Chapter 3
Luciana looked up from her phone and met Thiago’s lazy but cool gaze. In the depths of those eyes, she saw her own little reflection flickering like a flame.
In that brief moment, under the sunlight streaming through the window, the gleam in his eyes seemed to shimmer brighter than stars in the night sky.
She bit her lower lip and lowered her head. “No, it’s not him… I don’t have one, actually…”
Hugo’s interest in stirring the pot reignited. “Luciana, didn’t you say you had a boyfriend earlier? Or are you… secretly crushing on Nigel?”
Nigel pressed his lips into a faint smile. “No. I’m dating her best friend. I heard she and Thiago went to high school together. I suppose… she was just stunned by how good–looking he is and got completely tongue–tied.”
“Oh, I see…” Nigel dragged his vowels, his eyes repeatedly darting between Luciana and Thiago. A guess surfaced in his mind.
Luciana was so embarrassed that she instinctively felt the urge to curl her body up. She kept her head down, shoveling food into her mouth to distract herself.
The earlier conversation about biomedical patents had wrapped up when Hugo casually scrolled through his phone and tossed a question to Thiago. “Hey, Monica’s asking if you’re free to grab a drink at Vellum.”
At that, Luciana’s hand froze in mid–air, still holding her fork. That single sentence carried more weight than it appeared.
The Vellum Room was the infamous hangout for Jaxwell’s richest heirs. Just reserving a booth cost six figures.
And Monica Dibble, senior in the biomedical science department and daughter of the department chair, Kevin Dibble, was one of the most talked–about beauties on campus.
Thiago, seemingly unfazed, pulled a cigarette from a sleek case. His long, defined fingers held it lightly but precisely. He studied it with a faint smirk tugging at his lips, his eyes glinting with something unreadable.
ive way he lounged there—with half arrogance and half ease–was infuriatingly magnetic.
Before he could answer Hugo, Luciana pierced the silence by standing up. “Excuse me. I need to use the restroom.”
Thiago narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze trailing after her retreating figure. He fixed his eyes on her white skirt for a moment before he wordlessly placed a cigarette between his lips.
Receiving no response, Hugo nudged him again. “Hey, are you going or not?”
After a long beat, Thiago turned his head, pulled the cigarette from his lips, and stuffed it into Hugo’s mouth instead.
The mockery in his expression was unmissable as he replied lazily, “Like hell I am.”
Hugo had no words.
Meanwhile, Luciana sat frozen on a toilet seat in the women’s restroom, her body stiff For a moment, time seemed to grind to a halt.
No wonder her stomach had been hurting earlier–her period had come early without warning!
The air conditioning in the bistro had been set unreasonably low, yet sweat now beaded along her forehead.
This was bad. She didn’t have a sanitary pad.
Things could be manageable so long as she layered some toilet paper in the meantime, but the worst part was the small, unmistakable red stain blooming on the back of her white skirt!
She met her crush again after three years, and in just one afternoon, she had pretended to have a boyfriend, only to get caught, and been ambushed by her period with a bloodstain as proof.
Was there anyone more unlucky than her?
The three guys proceeded with their meal for another 30 minutes, yet there was no sign of Luciana. Curious, Nigel asked, “What’s going on with Luciana? She’s not having diarrhea, is she?”
Hugo guessed, “Maybe she accidentally fell into the toilet bowl?”
“Yeah, and then she stuck her hand out and pulled the handle to flush herself away,” Thiago chimed in.
His contribution to the conversation rendered the other two at a loss for words.
After a few seconds of silence, Thiago rose to his feet. “I’m going to the restroom as well.”
Instead of heading to the restroom as he said, he walked out of the bistro and turned into a convenience store.
After some time, a young woman was about to step into the bistro but was immediately drawn to a man standing by the door. His broad
Chapter 3
shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs made for an exceptionally striking figure, and she couldn’t take her eyes off him.
She stole a second glance at him, and the man smiled at her. “Excuse me, could you do me a favor?”
Her heart skipped a beat as she focused on him. The next moment, she blurted, “A–Are you Thiago?”
Thiago curled one side of his lips. “A fellow student at Jorendale?”
The woman nodded eagerly, “Yes! I’m from the business-”
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Before she could finish, he slipped a small package into her arms. “Help me out and give this to someone named Luciana inside the restroom.”
“Oh, okay.”
The woman dubiously took over the item, suppressing her overflowing urge to ask, “Is she your girlfriend?”
Inside the restroom stall, Luciana finally mustered up the courage to take several sheets of toilet paper and use them as a quick makeshift pad. She planned to wash off the small bloodstain at the sink later.
Just as she stood up, a knock came from outside the door. “Are you Luciana?”
Luciana opened the door, revealing half of her flushed face. “I am. And you are…”
The woman handed her the package of sanitary pads. “This is from Thiago. He told me to give it to you.”
What the heck?
After a while, Luciana stood quietly by the sink, her naturally soft, fair face now flushed a deep, bright red. She was doomed. Thiago must have
seen ve bloodstain on her skirt when she left her seat earlier.
Blood surged to her head, flooding her with overwhelming embarrassment. If it weren’t for her phone still sitting on the dining table, she would’ve bolted by now.
Suddenly, she heard a familiar and melodious male voice outside the women’s restroom.
“Come on out, Luciana,” Thiago called.
Luciana was startled. If she hadn’t been holding onto the sink, she probably would’ve collapsed to the floor. Instinctively, she answered, ” Luciana is gone!”
Really?
Almost instantaneously, she was engulfed by the embarrassment of her own stupidity. She closed her eyes, pretending she was in a dream.
A soft chuckle escaped Thiago’s lips. “You’re not coming out? If you take any longer, someone’s going to suspect something and call the police to launch a crackdown.”
With no other choice, Luciana quietly exited the restroom with the sanitary pads still in her arms. She inched closer to him. “Thanks, Thiago.”
He seized her arm. “Hold on.”
She looked up at him, confused.
Though she was five feet seven inches, she was still a head shorter than Thiago, who stood at six feet two inches. From this angle, she had a good view of his pronounced Adam’s apple.
Luciana instantly averted her gaze. “What’s wrong?”
Thiago slipped off his light blue button–up that he wore over his white T–shirt and casually tied it around her slender waist with a loose knot. ” Done. You’re good to go.”
