I was quite surprised that the first thing he said to me was regarding Mark. Lucas was a Goldstein, and Mark was his uncle. Hence, shouldnât he know more about Markâs situation than I?
Nodding, I said in confusion, âYes, I have. Heâs in Anglandur. Donât you know that? Why are you acting as though this is news to you? Donât tell me youâve never seen him all these years.â
Lucas shot me a weird glance. He ignored my question and asked back, âI heard he got into a shooting in Anglandur. Do you know whatâs going on?â
I assumed Lucas was here because he was concerned for his uncle. With an apologetic expression, I replied, âIâm sorry, I donât know anything. The day the shooting happened, I was already on the plane. I only heard about it over the news. According to reports, theyâre fine. Donât worry too much.â
âFine?â Lucasâ eyes shifted around. I had no idea what he was thinking. He was standing still, but his mind looked like it was running in a thousand different directions.
I had never seen Lucas like this before. He had always been extremely put together and well-mannered. Due to his physical condition, he never got involved much in the business world. He mostly gave off a scholarly vibe. However, now he seemed to have a sort of darkness enveloping him.
âDid something happen?â I could not help but ask.
He shook his head in response. After that, he asked me a little about how I was doing before preparing to leave. I had no time to react. Right before he went, something suddenly clicked in my brain. âWait! Did you already know about my mother and your uncle? Do you know where they are?â
If that was not the case, how could he have known I would meet Mark when I went to Anglandur? It was a huge country, after all. The only possible explanation was that he knew where Isabelle had been all along.
Lucas turned his head back, revealing the calm expression on his face. Perhaps because the wind was too strong, but he coughed fiercely several times. At some points, I even thought that he might cough his lungs out. It was quite some time before he calmed down and said to me lightly, âYes. I remember asking you if you wanted to see your mother, but you declined.â
It was true that I had rejected his offer. At the time, I thought that if Isabelle still remembered me, she should come to see me of her own volition. My egoistic thoughts prevented me from asking Lucas about her whereabouts, even though I had always wanted to know. To be fair, I never expected him to know it in such detail.
âBack then, I thought that all you knew was that she was in Anglandur. I had no idea I was so close to knowing the truth.â I laughed bitterly. âWhen I saw her there, I was really surprised. Iâve imagined countless scenarios of how I would react if I ever saw her again. When I actually met her that day, my mind just went blank. All I wanted to know was whether she was doing all right.â
âI understand. She looks like sheâs doing well. My uncle is good to her.â Something flickered in Lucasâ gaze. He was ready to go, but he deliberately came back just to say those words to me.
âWell, since youâve said so, I guess I donât need to worry about her anymore then.â I smiled. âPerhaps I really shouldnât disturb her personal life, nor should I step into it.â
Lucas did not stay any longer. I felt like there was more he wanted to say to me, but he did not. There was no point in guessing what it could be, so I decided to just forget about it. The Goldstein family was a big family. There was no way they were as stable as they seemed on the surface. Judging from how fiercely the last generation battled, I was not stupid enough to get myself involved in anything. As long as Isabelle was fine, there would be no problems.
After being discharged, I was treated significantly better. Christopher wanted to take me home, but with Julia around, the house would be run by the Lane family. After dinner, I assumed I would have to sleep in the guest room. To my surprise, the servant brought me to Christopherâs bedroom instead.
I could not believe it. In fact, I actually thought that there was some sort of mistake. âIs the guest room not ready?â I asked the servant.
âWhy do you need the guest room, Mrs. Lane? Do you have friends coming over?â asked the servant respectfully.
Mrs. Lane? Hearing this term, I paused for a moment. Then, I coughed slightly and asked, âIsnât it a little inappropriate for you to be calling me that?â