea into Arianna’s cup. “Let alone start talking about wanting to make a woman his wife.”

Arianna gave him a faint smile, trying to remain as professional as possible.

“Young Master Gregory was just joking, Mr. Nakula.”

She accepted the teacup from him.

“Children his age sometimes have overactive imaginations. But I have to admit, he’s a very charming boy,” she said.

“He’s a genius, but he’s stubborn,” Arsenio replied curtly. His gaze never left Arianna.

“My mother, too… she isn’t the type to pay attention to just anyone. Yet earlier, she stared at you as if she’d seen a ghost.”

Arianna’s heart pounded.

Was her disguise really that convincing that it had somehow made his mother suspicious? No. Eight years ago, it was dark. Her eyes had been covered, and Jane surely hadn’t known anything about her.

“Perhaps I just have an ordinary face, Mr. Nakula,” Arianna replied calmly, though her fingers, hidden beneath the table, were tightly clutching the fabric of her dress.

Arsenio said nothing.

He carved the duck meat with graceful, precise movements, each motion reflecting his disciplined nature. But inside, suspicion was already taking root.

“Regarding the script,” Arsenio suddenly changed the subject, causing Arianna to breathe a small sigh of relief.

“I want the scene where the female lead is exiled to Greece to feel more emotional.”

Arsenio stared intently at Arianna, making sure she understood what he wanted.

“I want the audience to feel the despair of a woman who has lost everything, yet carries a great secret known only to herself.”

Arianna fell silent.

His words seemed to lay bare the story of her own life.

“The deepest kind of despair comes when you don’t know who you can trust, Mr. Nakula. I’ll make the script as realistic as possible. You don’t have to worry,” Arianna replied after a moment.

Lunch ended with the awkward atmosphere lingering between them.

Arsenio insisted on walking Arianna back to her apartment, but she firmly refused, claiming she needed to stop by a bookstore to do some research for the screenplay.

In the end, Arsenio let her leave in a taxi.

From inside the car, Arianna watched the Zhou’s Eat building grow smaller and smaller in the distance.

She thought the meeting was over.

She was wrong.

On the upper floor of the restaurant, a man was still standing by the window.

Arsenio watched the taxi carrying Arianna disappear into the distance. His expression remained calm, but his gaze had grown noticeably more intense.

There was something about that woman named Voleta that didn’t add up.

The way she looked at Gregory.

The way Jane had looked at her.

And, above all, the expression on Arianna’s face when he mentioned a child with a great secret.

Arsenio slowly raised his cell phone.

“Look into one thing for me.”

He paused for a moment.

“Eight years ago, who exactly was the woman who was in Fiskardo with Sharon?”

His faint smile disappeared.

“And make sure she doesn’t find out I’m investigating her.”