Chapter 267: Alani’s Persistence

After the initial commotion died down, Trish suddenly felt that the white alabaster fish carving in her hand was a little too hot to handle.

Something worth hundreds of thousands of dollars!

Even though she knew her brother could easily afford it, the thought still weighed on her.

"Bro, why don’t I give this to you?"

Luca reached over and ruffled her hair.

"The fact that you managed to pick it out without knowing what it was means this little fish was meant for you. Keep it."

"But what if I lose it? It’s worth hundreds of thousands!"

Since her family had become wealthy, Trish had certainly stopped being as careful with money as she used to be.

Her outfit alone was worth tens of thousands, not even counting the Patek Philippe on her wrist.

Still, hundreds of thousands was another matter entirely.

Just imagining accidentally losing something that expensive made her heart ache.

"Just keep it somewhere safe," Luca said casually. "And if you somehow lose it, then you lose it. It’s only money."

When he had agreed to jointly develop Plot No. 1 with the Windsor family, he hadn’t even blinked before giving up billions in potential profits.

If word got out, plenty of people would probably call him a spendthrift.

But Luca didn’t care.

’There’s really no way around it. The more I spend, the more money I seem to have.’

’Life is so hard.’

"Little girl, are you planning to look around some more?" Philips asked.

His gaze briefly fell on Luca and Arabella’s clasped hands before he smiled.

Arabella nodded politely. "Yes, Mr. Philips."

"Hmm, in that case, we have some matters to attend to, so we’ll take our leave."

He had barely turned around when the beautiful woman accompanying him unexpectedly stepped forward.

She looked at Luca with a gentle smile.

"Mr. Hale, it’s been a long time."

Her sudden greeting caught everyone off guard.

Philips turned back in surprise.

"Alani, you know Mr. Hale?"

"Yes. I’ve worked with Mr. Hale before."

She glanced at Luca.

"Right, Mr. Hale?"

Luca remained composed and gave a slight nod.

"We’ve met once before."

The woman was Alani Stones, the heiress of Stones Group, one of the major families in the capital.

It was true that the two had worked together before.

Stones Group and Vanderbilt Global Maritime Group had renewed their contract, and Alani had once gone to considerable lengths to invite Luca to dinner.

He had declined.

There was something about her that reminded him of Ivy Celeste. More precisely, the two women seemed to belong to the same type.

That was why he had never been interested in getting any closer to her.

’And now I run into her in Capital City.’

Unlike Luca, Alani wasn’t surprised to see him.

She already knew he was in the city.

After all, the news that Arabella Windsor, the Windsor family’s precious little daughter, had a boyfriend had caused quite a stir.

Naturally, Alani had paid particular attention.

Not because she admired Arabella or was infatuated with her.

She was simply envious.

She knew the Windsor family had rejected Vincent Denim, a man regarded as one of the most prominent men in Capital City, for Arabella.

Yet when Maison Premier proposed a marriage alliance with the Stones family, her own family had completely disregarded her wishes and eagerly accepted.

Her arranged marriage partner was Jack Denim, that arrogant and domineering brat.

Alani had already found the idea unpleasant.

Then, not long ago, she met Jack in person.

The moment he looked at her with those lecherous eyes, as though he wanted to devour her on the spot, her disgust toward him had only deepened.

So when she saw the photo of Arabella’s boyfriend, she recognized Luca immediately.

She had already met two of his women at a banquet in New Orleans.

Both had been exceptionally beautiful.

And now she had discovered that even the Windsor family’s daughter was one of his girlfriends.

Alani had to admit that Luca was remarkably attractive to women.

More importantly, it confirmed something she had already suspected.

He seemed to have very little resistance to beautiful women.

’If that’s the case, perhaps I should make a little more effort.’

She was even willing to give herself to Luca if doing so could disrupt the arranged marriage.

With that thought, Alani took a small breath before speaking.

"Mr. Hale, since we seem to have crossed paths so many times, would you be willing to have a meal with me?"

’This woman is persistent.’

Luca was speechless.

Before he could answer, Trish suddenly grabbed his other hand.

She looked at Alani warily.

"Miss, everything should be done in order of arrival. Luca is already with us, so he doesn’t have any free time."

After saying that, she deliberately tossed her hair over her shoulder and flashed Alani a charming smile.

Everyone else was stunned.

Even Luca, who knew his younger sister better than anyone, was left speechless.

’That’s some serious acting.’

’Luca is still here, Rachel is still here, so please don’t steal her lines.’

Alani had noticed the two pretty girls standing behind Luca earlier.

She simply hadn’t considered either of them to be his women.

They looked too young.

’He wouldn’t actually...’

Besides, Luca hadn’t brought the two beautiful women she’d met in New Orleans with him.

Alani had assumed that perhaps he didn’t dare openly pursue other women while dating the Windsor family’s daughter.

But the situation seemed somewhat different from what she had imagined.

Despite the unexpected interruption, Alani remained composed.

"It’s alright. I only want to discuss some business matters with Mr. Hale. I’m available whenever he has time."

The moment Trish heard that it was business, her cheeks flushed.

She had gone all out for nothing.

"Ahem. Sorry, Miss. Bro, I misunderstood."

Trish immediately released Luca’s hand and hurried over to Rachel’s side.

Luca watched her retreat with a complicated expression.

’She’s actually that naive?’

’Does she really think business matters are just business matters?’

Alani clearly wanted to discuss business with him, but judging by how determined she was to spend time alone with him, Luca doubted that business was the only thing on her mind.

’Can I really hand this girl any of my companies someday?’

"Mr. Hale..."

Before Alani could continue, Arabella spoke.

"Ms. Stones, some things require you to make the effort yourself. You can’t simply place your hopes on someone else, can you?"

Arabella had never met Alani before, but she had already pieced together her identity from their conversation.

Then she remembered the item Maison Premier had delivered to the Windsor family some time ago.

An invitation from the Second Young Master of Maison Premier regarding a marriage between Jack Denim and the heiress of Stones Group.

The pieces quickly fell into place.

Arabella understood why Alani was so eager to spend time alone with Luca.

’So that’s what this is about.’

She wasn’t necessarily trying to stop the marriage entirely.

She simply wanted to use Luca’s influence to put pressure on Maison Premier and the Stones Group, buying herself enough time to find another way out.

And Arabella could see through it.