CHAPTER 108: GOING TO PLAY ALONG

"Why did you not look at the camera?" Sara asked, holding the photograph in her hands after fastening her seatbelt in the car.

Luca leaned over to look at the framed image. "Do you hate it when I look at you?"

"No," Sara immediately refuted, turning her head away, a faint flush on her cheeks. "Every secretary has this photo, and you’re the CEO, yet you’re only looking at me. Isn’t that weird?"

"Now, you even hate looking at me," Luca complained playfully, leaning back into his own seat. His hand moved toward the steering wheel when Sara gently held his arm.

"I didn’t say anything about that," Sara replied softly. "It actually shows I matter to you. The look in your eyes... I never saw such a kind of gaze before. It carries both admiration and protectiveness."

Luca smiled genuinely, completely disarmed by her sincere explanation. "You’re right. Now you see how much I truly love you."

"Hmm. Did you ask Remo to bring those posters, by the way?" Sara asked, changing the subject.

"Yes. I wanted to cheer for you," Luca answered, a flash of pride in his voice.

"They were nice. I never imagined you hurling such a poster," Sara remarked, chuckling. "Everyone was teasing me, saying I’ve charmed their boss."

"Then, what did you say?" Luca eagerly waited for her response.

"Nothing," Sara shook her head, biting her lip to hide a smile. "I’m exhausted. Let’s just go home. Also, we are supposed to go to your parents’ house tonight. Mother was mentioning this morning that some of her acquaintances will be coming this evening," she reminded him.

Luca immediately understood what she meant, an evening of stiff introductions with their relatives and suffocating scrutiny.

"Well, I’m taking you somewhere far away," Luca declared, already backing the car out of the parking lot. "It’s the weekend, and I want to relax on such an occasion."

"But what about the guests who are coming this evening?" Sara asked, surprised by the change of plans.

"Mom will handle them, not us," Luca said dismissively, focusing on the road ahead.

"You’re doing this because—" she hadn’t finished her sentence when Luca gently cut her off.

"No. I planned the surprise in the morning itself. The past week has been harsh on you, Sara," Luca explained, his voice softening. "I don’t think Mom’s guests are that important right now. Besides, I’ll talk to her regarding this later."

Sara didn’t argue further, simply leaning her head against the headrest, accepting the journey.

After a few minutes, Luca considered stopping the car at a Subway, but he glanced over and found Sara was already deep asleep. He decided against stopping, driving continuously until the early evening, when they finally arrived in La Alpujarra, a picturesque historical region.

The car came to a gentle halt in front of an ancient, classically styled hotel, and the sudden cessation of movement jolted Sara awake. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and registered the unfamiliar, grand entrance of the hotel.

"Where are we?" she asked, already removing her seatbelt.

"We are in La Alpujarra," Luca replied, simultaneously exiting the car and holding the keys. An attentive hotel usher immediately came forward and efficiently began taking their luggage out of the trunk and moving it inside.

"When did you even plan all of this?" Sara asked with astonishment.

"Well, I asked Jonathan to instruct one of the maids to pack our bags and bring them discreetly to the sports center earlier today," Luca stated smoothly. "Shall we go in? You must be starving."

"Yeah. Aren’t you hungry, though? I took such a long nap, more than four hours, I guess," Sara remarked, checking her phone for the time.

"Which means we can have fun at night," Luca said, a suggestive smirk playing on his lips.

As they stepped into the elevator, Luca’s eyes suddenly landed on an unfamiliar man standing in the lobby, who was intently gazing up at them. Luca didn’t look away but the elevators door shut.

"What fun? I’m going to rest again after having a heartfelt meal. Before that, I’ll take a long, hot shower," Sara asserted, oblivious to Luca’s momentary concern.

The elevator stopped at the fourth floor, where the presidential suite awaited them. Luca thanked the usher, who handed him the key card, before walking in.

He removed his shoes, slipped on the provided slippers, and walked further into the suite. He found Sara already on the phone, ordering their food, and a genuine smile of contentment formed on his lips.

"Do you want something of your liking?" Sara asked, pausing her order and placing a hand over the phone’s mouthpiece.

"No, sweetheart. Just order what you are doing for yourself," Luca answered, his smile widening as he watched her.

Sara added a bottle of wine to the order, a small, celebratory treat for the victory she had achieved earlier that day. Once the call disconnected, she lowered the phone. "I’m going to take a shower first," she announced, already moving toward her luggage.

