Chapter 347: Chocolate Cake

Holding the photograph the old man had given him, Luca made his way toward the crowd surrounding Sasha Rain.

"Hey, don’t push! There’s no need to..." The young woman blocking his path suddenly looked up at him. Her complaint died on her lips, and her eyes widened. "Wow! You’re handsome! Go ahead, you can pass!"

"Wow! He’s really handsome!"

Luca’s appearance caught the female fans off guard. For a moment, several of them simply stared at him, seemingly forgetting why they had gathered in the first place. Once they recovered, they covered their mouths, giggling excitedly as they exchanged glances. A few even winked at him, making no attempt to hide their interest.

After all, celebrities were people they could admire from a distance, but Luca was standing right in front of them.

"Imagine having a boyfriend this handsome. I’d be showing him off everywhere!"

Amid the commotion, Sasha Rain noticed Luca approaching. With a baseball cap pulled low over her head, she had been keeping a relatively low profile, but his appearance was difficult to miss.

The handsome man who had been sitting some distance away had somehow made his way through the crowd and was now standing right in front of her.

When Luca finally reached her, however, he found himself at a loss for words.

He never actually planned to ask her for an autograph!

He had only agreed because Trish had practically begged him to do it. Now that he was standing before the celebrity herself, he wasn’t entirely sure how to proceed.

Noticing his silence, Sasha found the situation rather amusing. Rather than leave him standing there awkwardly, she took the initiative.

"Hello. Are you here for an autograph?"

"Uh... yes. Thank you!" Luca replied, visibly relieved that she had given him an opening. He quickly handed her the photograph.

He couldn’t help developing a favorable impression of the woman.

She’s different from some of the female celebrities I’ve met before. At least she doesn’t act like she’s above everyone else.

Sasha accepted the photograph, but the moment she looked at it, her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. She studied it for a few seconds, her expression becoming somewhat difficult to read.

After a brief pause, she accepted the ballpoint pen Luca offered and signed her name neatly in one corner.

"Thank you." Luca took the photograph back with a smile before turning to leave.

It took some effort to squeeze his way out of the crowd. Once he finally escaped, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and pulled out his phone to message Trish.

Getting an autograph is far more troublesome than I expected. I should avoid doing this sort of thing in the future.

Fortunately, Sasha had been pleasant and cooperative. Otherwise, he doubted the entire ordeal would have gone nearly as smoothly.

"Excuse me, sir, could I have your contact information?"

"Wow, you’re so handsome! Could we get to know each other?"

Luca had barely slipped his phone back into his pocket when several female voices called out behind him.

He turned around and found a small group of girls approaching. They looked to be around seventeen or eighteen, and judging by how comfortably they interacted with one another, they had probably come together.

At the moment, however, none of them seemed particularly interested in anything else. Their eyes were fixed on Luca, practically sparkling with admiration as they waited for his response.

Seeing their expectant expressions, Luca felt a little helpless.

’Oh, this damn irresistible charm!’

’It’s a shame I can’t give you what you’re hoping for.’

"Sorry, I already have..."

Before he could finish politely turning them down, a familiar voice rang out from nearby, soft and clear as a mountain stream.

"Luca."

Just two words were enough to make his heart skip a beat before racing with excitement.

He immediately turned toward the voice.

A beautiful woman dressed in pure white stood a short distance away. Her arrival seemed to draw the attention of everyone around her, and for a brief moment, even the surrounding commotion felt as though it had quieted.

She possessed an almost otherworldly beauty. There was something so pure and graceful about her that people instinctively hesitated to disturb her.

That was Arabella’s unique charm.

The moment Luca saw her, delight spread across his face.

’Every time I see her, I find myself liking her a little more.’

"Arabella."

He quickly crossed the remaining distance and drew her slender figure into his arms, holding her gently against his chest.

As he rested his chin on her shoulder, something caught his eye. A small paper bag was tucked behind her back, partially hidden from view.

"What’s that?" he asked curiously.

Arabella stepped out of his embrace just enough to show him the bag. With a soft smile, she lifted it between them.

"Chocolate cake. I brought it for you."

Luca had eaten two pieces of chocolate cake at her house during his previous visit, and the memory had stayed with her.

Knowing how much he had enjoyed it, she had made a detour before coming to the airport to buy him a box.

The sight of the two standing together quickly attracted even more attention.

Not far away, Sasha Rain couldn’t resist peeking through the gaps between the people surrounding her. When she caught sight of Luca and Arabella, her gaze lingered on them for a moment.

