Chapter 10
Although Isabella knew of Lucius’s feelings, since they’d had little interaction in past life, she still felt
awkward when they were finally alone together.
Lucius sensed her discomfort and spoke gently.
“Does everyone call you Isabella?”
Isabella hadn’t expected him to break the silence. She nodded softly and replied, “My grandparents
also call me Stella. You could call me that too…”
She was halfway through her sentence when her face suddenly turned bright red, a memory of those love letters she’d only seen once popping into her mind. Feeling a little shy, she quickly looked
down.
Something flickered in Lucius’s eyes–a hint of light–and his lips curved into a warm smile.
“Stella? As in the stars that fill the sky, right?”
Isabella couldn’t understand why, but she sensed a note of joy in his voice.
Unable to contain her curiosity, she stole a sideways glance to confirm her suspicion, only to find
herself caught in his deep, penetrating gaze.
The moment their eyes met, she felt involuntarily drawn in.
Then she heard him say something that completely shattered her perception of him:
‘Stella is lovely, Isabella is nice too, but I think ‘wife‘ sounds best of all. After all, it’s one of a kind.”
After hearing those last four words, Isabella’s heart began pounding like a drum.
She didn’t know how to respond, so she could only give a small ‘mm‘ before hastily looking away and lowering her head.
Despite the air conditioning in the car, she was sweating profusely, their clasped hands becoming uncomfortably sticky.
Lucius chuckled softly and thoughtfully lowered the temperature a few degrees, offering her his
Chapter 10
handkerchief.
As Isabella accepted it to wipe away the perspiration, she heard him continue conversationally:
“Yeah, there’s a seven–year age gap between us, but overall, we’re still kind of peers.”
The driver, who had worked for the Moretti family for over thirty years, couldn’t help but interject
from the front seat:
“Mr. Moretti, how are you coming up with that? I’d say you’re being a little too generous with your
math!”
Lucius glanced at the grinning man in the rearview mirror, his tone carrying a hint of awkwardness.
“Uncle Harris, please don’t make me look bad.”
“Alright, alright! I’ll keep quiet! Please, continue!”
Lucius look away and pick up where he’d left off.
“I know we haven’t spent much time together before, but now we’re married. You don’t need to be scared of me. Just like any married couple, feel free to speak your mind. I’ll listen to what my wife has to say and do my best to be the husband you like.”
This was the first time Isabella had heard him speak at such length.
It was also the first time she’d seen him chat so casually and naturally in any setting.
For a moment, she struggled to adjust to this new side of him and couldn’t help asking:
“I can really say whatever I’m thinking?”
Seeing Lucius nod, she gathered her courage and asked the question that had been weighing on her
mind:
“Why did you agree to this arranged marriage with me?”
17:23
