Chapter 308: I Need Another Favor

Jacob hadn’t lowered his voice while speaking, so Benjamin, who was still lying nearby, heard every word.

But the moment he heard the lobby manager address Luca as “Mr. Hale” the blood drained from Benjamin’s face.

He had already suspected the truth from the few words he’d overheard.

Hearing it confirmed was another matter entirely. Despair settled over him. He no longer cared how Alani knew Luca, or what kind of relationship they had.

All that mattered now was that if he didn’t apologize immediately, he might never be able to establish himself in Capital City again.

“Mr. Hale, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have offended you. Please forgive me.”

Luca didn’t even look at him.

Desperate, Benjamin turned toward Alani instead.

“Miss Stones, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have acted that way. I was blinded by my feelings and offended you. Please forgive me.”

His pleading voice echoed through the long corridor. Luca’s patience was already wearing thin. A trace of impatience appeared on his face.

Jacob, who had been carefully watching Luca’s expression, immediately noticed. He turned toward the hotel employees who had followed him down the corridor.

“What are you waiting for? Get him out of here! Are you trying to disturb the other guests? What a disgrace!”

The employees immediately moved toward Benjamin.

But the moment Jacob turned back toward Luca, his expression changed completely.

A bright smile spread across his face.

“Hehehe, I’m sorry, Mr. Hale. The staff under me still need more training. They clearly don’t know how to read the situation.”

The speed of the transformation was almost comical.

Luca couldn’t help finding it amusing. He wasn’t offended at all. If anything, he thought Jacob was quite an interesting man.

‘He’s really good at reading the room. No wonder he’s managed to hold this position.’

“Miss Stones, what are your plans for the future?”

As soon as Luca asked the question, Jacob tactfully excused himself. Unlike when he’d arrived, he left without making another sound.

“Plans?”

A trace of confusion appeared in Alani’s eyes.

She thought back to everything that had happened since she’d fled her wedding. She’d spent most of her time hiding in Capital City, constantly worried that Maison Premier would find her.

Fortunately, before everything happened, she had worked with her secretary to establish a small company.

It provided her with both a job and a place to stay. And despite everything that had happened, she’d never regretted running away.

Whether Maison Premier fell from grace or not, she still had no intention of marrying Jack.

In truth, if not for something Arabella had said to Luca at the antique market, Alani might have eventually surrendered to her family’s arrangements.

Arabella had simply held Luca’s hand and spoken in an ordinary tone. But to Alani, those words had been a wake-up call.

“Miss Stones, some things require your own effort instead of placing all your hopes on other people, don’t they?”

Those words had given Alani the courage to defy both her family and the powerful Maison Premier.

“I want to go abroad, Mr. Hale. Can you help me?”

Like Stephanie, Alani’s family had confiscated her identification documents and frozen her bank cards. Without Luca’s help, leaving the country would be extremely difficult.

Luca rested his chin on one hand and thought for a moment before nodding.

“Alright. How about this? Come with me to San Fierro on my plane tomorrow. I’ll arrange for you two to go abroad once everything is ready.”

“two?”

Alani caught the word immediately.

“Yeah. You and Stephanie.”

There was a reason it would take some time.

Stephanie still needed to deal with the pregnancy, and she would likely need time to recover afterward.

“Stephanie?”

Alani’s beautiful eyes widened.

“You know how…”

“Hey, I’m warning you. Don’t start imagining things.”

Luca’s expression darkened, and he quickly cut her off before she could finish.

“I’m only helping her because she’s a friend. Don’t overthink it.”

Did he really look like the kind of man who would take advantage of someone when they were vulnerable?

Alani stared at him for a moment before deciding to believe him.

‘He probably really doesn’t have anything beyond friendship with Stephanie.’

After all, even when Alani herself had once tried to get closer to him, Luca had remained unmoved.

He had rejected her advances more than once.

And Stephanie was not only a married woman, but the wife of Luca’s enemy.

‘Ahem… if anything, that makes it even more interesting.’

“Mr. Hale, could I ask you for another favor?”

“Go ahead.”

Alani hesitated.

She clearly struggled with whether she should ask. After a long moment, she finally gritted her teeth.

“Could you invest in my friend’s company?”

She knew the request was somewhat unreasonable. But she wouldn’t have asked if she hadn’t been pushed into such a difficult situation.

Even if Luca was incredibly wealthy, why would he be willing to spend his money on someone else’s company?

Besides, what real relationship did she have with him?

She had once wanted to get close to Luca, but at the time, her motives had been far from pure.

She’d mainly wanted to use his influence to escape her engagement to Maison Premier.

After everything she’d experienced, Alani finally understood the difference between herself and women like Arabella.

Her approach to Luca had been tainted by ulterior motives from the very beginning. Perhaps that was why she’d never been able to earn his genuine affection.

“Your friend?”

“Yes. The reason I agreed to have dinner with Benjamin Dier was…”

Alani explained what had happened.

After listening, Luca nodded.

“I can’t promise anything yet. But I can send someone to inspect her company. If there’s genuine potential for growth, I’ll help her.”

The moment he finished speaking, Alani’s eyes lit up.

Before she could respond, a young woman in high heels hurried toward them.

She immediately grabbed Alani’s hand and looked her over from head to toe.

“Miss Stones, are you alright? That fat guy in blue didn’t do anything to you, did he?”

Luca immediately understood who she was.

This was Alani’s former secretary, who had since become her business partner and now helped run the company.

He had met her before.

It was the day he’d attended the charity gala in New Orleans.

When Alani had first appeared there, this woman had been following closely behind her.

“Denise, I’m fine. Mr. Hale saved me.”

Alani sighed helplessly.

“And didn’t I tell you? I’m not the daughter of the Stones family anymore. You can just call me Alani. Or we can treat each other like best friends.”

She had clearly said it more than once.

But Denise had spent years addressing her that way, and old habits were difficult to break.

Only then did Denise notice Luca standing beside Alani.

“Mr. Hale! I’m so sorry, I…”

“It’s nothing.”

Luca waved her off.

He turned back toward Alani.

“You have my number, right? Add me later and send me your company’s name. I’ll have someone look into it.”

He glanced toward the private room.

“I’ll head back now.”

Now that Alani’s friend had arrived, there was no reason for him to stay.

Besides, he couldn’t keep Arabella and the others waiting for too long. And it would be rather embarrassing if Victoria started wondering why he’d taken so long in the restroom.

After saying goodbye to Alani and Denise, Luca returned to the private room.

He had barely reached the door when it opened from the inside.

“Luca, why did you take so long?”

Arabella visibly relaxed when she saw him.

Luca smiled and reached out, gently pinching her fair cheek.

“I ran into an acquaintance. Come on, I’ll tell you about it inside.”