Quickly, she opened the rolling trolley bag, and her eyes immediately widened in stunned disbelief at the contents. The clothing inside was distinctly weird and entirely unlike her usual style. She snatched one particular dress: a black, sheer, see-through garment with a dangerously deep neckline.

"Who in the world packed such dresses for me?" Sara glared at Luca, her voice a mix of indignation and amusement. She stuffed the revealing dress back into the bag before frantically checking the rest of the contents.

Luca looked genuinely bewildered, seemingly as confused as she was. "I simply ordered Jonathan to get a maid to pack our bags. I swear, I didn’t know they had packed them with... such sexy dresses," he stated, trying to maintain an innocent look.

"Luca?" Sara arched her eyebrows skeptically, crossing her arms. "This is not the time to joke! I literally have only the clothes I’m wearing with me for the entire trip! You intentionally did this, didn’t you?"

"I swear on everything, I knew nothing about this wardrobe change," Luca insisted, though a mischievous grin betrayed his words. He shrugged innocently. "Well, since it’s just the two of us, and we are going to stay in the room tonight... you might as well wear one of them, don’t you think?"

"It’s not going to happen," Sara stated with resolute denial, shaking her head firmly. She abandoned her own bag and immediately turned to Luca’s luggage. She quickly rummaged through his things and pulled out one of his comfortable shirts.

"I’ll be wearing this," she declared, holding up the oversized shirt. "And you had better buy me a proper wardrobe tomorrow, or I’m leaving for home first thing in the morning."

She shot him a sharp, warning glare before marching straight into the washroom, slamming the door shut.

Luca couldn’t help but chuckle at her fiery reaction, but his smile quickly faded into a thoughtful frown. He pulled out his phone and called Jonathan, who answered immediately.

"Good evening, young master," Jonathan greeted from the other end of the line.

"Who exactly packed Sara’s luggage for this trip, Jonathan?" Luca inquired, his tone shifting from amused to serious.

"I—I asked Maid Hannah to do it, Sir. Is something wrong?" Jonathan asked, sounding concerned.

"Don’t lie to me. Just tell me the truth," Luca asked sternly.

"Well, your mother was here earlier today," Jonathan began. "I told her that you two are going for a trip somewhere and she is the one who instructed Maid Hannah regarding the clothes for Madam Sara," he revealed the truth.

"Alright." Luca ended the call abruptly with Jonathan, not pressing him further, but the maid’s name confirmed his growing suspicion. He immediately dialed his mother’s number.

"Good evening, Mom," he greeted her first, a hint of caution in his voice.

"Good evening, dear," Vinni replied, her tone warm and slightly conspiratorial. "You didn’t come home with Sara. I had planned to call our relatives this evening to share the good news." She paused, then added with careful significance, "Since you two have gone on a romantic trip, I truly hope you end the distance you have created between each other. It’s time to resolve things."

"Mom, what are you even trying to do?" asked Luca, his suspicion hardening.

"I’ve decided to cheer for my son," Vinni affirmed innocently.

Luca simply shook his head in frustrated disbelief and disconnected the call without saying anything further. He stared at his phone, his mind racing.

"Since when did she start thinking about me like this? Something is definitely wrong with my mother," he mumbled.

Luca quickly busied himself, moving the trolley bags into a large cupboard.

"I truly hoped to see her in one of the lingerie sets," he muttered to himself, a wry smile touching his lips. "But it turns out Sara isn’t going to play along. How hardened she has become in all these years?" The thought was laced with both disappointment and a strange sense of challenge.

Just then, a knock signaled the arrival of the food. Luca opened the door, efficiently accepting the food trolley from the room service attendant and wheeling it inside the suite.

At that moment, Sara stepped out of the washroom. The hot shower had washed away her annoyance, but her attire was Luca’s chosen shirt, which hung loosely to her mid-thigh.

"Where are you staring?" Sara asked, quickly locking her arms around her chest.

"Didn’t I tell you that your legs are the sexiest part of your body?" Luca responded with an appreciative grin, already walking toward her, his gaze lingering on the exposed skin.

He moved in quickly, intending to capture her mouth for a kiss, but Sara was faster. She deftly placed a finger over his lips, stopping him an inch short. "I’m hungry," she asserted firmly, her eyes bright with genuine appetite. "So, let’s eat before the food gets cold."

She brushed past him and Luca inhaled deeply, the lingering scent she had left behind.