Chapter 351: Just Kidding...

The moment Luca opened the door and spotted Rachel sprawled across the sofa, he knew something was wrong.

And when she finally opened her mouth, she proved him right in the most spectacular fashion possible.

"Ahem!"

Luca coughed awkwardly twice, his eyes unconsciously drifting toward the entrance behind him.

Rachel blinked when he remained silent for so long. Confused, she climbed off the sofa and padded over to him barefoot, tilting her adorable little face up to meet his gaze.

"Luca, what’s wrong? Don’t you want Arabella and me to serve you together?"

Arabella immediately felt her cheeks grow warm.

If the three of them had been alone, she probably wouldn’t have felt particularly embarrassed. She had already come to terms with Luca’s complicated romantic life, and the idea of occasionally indulging him wasn’t entirely beyond her imagination.

After all, a man with so many girlfriends deserved a little reward now and then, didn’t he?

However, there was one rather significant problem with Rachel’s suggestion.

Trish was standing right at the entrance.

Following Luca’s gaze, Rachel finally noticed the petite figure lingering behind him. She turned her head and found Trish standing against the wall, a suitcase nearly half her height resting beside her.

"Trish!?"

Rachel immediately covered her mouth, her eyes widening as the situation finally clicked.

Now she understood why Luca had been looking so uncomfortable.

Trish, meanwhile, had heard every word.

Her shoulders trembled slightly as she dragged her suitcase toward the entrance, her cheeks turning bright red. She had never expected to walk into such a situation, much less hear her best friend casually propose something so outrageous.

Nevertheless, she managed to raise one hand and offer a hesitant greeting.

"Hi?"

When her eyes met Rachel’s, she noticed the unmistakable panic in her best friend’s expression.

For some reason, that realization made Trish feel much less embarrassed.

If Luca and Arabella weren’t standing right here, I’d tease this girl until she begged me to stop.

It was remarkable how much Rachel had changed since falling in love with Luca.

Trish had assumed that her best friend had already exhausted every last bit of courage she possessed when she sneaked around trying to seduce Luca in the middle of the night.

Apparently, she had been seriously underestimating her.

Not only had Rachel and Sophie apparently found opportunities to get closer to Luca together, but now Rachel had even suggested doing the same thing with Arabella.

’Good grief! She’s really become a different person.’

Trish glanced between the three of them, then quietly began reconsidering her accommodation arrangements.

"Bro, how about I ask Naomi if I can stay with her tonight?"

She was determined to escape before the situation developed into something she would regret witnessing.

Golden Water Bay’s apartments were spacious, with plenty of rooms and excellent soundproofing. In theory, there shouldn’t have been any problems sharing a home with Luca and the others.

But Trish had no idea where tonight’s activities might take place.

What if things spread from the bedroom to the living room, the kitchen, or even the balcony?

And what if she happened to walk past the master bedroom at the wrong moment?

Ahem!

She couldn’t even finish imagining it without feeling embarrassed.

It was simply too much for her innocent heart.

"You can sleep here!" Rachel blurted out before Luca could respond.

She immediately grabbed Trish by the wrist and began pulling her, suitcase and all, into the apartment.

"Ah! Rachel, didn’t you just say you wanted to..."

Trish hesitated, unable to resist bringing up Rachel’s earlier suggestion.

Unfortunately, that was precisely the wrong thing to say.

Rachel’s face was already burning with embarrassment. Hearing her best friend bring it up again made her feel both ashamed and annoyed.

She immediately abandoned all pretenses.

"I don’t want to anymore! I’ll sleep with you tonight, all right? I don’t want anything else!"

Trish stared at her suspiciously.

Rachel and Trish had been best friends for a long time, and sharing a bed was nothing unusual for them. Whenever they stayed overnight somewhere, they often squeezed into the same bed even when separate rooms were available.

For instance, when Luca had taken them to the capital, Franco De Santa’s residence had more than enough bedrooms to accommodate everyone comfortably. Yet the two girls had insisted on staying together.

However, Luca’s arrival had introduced a new variable into Rachel’s life.

It wasn’t that sharing a bed with Trish was unpleasant.

It was simply that sleeping beside Brother Luca offered considerably more benefits!

Under Rachel’s determined pulling and coaxing, Trish eventually gave up resisting.

She could only hope that her decision wouldn’t turn out to be a terrible mistake.

...

Late that night, the bedroom shared by Rachel and Trish was completely dark.

Trish lay on her side, propping her head up with one hand as she watched the vague silhouette moving near the door.

"Rachel, where are you going?"

Her voice carried a teasing lilt.

Rachel froze.

The room was so dark that she could barely see her own fingers when she stretched out her hand. Yet despite the lack of light, she could practically feel Trish’s gaze burning into her back.

Slowly, she turned around to face the bed.

She couldn’t make out her friend’s expression, but she was absolutely certain Trish was looking at her with a mocking smile.

"Um... I’m a little thirsty. I was going to get some water."

Rachel lowered her head, unable to meet the other girl’s gaze even though she couldn’t actually see her.

Her bare toes rubbed against each other nervously, making her look like a child who had been caught doing something wrong.

"Thirsty?" Trish repeated, sounding thoroughly unconvinced.

After a brief pause, she continued in a meaningful tone.

"Then why are you sneaking around like a thief? And isn’t your water cup sitting right there on the bedside table?"

Rachel remained silent.

Trish wasn’t finished.

"If you haven’t even brought your cup, how exactly are you planning to get water? Are you going to put your mouth under the faucet and drink straight from the tap?"

She let the question hang in the air for a moment.

Then she added pointedly, "Or is that actually what you’re planning to do?"

Rachel’s shoulders slumped.

’She really does know me too well!’

Realizing there was no point pretending, Rachel abandoned her attempt to sneak out and returned to the bedside.

She reached out in the darkness, found Trish’s arm, and shook it gently.

"Oh Trish, my dear best friend! I really was just thirsty!"

"What did you say?" Trish asked, unable to make out the first part of her whispered plea.

"Nothing!"

Rachel immediately released her arm.

"Goodbye! I’m going to find Luca!"

Before Trish could respond, Rachel slipped out of the room with surprisingly light footsteps.

Trish remained on the bed, staring at the doorway in disbelief.

Unbelievable!

Meanwhile, Rachel made her way toward the master bedroom.

When she reached the door, she leaned closer and pressed her ear against it. Sure enough, faint sounds drifted from inside.

Her round eyes immediately brightened.

Licking her lips in anticipation, she slowly reached for the doorknob.

A moment later, the door opened.