Chapter 18

Allison quickly cut him off, “Not necessary, my friend’s driver is on the way; they’ll take me home.”

She clutched her phone nervously, her palms instantly drenched in sweat.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line before Lucian finally said, “Alright”

Allison heaved a sigh of relief, trying to chat with Lucian as casually as possible before hanging up.

Minutes later, Daisy’s driver was nowhere in sight. But a pair of car headlights lit up in front of her.

A black Bentley slowly pulled up.

When Allison saw the license plate, she froze for a few seconds.

That was Lucian’s car! Didn’t he say he wasn’t coming? Why did he suddenly appear?

The man in the car looked through the window. His gaze was accurately fixed on Allison before slowly winding down the window.

Allison had no idea why Lucian suddenly appeared here and she didn’t dare look him in the eye. Just as she was about to find a place to hide, Daisy excitedly grabbed her arm.

“Allison!” Daisy called out.

Allison felt a headache coming on. She reluctantly looked at Lucian and braced herself to say, “Mr.

Lindberg.”

“Why haven’t you gone home yet? It’s late.” Lucian asked, his tone neutral.

But Allison could hear the unspoken words.

In Lucian’s eyes, she was now Allison, not “Penelope“.

Having sorted out her thoughts, Allison’s tone became much more relaxed. She laughed and said, “We just finished shopping and didn’t. expect it to rain.”

The rainy night brought a touch of a chill Lucian watched the girl’s sudden smile; it felt like a ray of sunshine piercing through the dark clouds.

Daisy seized the opportunity to ask, “Are you busy now, Mr. Lindberg? There’s going to be traffic due to the rain and our driver might be late. Can you give us a lift?”

Allison’s smile froze instantly.

Daisy was just asking for trouble! She was digging her own grave!

She tried to rectify the situation, “Daisy, Mr. Lindberg is very busy; we can just take a taxi…”

“Get in the car.” Lucian’s indifferent voice cut her off.

Before she could refuse, Daisy had already dragged her by the arm, opened the car door, and pushed her in, muttering. “What taxi? I know you, you’re just stingy. Besides, if you delay any longer, the Flanagans will bully you again when you get home.”

Lucian, sitting in the driver’s seat, furrowed his brow slightly upon hearing this.

He looked at Allison, who had been forced into the car, through the rear–view mirror. As she inadvertently lifted her eyes, their gazes met, and then Allison quickly averted her gaze.

She kept her head down for the rest of the time until Daisy got out of the car, leaving just the two of them.

Perhaps it was Allison’s imagination, but she felt the car was going much slower than before.

At a red light, Lucian casually lit a cigarette. The rain had lessened considerably and he cracked the window a bit for ventilation, “Do the Flanagans often bully you?”

“What?” Allison was taken aback.

She sat in the backseat and the air around her filled with the scent of rain and tobacco. She quickly glanced at Lucian, realizing he must’ve heard Daisy’s comment, and quickly said, “Not at all, the Flanagans are very kind to me.”

Lucian finished his cigarette in silence, just in time for the traffic light to turn green. He restarted the car, “Allison, it seems you’re quite afraid of me*

“Mr. Lindberg, you’re mistaken. I’m just a servant and you’re an esteemed guest of the Flanagans. My feelings towards you are nothing but respect.” As she said this, Allison’s hands rested on her lap and tightened slightly.

She was well aware of the vast gap between her and Lucian. If it weren’t for Penelope’s sudden alcohol allergy, she wouldn’t have had the chance to interact with such a man.

This huge gap made Allison constantly vigilant.

Finally, she added, “And… you’re my mistress’s fiancé.”

She was telling the truth, but it wasn’t what Lucian wanted to hear.

He frowned but said no more.

When the car pulled up at the villa, Allison’s tense expression finally relaxed a bit. She thanked Lucian politely before turning to enter the villa.

Inside the car, Lucian watched her retreating figure for a long while.

He then turned off the car, opened the door, and followed her in.