Coco was stuttering hard towards the end, but Lucas was still shocked.He did not expect her to be so straightforward. He was only teasing her to see how she would react, but he was the one who was caught off guard instead.That's right, this woman genuinely liked him. That's why she wanted to kiss him. Her eyes were sincere and limpid, conveying her feelings for him without any impurities."If you want to kiss me again, you... can." That was his response.Coco was stunned, blinking in a daze, struggling to process his words."What's wrong? You don't want to?" he asked."I want to!" she blurted out. When she realized what she had said a moment later, she blushed hard and asked, "Um... can I really?""Why not?" The corner of his lips curled up, and the usual indifference in his eyes seemed to be melting away.Coco moistened her dry lips nervously. He agreed. Did that mean he was starting to develop some feelings for her?At the very least, he's not against the idea of kissing h
Lucas sighed. Leaning forward, he took her lips in a kiss to silence her panicking voice.Coco froze and blinked her eyes in a daze. After a short silence, she heard his deep voice, nearly a whisper in her ears."Well, this is the next time."Coco was stunned. Then, she felt Lucas stroking his palm over her head. "If you really want it, there's always a next time…"Coco looked up, beaming with joy. Did he mean she could always kiss him? It felt like they were getting closer to each other.The sudden knock on the door made her frown, interrupting them. "I-I'll get the door," Coco blurted out hurriedly, trying to calm her heart. But when she opened the door and saw the guests waiting, her face sank.It was Aunt Clementine and her son, Harold Souza.Clementine spoke as soon as she saw Coco open the door. "Hey, Coco. You can't be so heartless. Why did you refuse when I asked to borrow some money from you? I thought you really didn't have any money until I heard from Harold that you'
Clementine and Harold thought their threat had worked, especially when they saw the look on Coco's face."Don't worry. You just have to get us a house, and we won't tell him anything. When we meet your boyfriend, we'll also put in a good word for you. You are still humble although massively successful as a cartoonist. And you have filial affection for your family..."Aunt Clementine continued rambling.Family? Her family was long gone.Coco looked at her aunt and cousin, and her eyes reddened. "I don't need you to put in a good word for me. I won't give you any money, let alone buy a house for you."Clementine made a face, and Harold thought he was about to lose his future home. Face flaming with anger, Harold raised his voice at Coco. "How dare you! Fine, then. If you don't give it to me, I'll go to your boyfriend and make him realize what kind of person you are!"As soon as Harold spoke, a stern voice rang in the room. "What do you want me to realize?"Clementine and Harold f
"W-What did you just say?" Clementine and Harold were stunned by Coco's refusal."I won't help!" Coco repeated, her voice cold. "Harold, the house is your own matter. I'm not obligated to raise the money for you. If you can afford it, then buy a house. If you can't afford it, you should consider renting!" "You're living your best life with Mr. Gomez, yet you want your cousin and his wife to live in a rental?!" Clementine suddenly raised her voice."Mom, calm down. You'll scare Coco," Harold hurriedly interrupted his mother and quickly turned to Lucas with an apologetic look on his face. "Mr. Gomez, I hope you don't mind it. My mom just didn't think Coco would say something like this and got a little angry… Well, we're always a family. Whenever someone in the family has difficulties, all of us should work together and think of ways to overcome the challenges in life.""Oh? Family?" Lucas arched a brow."Yup. If my parents hadn't adopted Coco, maybe Coco would have grown up in an o
"My hand… It hurts!" Clementine cried out in pain."M-Mr. Gomez! How can you hurt an elderly woman?!" Harold hurriedly helped his mother up."So what?" Lucas' voice was ice-cold. "Like I said, I won't let anyone hurt Coco.""Mr. Gomez, don't let her fool you! She's a jinx! Her parents wouldn't be dead if not for her! You can ask her yourself. She is the reason her parents died!"Knowing that there was no way he could get the money, Harold decided to break the peace. He wanted to give Coco a hard time for her refusal to help him.Lucas noticed Coco was trembling, her face becoming paler than ever."Mr. Gomez, she'll only bring you bad luck! You must be careful!" Harold said it like it was a well-meant advice."Not long after we took her in, my father was dismissed from work. He had to search for another job, which was tougher. My mom had always been healthy, but she got very ill because Coco came to the family. Because of Coco, I didn't do well in my midterm and college entrance
Coco's breath hitched before she replied. She seemed hesitant, almost as if she were worried about something.Looking at her hesitation, Lucas flicked her forehead. "It seems you aren't determined to love me. How can you make me love you?"Coco put her hand on her forehead. "Coco, don't you want me to fall in love with you?" His deep voice ringing filled her ears as she stared at him in a daze. Then, her eyes filled with tears.Tears were soon running down her cheeks. It all happened so fast that she could barely react in time. She never realized she would cry.Her tears left Lucas stunned. "Did I flick your forehead too hard? It must've hurt. Sorry, I should've been more careful…"Before he could finish speaking, she suddenly jumped into his arms and burst into tears. She had a lot of bottled-up feelings, and all her helplessness, fear, and grievance broke free in that instance.Lucas looked at Coco bawling in his embrace and was at a loss to know why. He knew what he had to do,
Besides..." Coco paused slightly. "When my parents died, they took all the compensation money and inheritance, leaving me with nothing. They're not broke. They're just too greedy."Coco did not want to fulfill their greed."Alright, that's enough." Coco took a deep breath to calm herself. "I have to continue working on the draft. If I don't finish it, I'll have to stay up late today."With that, Coco went back to her work table and started drawing the script. Lucas stayed and watched Coco quietly until he was lost in thought.-By the time Coco finished the draft, it was already 6 in the evening. "Sorry, I lost track of time," she apologized."Done with work?" Lucas asked."Yeah.""Let's go eat, then. What do you want?""Maybe somewhere nearby. Remember the restaurant where we met the second time?" Coco mentioned.Something flickered in Lucas' eyes. That place held a lot of his memories of Serenity because she used to work there before the new restaurant took over the place.
Coco hurriedly added, "Well, if you're not available, it's fine… I-I'll go by myself like I always did.""I'm free. I can go with you," Lucas said. "I was just thinking about what to bring for the visit."Coco let out a sigh of relief. "You don't have to bring anything. I'll get everything ready. You just have to accompany me."After saying that, Coco resumed her meal.Lucas was silent for a moment, perhaps pitying her. He had always been cold, rarely showing sympathy, but this time, he felt different. Instantly, the need to protect her and keep her safe from all danger welled up inside him.-Wilson quickly arranged a place for Clara. According to Wilson, if they were going to act like a loving couple in front of the press, they would have to do it right.Clara spoke to her mother about this. Mrs. Wells said, "You should take Yanny and Amy with you. I'll stay here, and I don't plan to move over.""But I can't leave you here," Clara protested."Why not? I still have to run the