Chapter 306: Commotion In The Restroom

“A man should prioritize his career,” Mr. Halloway said.

He had watched Arabella grow up, from a little girl into the graceful young woman she was today.

To him, she was practically a daughter.

If Arabella had fallen for someone other than Luca, especially a man from an ordinary background, he might have tried to interfere.

“Prioritizing your career isn’t wrong, but you still have to take care of your family,” Victoria said earnestly.

There was a time when she had believed her career was the most important thing. After all, only a strong material foundation could provide a family with a secure life.

But her perspective had changed after her husband passed away. Even with all her wealth, Victoria had still felt an emptiness that money couldn’t fill.

‘I spend every day dealing with company affairs, but sometimes I don’t even know what I’m working so hard for.’

‘Especially when I’m lying alone in bed at night, reaching across the cold sheets and finding no one beside me…’

The thought still brought a quiet sadness to her heart.

Hearing her words, Luca nodded firmly.

“Don’t worry. I won’t neglect my family or the people I love because of work. I’ll make sure to visit Arabella often.”

Victoria smiled with satisfaction.

At this point in her life, all she wanted was for her daughter to be happy and never suffer any injustice.

Everything else was secondary.

As she thought about it, her gaze briefly drifted toward Rachel. It was so subtle that almost no one noticed.

“Arabella, when are you going back to San Fierro?”

Luca turned toward her.

Arabella was busy peeling a shrimp. Without looking up, she answered, “About two days before school starts.”

She placed the peeled shrimp into Luca’s bowl.

She would have loved to return with him immediately and spend as much time together as possible.

Unfortunately, the cooperation between the Windsor family and Luca’s Northstar Real Estate Company had reached a critical stage.

Although she had delegated much of the work to others, Arabella still personally reviewed the progress every few days.

Then there was the Nexora Technologies Industrial Park, which also required her attention. She had quite a lot on her plate.

More importantly, she wanted to spend some time with her mother.

During her years studying at university in San Fierro, she hadn’t been able to spend much time with Victoria.

The older she became, the more she understood how difficult things had been for her mother.

Whenever she thought about it, Arabella was grateful that she hadn’t followed the advice of those people in the industry and gone abroad to study.

If she had, she wouldn’t have been able to return home as often to spend time with her family.

And she would’ve never have met Luca.

People often said that fate determined one’s path. Arabella couldn’t help believing it. Her first encounter with Luca on the highway had been the beginning of everything.

“Two days before school starts…” Luca muttered, then looked at her. “How about this? I’ll fly there on my plane. We can talk about the arrangements afterward.”

The Windsor family had its own aircraft as well, although it was only a small helicopter.

Flying from Capital City to San Fierro on Luca’s private jet was naturally much more convenient than taking a commercial flight.

Arabella’s lips curved into a faint smile.

“Okay.”

How could she refuse the man she loved?

Besides, they had the means to travel comfortably. There was no reason to make things unnecessarily difficult.

As soon as Luca finished speaking, Michael’s voice came from across the private room.

“Luca, you actually have a private jet?”

Michael knew perfectly well that Luca wasn’t talking about the five-seat helicopter sitting on the tarmac at the Windsor estate. He meant a genuine private jet, one capable of long-distance travel.

That realization left him stunned.

The two Maison Premier brothers had always been arrogant, but at least their family had possessed enough wealth to support their confidence. Even then, neither of them had owned a private jet.

Technically, a sufficiently wealthy family could grit its teeth and buy one. But most people simply didn’t see the point.

For one thing, commercial air travel was already extremely convenient. For another, the same money could be invested into businesses or other assets.

Families like theirs had spent generations teaching their children how to make money work for them.

That was how a family’s prosperity could continue from one generation to the next.

Someone who casually owned a private jet, however, clearly belonged to a different level entirely.

For Luca, the cost was probably nothing more than pocket change.

“Yes, I do.”

Luca nodded.

“Have you heard of Starline Airways? I own shares in the company.”

The moment he said that, Michael’s eyes widened.

Even his mother looked stunned.

Luca actually owned shares in an airline?

He hadn’t said how much he owned, but even a one-percent stake in a major airline would represent an enormous amount of money.

More importantly, companies like that weren’t something ordinary people could simply buy into.

Even if someone had enough money, finding the right channels was another matter entirely.

“I need to use the restroom. Excuse me.”

Luca put down his fork and stood.

After he left, Michael remained staring at the spot where he’d been sitting.

“What are you thinking about?”

Elizabeth quietly rubbed his thigh beneath the table.

Michael finally snapped out of his daze and shook his head.

“It’s nothing.”

He said it casually, but a sigh escaped him inwardly.

‘Maybe living like my Luca is what truly counts as enjoying life.’

Looking back, those so-called rich second-generation heirs in Capital City suddenly seemed rather naive.

They showed off luxury cars, expensive watches, socialites, and celebrities.

But compared to Luca? They weren’t even playing the same game.

‘If you’re really that capable, bring your family’s private jet out and compare it with his.’

Meanwhile, Luca had no idea what Michael was thinking.

After reaching the restroom, he rinsed his hands and washed them thoroughly, humming quietly to himself.

Just as he was drying them, a familiar female voice suddenly came from behind him.

“Mr. Hale, please save me!”

The woman’s voice was filled with panic, but there was also a clear sense of relief.

Luca looked up.

In the mirror, he saw a woman standing behind him.

Her arm was being held by an overweight middle-aged man, whose hand was wandering over her body.

The moment the man noticed Luca standing at the sink, he glanced at him dismissively.

He clearly didn’t consider him a threat.

As far as he was concerned, Luca was just a young man who could be dealt with easily if he caused trouble.

His attention quickly returned to the woman in front of him.

She was beautiful enough that he seemed to think he had every right to take advantage of her.

Luca’s expression turned cold.

He turned around and slapped the man’s hand away from the woman’s arm.

Then he pushed him.

The nearly two-hundred-pound man staggered backward several steps before finally regaining his balance.

“Miss Stones, I never expected to run into you here.”

The woman was none other than Alani Stones, the heiress of the Stones Group who had fled her arranged marriage to Maison Premier.

But compared to the woman Luca had met before, she seemed noticeably different now.

She dressed more modestly, her appearance was less meticulously styled, and the aloofness she had once carried was nowhere to be seen.

It seemed life hadn’t been particularly kind to her since she had run away from the wedding.

Then again, things could have been far worse if she’d actually married Jack Denim.

“Thank you for saving me.”

Alani leaned against the wall, still catching her breath.

“I’m so glad I ran into you. Otherwise, I might have been seriously hurt by that pervert.”

Her chest rose and fell as she tried to calm herself.

If she hadn’t had a few drinks, the disgusting man probably wouldn’t have even managed to touch her.

She had never expected that her first attempt at helping a friend’s newly established company attract investors would end with something like this.

For the first time in her life, Alani truly understood how helpless ordinary working people could feel when faced with someone who believed their money and influence gave them the right to do whatever they wanted.