’They’re such a perfect match!’

It wasn’t just Sasha who thought so. The same impression seemed to strike everyone who witnessed the scene.

Luca accepted the bag of chocolate cake from Arabella, then gestured toward the airport exit.

"The car is parked outside. Shall we go?"

"All right."

The two began walking away hand in hand, but Luca paused when they passed the elderly man who had helped him earlier.

"Gramps, thank you for your help. We’ll be leaving now."

The old man looked at their joined hands, his gaze lingering on the beautiful woman beside Luca. A warm smile spread across his face as he waved them off.

"Go on, young man. She’s a lovely girl. You’re a lucky fellow!"

Luca smiled and thanked him once more before taking Arabella’s soft hand and leading her toward the car.

Once they were on the road, the conversation naturally turned to what had happened at the airport.

Luca recounted how he had ended up using the old man’s photograph to obtain Sasha Rain’s autograph for Trish, leaving nothing out of the rather embarrassing experience.

Arabella listened quietly until he finished. Then she looked at him with an expression that was equal parts disbelief and amusement.

"That old man clearly knows Sasha Rain. He’s probably even a relative of hers. And you actually thought he was just another fan?" She shook her head. "How could you say something like that? That’s so mean!"

Luca burst out laughing.

How could he not have guessed that something was off?

The old man’s behavior had been suspicious enough, but Luca had simply gone along with the joke to make the situation more entertaining.

After all, he had initially insisted that he wasn’t interested in following celebrities or asking them for autographs. Yet, barely moments later, his younger cousin had managed to drag him into doing exactly that.

The contrast was rather amusing, even if he had ended up embarrassing himself in the process.

They continued chatting throughout the drive, and before long, they arrived at Golden Water Bay.

"It’s been so long since I was here. It almost feels like I’ve been away for ages."

Arabella glanced around as they walked along a stone pathway winding between carefully maintained flower beds. The familiar surroundings brought back a sense of nostalgia, and for a moment, she seemed to have forgotten about everything else.

The peaceful scenery made the residential complex feel like a world of its own, far removed from the bustle outside.

Luca walked beside her, their fingers intertwined as they strolled leisurely down the path.

Not far away stood a pavilion crowned by a white dome. Naomi Monroe was there with her mother, Elena, when she happened to catch sight of the familiar couple walking hand in hand.

Her expression changed immediately.

She turned toward her mother, slipped her arm through Elena’s, and pointed in the opposite direction.

"Mom, why don’t we take a walk over there?"

Naomi had already confessed her feelings to her mother, and Elena had accepted her daughter’s choice. However, she had never actually witnessed Luca walking around hand in hand with another woman.

If she saw him with Arabella now, Naomi couldn’t predict how she might react.

’Why do I suddenly feel so uneasy?’

Naomi’s unusually eager suggestion naturally caught Elena’s attention. Her daughter had been perfectly content to remain where they were, so why the sudden desire to go somewhere else?

Elena’s gaze shifted past Naomi’s shoulder.

The moment she spotted Luca and Arabella, everything became clear.

She turned back to her daughter who seemed determined to help Luca avoid trouble.

Elena could only sigh inwardly.

’What am I supposed to do with a daughter who’s hopelessly in love?’

And it wasn’t as though Arabella were someone Naomi could easily compete with. The woman walking beside Luca was breathtakingly beautiful, with a graceful presence that made her stand out even in a place like Golden Water Bay.

All these exceptional women, and somehow they’ve all fallen for the same man. Worse, they’re even willing to compromise for him.

’I honestly don’t understand what goes through their heads.’

Still, seeing how deeply her daughter had fallen, Elena couldn’t bring herself to start an argument.

She gave Naomi a sideways glance, a faintly jealous expression crossing her face.

"Fine, let’s go over there. We’re starting to look like a pair of thieves sneaking around."

"Uh..."

Naomi froze for a moment.

How could she not understand what her mother meant? Instead of successfully diverting Elena’s attention, she had practically pointed out Luca’s presence herself.

Fortunately, her mother didn’t seem angry. In fact, she was even willing to cooperate with her little scheme.

"Hehe! Mom, you’re the best!"

Naomi hurried forward, took Elena by the wrist, and gave it an affectionate shake.

Elena immediately pulled her hand away, looking at her daughter with undisguised disgust.

"I’m going back in a few days. You should head over to Luca’s."

"Okay, hehe!"

Apparently oblivious to her mother’s expression, Naomi grinned happily and followed behind her with her hands clasped behind her back, looking entirely pleased with herself.