Chapter 30
Hearing Lucas’s words, Pearl smirked and propped her head up with her hand.
years
“Hmm, let me think. You’re 27 years old, the youngest son of William Parker, and you have a mixed heritage. The Parker family’s children are all raised under strict training, but you were the apple of your father’s eye. He kept you by his side, teaching you by example. When you were nine, you were kidnapped and almost died. Mr. Parker used the entire family’s influence to save you, and you came back unscathed. Later on, your seven older brothers met various fates, some dead, some injured, some fled.”
Lucas remained unfazed and grinned. “Did you look me up online? It seems you’re quite
interested in me.”
As he leaned closer, Pearl continued, “At nineteen, you had your first romance with a foreign girl five years older than you. When you turned twenty, you started–changing girlfriends frequently, becoming a playboy. On average, you had a new girlfriend every month, way more frequently than changing clothes. At your age, you must have had over a hundred girlfriends. So, what number am I on your list of prey?”
“A playboy? That nickname sounds pretty good,” Lucas said, seemingly ignoring her sarcasm. He rested his chin on his hand and smiled. “I like it.”
Pearl, observing Lucas’s carefree demeanor, could not understand how someone like him could be best friends with Marc. Lucas was so laid–back, while Marc seemed like a man of self–discipline. She could not help but wonder if men liked to be friends with people whose personalities were the opposite of theirs.
“It seems you can’t understand plain language, so I’ll clarify it. I’m not interested in you.”
Pearl offered him some advice. “Since you enjoy changing girlfriends so frequently, you should find someone with a similar personality, like Clarissa. You two would make a perfect match, and no one could escape your charms. You two are a match made in heaven.”
“Hey, I’m not like Clarissa. While I do date different women, it’s always within the bounds of normal dating,” Lucas felt insulted.
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Pearl chuckled. “You two are practically the same. Don’t act like you’re any better. Do you really think I’m complimenting you?”
Lucas shrugged. “My romantic history may be colorful, but that doesn’t mean I won’t genuinely fall for someone. The reason I kept changing before was that I hadn’t found the right person. But now that you’ve come along, I feel like I’ve met the woman of my dreams. I won’t need other women in the future.”
Pearl replied, “You probably say the same thing to every girl. Unfortunately, I’m a divorced woman,
men like you too well. I won’t fall for it.” and I kno
“Who said I tell every girl this? This is the first time I’m saying it,” Lucas said calmly. No matter what Pearl said, he could handle it calmly. “And don’t pretend like you’re an expert on men. You’ve only been married to Marc, so you probably don’t know much about men. I bet you don’t even know a man’s body well.”
Pearl furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”
Lucas looked at her meaningfully and continued, “You know what I mean.”
‘this‘
Pearl was speechless. She had not expected Lucas to bring suddenly. Annoyed and embarrassed, Pearl did not hesitate to kick Lucas.
Though he took a kick, Lucas seemed to like Pearl even more because of it. He laughed heartily. “I didn’t expect you to be so easily embarrassed. It seems that you and Marc really haven’t had many experiences in that department. Marc is really neglecting a beauty like
you.”
Lucas kept cracking dirty jokes one after another. Not only Pearl but Mason and the other two assistants in the car could not stand it anymore. They all wanted to kick him out.
Lucas wisely decided to stop. He looked at Pearl, who was glaring at him with her bright red ears and found her utterly adorable. He felt like he had stumbled upon a rare treasure.
Now, he truly believed that Marc had no taste at all in divorcing such an amazing woman. On the other hand, their divorce had given him the chance to pursue Pearl. Lucas decided he would give it his all to win her over.
After leaving Brooke’s house, Marc returned to the Males House. The mansion was still
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adorned with wedding decorations, which annoyed him. He ordered the butler to have everything removed, returning the place to its normal state.
He noticed several missed calls on his phone, including some from Clarissa, but he simply switched it off.
He tossed his coat over his arm and headed towards his study. However, he paused for a moment, opening the door to the master bedroom. Since Pearl had left, the once strong scent of roses had faded into a faint and delicate fragrance.
The rose seal was still placed on the bedside table. He picked it up and once again ran his fingers over the rose carving.
He also took the card that Pearl had left for him. The handwriting on the card and the carving on the seal were identical. He could not fathom why Pearl was so skilled at
carving.
Marc shook his head inwardly, suspecting that Pearl had paid someone handsomely to mimic her handwriting for the seal. However, he could also see the thought and effort she had put into this gift.
He carefully put away the seal and the card, then went to his own room. Opening his closet to hang up his clothes, he realized that one section of the closet was stacked with various gift boxes, large and small. He suddenly remembered that these were the gifts Pearl had given him over the years, scattered across different occasions.
Apart from Christmas, he did not have much of a concept about other holidays, but Pearl was very attentive to various holidays and special commemorative days.
On Valentine’s Day, their wedding anniversary, and even his birthday, he always received gifts from her. At first, she would hand them to him in person, but she later realized that he would casually toss them aside right in front of her each time. So gradually, she stopped personally handing him the gifts and instead had Thomas help with the delivery or simply placed them in his closet.
The gifts were never extravagant. Sometimes, it was a tie, a pen, or a pair of cufflinks. However, he had never given her anything in return. As a husband, he realized he had not fulfilled his role properly.
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Marc changed into his casual wear and started working at the study. He opened his computer and glanced at the emails, but nothing seemed to hold his attention.
Frustrated, he closed the laptop, lit a cigarette, took a couple of puffs, and then extinguished it. Opening the computer once more, he typed in “Pearl’s” name and began searching. His eyes deepened with determination. If Lucas would not help him, he would investigate on his own.
He was determined to figure out why, three years ago, she had disguised as a caregiver and come to his side, even hiding her identity to marry him. As an heiress from a
prominent family, she could have lived a luxurious life. He wanted to know why she chose to marry him and be a docile, nominal wife.
The chief assistant, Mason, was busy on his computer in the car, dealing with work–related matters, when suddenly an alarm blared. He clicked several times and reported to Pearl. “Miss Woolery, someone is attempting to breach your files.”
Pearl pushed Lucas aside, taking the computer from Mason. She pressed a few keys on the keyboard, confirming that someone was indeed targeting her.
Her expression turned serious. With ten nimble fingers dancing across the keyboard, lines of code appeared on the screen at a lightning–fast pace, leaving anyone watching in awe.
Lucas stood nearby, his eyes and face filled with astonishment. He knew there was a top- notch hacker in Pearl’s circle, but he had never imagined that Pearl herself was that expert.
