Earlier, Russell had said he left something at the Adams estate and went back to retrieve it.
But Gehrmann thought the excuse was flimsy. Russell could have just taken the bodyguard's car back. There was no need for everyone to wait in this remote corner, so far from the Adams estate, just for an assistant.
Sure, this assistant had grown up with Cline, but was it really necessary to have so many people waiting around for something so trivial?
Gehrmann's unease grew. "Cline, you're not actually falling for Luana, are you?"
He expected Cline to deny it, but instead, Cline suddenly replied, "What if I am?"
Gehrmann was startled. He sat up straight, his voice tense as he tried to reason with him. "Don't do anything reckless. If you really fall for Luana, her life could be in danger. I know she's not the best person, but I don't want to see any more bloodshed."
At those words, the emotions in Cline's eyes vanished.
He turned to look at Gehrmann, a faint smile on his sharp, handsome face.
"Gehrmann, you're still as easy to fool as you were when we were kids."
Gehrmann saw the teasing glint in Cline's expression and finally relaxed.
But he still felt the need to remind him, "Don't say things like that in front of others."
He thought, 'It's fine with me, but if the wrong person hears it, the Moriarty family will never know peace again.'
Cline looked away, his cold eyes filled with deep, unfathomable despair.
Gehrmann glanced at him through the rearview mirror, his expression distant and unapproachable.
After a moment of hesitation, Gehrmann gathered his courage and asked, "When are you going to marry Runa?"
He always felt that once Cline married Runa, everything would settle down, and he wouldn't have to worry anymore.
Cline smiled. "Do you want me to marry her too?"
Gehrmann instinctively shook his head. "No, but..."
'But what choice do we have?'
As Gehrmann struggled to find the right words, Cline spoke softly, "I will marry her."
His voice was calm, almost emotionless, like a machine devoid of any feeling.
Gehrmann sighed deeply. It seemed like Cline had never truly been happy...
Calvert drove Luana home.
Before she got out of the car, he handed her a tube of ointment. "For the swelling."
Luana thanked him but declined. "I'll just use ice when I get home."
With that, she turned and walked away. Calvert watched her small figure disappear, his expression tinged with loneliness.
He could sense Luana's wariness toward him, even a hint of hostility, which left him puzzled.
As he frowned in thought, Stanley chimed in, "Mr. Coburn, Miss Hammond is playing hard to get. Don't fall for it."
Since losing his memory, Calvert had never been in a relationship and didn't understand such tactics. He instinctively said, "She doesn't like me. How could she be playing hard to get?"
Stanley, however, insisted, "She's pretending not to like you to grab your attention. She keeps you at arm's length, making you crave her even more. Once you're hooked, she'll have you wrapped around her finger. And..."
He paused, then added, "Didn't you notice her little trick earlier? If Miss Hammond were as gentle and graceful as she appears, she wouldn't have let you see that she'd been slapped. But she made sure you noticed and even got you to confront Miss Adams. Not only did she use you to get back at Miss Adams, but she also ruined your impression of her. I bet she knew Mr. Adams was trying to set you up with Miss Adams, so she deliberately sabotaged it..."
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Under normal circumstances, Calvert might have believed Stanley. But now, he felt that even if Luana had used a small trick to let him know she'd been hit, it was justified. Who wouldn't fight back after being slapped for no reason? She wasn't a saint.
Besides, Luana hadn't deliberately shown him. It was Prunella who had hit her so hard that the mark was impossible to miss.
If not for that, he might never have known she'd been attacked in the restroom.
Stanley was about to say more, but Calvert cut him off. "Just focus on driving. All you do is gossip all day."
Stanley stopped talking.
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Luana returned home, exhausted. She collapsed onto the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Her energy was completely drained, her fatigue spreading from her body to her heart. She closed her eyes, too tired to even remove her makeup or change her clothes.
She fell asleep right there on the sofa.
In her hazy dreams, she thought she saw Cline enter.
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her fiercely.
Her body, under his intense assault, couldn't help but surrender...