Chapter 3

By the time they finished, dusk had settled over the city.

Reuben walked them to the parking garage and, as they said their goodbyes, he offered Luke a few more words of praise.

“Melissa, your assistant is incredibly efficient. I’m still getting used to things now that I’m back, and there’s quite a bit I need help with. If you don’t mind, could you give me his contact information? That way, I can reach out whenever I need a hand.”

Since Reuben had asked, Melissa had no reason to say no.

“Of course. What’s mine is yours. I’ll send you his contact information later. If you need anything, just tell him what to do.”

The drive home passed in silence, Luke kept his eyes on the road and his thoughts to himself.

Melissa instinctively assumed he was upset about what had happened earlier.

She was just about to ask him about it when she turned her head and caught sight of the ring on his finger. The irritation she had managed to suppress came rushing back.

“Fine, you can lie to me about getting married or wearing a wedding ring, but there’s no need to put on an act in front of Reuben.”

Luke’s hand tightened around the steering wheel. Even so, he offered an explanation.

“I’m not lying. This really is my wedding ring.”

He did not even dare look at her as he spoke. Melissa took his reluctance as a sign of guilt and could not be bothered to waste any more words on him. Instead, she decided to make herself perfectly clear.

“Reuben is different from everyone else to me, so put those little schemes of yours away and focus on doing your job. Don’t even think about trying anything with him.”

Every word carried a pointed warning.

Luke’s gaze hardened. He pressed his lips together and said nothing more.

If this had happened before, seeing how much Melissa cared about Reuben might have stirred a trace of jealousy in him.

However, he was never the kind of person to stir up trouble. Why would he ever lay a hand on the man she loved?

Now that he was married, he cared even less about whom she loved or hated.

After ten years of knowing each other, she really thought so little of him.

A trace of helplessness passed through Luke’s heart. He let out a sigh so faint it was barely audible.

After adding Reuben, Luke soon found himself being summoned to handle one trivial errand after another.

Reuben lost his passport and asked him to sort out a replacement. Something went missing from his apartment, so Luke had to contact the police. When Reuben wanted to see a play, he was expected to secure the tickets…

While juggling his regular duties at the company, Luke also had to deal with Reuben’s endless requests. He was so overwhelmed that he barely had time to catch his breath.

There were a few times when he tactfully suggested to Melissa that she hire a professional personal assistant for Mr. Evers.

However, she ignored every suggestion. Luke knew perfectly well that money was not the issue. Melissa could easily afford to hire someone else. She simply wanted him to understand just how important Reuben was to her, using the constant errands as a way to put him in his place.

However, there was really no need to do so.

He already understood. More than enough. He would not cling to her anymore. In fact, he had given up on her long ago.

After more than a week of running back and forth between the company and Reuben’s errands, Luke was so busy that he had nearly forgotten about Giselle altogether.

So when her call came, he was momentarily caught off guard.

Her voice was as gentle as ever. “Are you busy? Sorry to bother you, but I wanted to ask what you think about holding our wedding at Willow Bay.”

“Our wedding at Willow Bay?”

Luke repeated the words without thinking. Before he could finish speaking, the door to the assistants’ office was suddenly flung open.

Melissa strode in, fixing him with a cold, piercing stare.

“Wedding? What wedding?” Luke was startled for a moment. He immediately ended the call and rose to his feet.

“My wedding.”

Before entering the room, Melissa had already begun to suspect something was amiss.

However, the moment she saw him hang up and caught the flustered expression on his face, she decided it was just another performance he put on to get her attention.

She let out a cold laugh. “Since you insist you’re married, and you’ve been by my side for ten years, don’t you think it would be a little inappropriate not to send me an invitation?”

An invitation?

It was his first marriage. Luke had honestly forgotten about little details like that.

After a brief silence, he met her gaze and spoke in a calm and even voice, “The invitations aren’t ready yet. I’ll make sure you get one once they arrive.”

The wedding date was approaching and he had not even prepared the invitations?

Melissa found his excuse almost laughable. Still, she did not call him out. She merely nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

“Fine. I’ll be waiting.”