Chapter One Hundred-Fourty

The woman removed her sunglasses, her gaze shifting between the two. "Hello, dear," she said, her eyes lighting up as she turned to Karina. "You know me?"

Karina chuckled, a genuine smile spreading across her face. "Of course, you're Alicia Montgomery, the famous singer from Brazil. I've heard your songs all over London when I was there the last five years."

Alicia beamed, pulling Karina into a warm hug. "I'm honored, my dear," she cooed, before flicking her gaze back to Lucas, her expression unreadable.

Karina, curious, asked, "Uh, do you know each other?"

Alicia's smile widened as she turned to Lucas. “Yeah, he's my... dear friend, Lucas," she said, her voice trailing off as she fixed her gaze on him.

Lucas cleared his throat, a forced smile on his face. “Hello, Alicia," he said, his hand slipping around Karina's waist.

Karina glanced at Lucas, and she forced a smile and nodded. She muttered to him, "You seem more surprised than happy, Lucas."

He forced a laugh. "Yeah. It's been a w