Chapter 196: Who Said I Needed a Ticket?

Lucas didn’t waste another second.

The moment he stepped outside, he jumped into his Bugatti, fired up the engine, and sped out of the apartment complex.

As the engine roared to life, he quickly opened the navigation system. Unfortunately, he had never been to Lanai Island before and wasn’t familiar with the route. Without a proper path to follow, he couldn’t simply floor the accelerator all the way there.

Still...

That didn’t stop him from driving like a man possessed.

The Bugatti tore through the streets of Silvermont before merging onto the highway, its engine screaming as it devoured the miles ahead.

---

Westhaven.

The coastal city sat just outside Silvermont and served as the main gateway to Lanai Island. Under normal traffic conditions, the drive usually took close to four hours.

Lucas made it there...

In just two hours and thirty-nine minutes.

If anyone saw the speed he had maintained along the highway, they would probably think he had lost his mind.

Fortunately...

The Bugatti was built for exactly this kind of performance.

As the modern skyline of Westhaven finally came into view, Lucas slowly eased off the accelerator before driving toward the harbor district.

Rows of luxury coaches, private cars, and tourists filled the enormous parking area beside the ferry terminal.

After finding a parking space, Lucas switched off the engine and stepped out of the Bugatti, stretching his slightly stiff body after the long drive.

At almost the exact same moment...

A luxury coach bus slowly pulled into the parking lot nearby.

The doors hissed open.

One after another, members of the Ashford University Student Union began stepping off the bus.

Maya was among the last to get down.

She had barely taken two steps before her beautiful eyes suddenly landed on the familiar black Bugatti parked only a short distance away.

Her breathing stopped.

She knew that car.

There was no way she could mistake it.

It belonged to Lucas.

"...He really came."

The disappointment, frustration, and anxiety she had bottled up since morning disappeared almost instantly.

Her cold expression melted away, replaced by uncontrollable excitement.

Without caring about anyone around her...

Maya suddenly broke into a run.

Bryce, who had just been about to invite Maya to tour the harbor before boarding the ferry, froze in confusion.

"...Maya?"

Before he could react...

She had already sprinted past him without even sparing him a glance.

Seeing the usually calm Student Union President suddenly run like that, everyone else was equally stunned.

"What happened?"

"Who is she running to?"

Even the beautiful female students and the male members hurried off the bus out of curiosity, following Maya’s line of sight.

Just then...

Lucas happened to turn around.

Before he could even process what was happening...

A beautiful figure threw herself straight into his arms.

"Lucas!"

Maya wrapped both arms tightly around him, hugging him with all her strength as though she were afraid he might disappear if she let go.

Her eyes had already begun to turn red.

"...You really came."

Her voice trembled ever so slightly.

Lucas smiled helplessly.

Without hesitation, he wrapped an arm around her waist and gently patted her back.

"When have I ever broken a promise?"

The moment those words left his mouth...

Maya hugged him even tighter.

Meanwhile...

Everyone else had already gotten off the bus.

Most of the girls recognized Lucas immediately.

After everything that had happened on campus recently, his name had become impossible to ignore.

The scholarship student who had publicly slapped Zack...

The mysterious young man who suddenly seemed unbelievably wealthy...

Almost everyone in Ashford University had heard about him.

Although many of the girls had never actually spoken to Lucas...

That didn’t stop them from secretly stealing glances at him now.

Especially after witnessing Maya~normally known for being distant and impossible to approach~throw herself into his arms without the slightest hesitation.

The scene completely stunned them.

"...So President Maya actually smiles like that?"

"I’ve never seen her hug anyone before..."

"When did they become so close?"

Whispers spread through the crowd almost immediately.

Only one person’s face grew darker with every passing second.

Bryce.

He stood rooted to the spot, his fists clenching so tightly that the veins on the back of his hands bulged.

His expression looked as though someone had smashed his heart into pieces.

He had spent years chasing Maya.

Years.

Yet even holding her hand had remained an impossible dream.

Every invitation...

Every expensive gift...

Every carefully planned confession...

She had rejected them all without hesitation.

But now...

Lucas was standing there with Maya wrapped tightly around him.

Not only did she hug him willingly...

She looked genuinely happy.

The sight stabbed straight through Bryce’s pride.

Only then did he finally recognize Lucas’s face completely.

"...So it’s him."

His father had mentioned this young man several times recently.

The mysterious investor who had suddenly appeared.

The man Principal Malcolm repeatedly warned him not to provoke.

But at this moment...

Bryce couldn’t care less about any of that.

All he saw...

Was the man embracing the woman he wanted most.

Rage completely consumed him.

Without another thought, he strode straight toward them.

This trip...

This vacation...

This was supposed to be the perfect opportunity.

His opportunity.

He absolutely refused to let Lucas ruin it.

By the time Bryce reached them, Maya had finally realized everyone was staring.

Her beautiful face flushed slightly.

Reluctantly...

She loosened her grip and took half a step back, though she still remained standing close beside Lucas.

Bryce stopped directly in front of them.

His expression was icy.

His eyes never left Lucas.

"What are you doing here?"

Lucas lazily turned his head and looked at him.

Then...

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"What does it look like?"

"I’m here for a vacation."

He shrugged casually.

"Or did you think I drove all the way here to go fishing?"

Several nearby students couldn’t help chuckling.

Bryce’s expression immediately darkened.

He let out a cold laugh.

"You probably don’t know this..."

"Everyone boarding for Lanai Island has to verify their reservation."

"No reservation..."

"No boarding pass..."

"No entry."

He crossed his arms confidently.

"So stop embarrassing yourself."

"I don’t have any spare passes to hand out."

"You should leave while you still can."

The moment those words left his mouth...

Many of the girls frowned.

Even they found Bryce’s attitude excessive.

Lucas, however, remained completely calm.

He merely smiled before casually waving a hand.

"Bryce..."

"You really think too highly of yourself."

His voice wasn’t loud.

But every word landed with absolute confidence.

"Do I need your permission to visit an island?"