Luca left the D'LV office and was picked up by a black car that stopped not far from the building—exactly as one of Luzen's men had reported after being ordered to keep an eye on him.
"Find out who he left with and what he's been doing lately. I have a feeling my naughty cat is hiding something from me," Luzen said, staring out the window. The man behind him nodded and quietly left the room.
The first time Luzen asked Luca to become his lover was an accident—well, maybe a not-so-accidental one.
Back then, Luzen went to a bar because his friend insisted he needed to cool off after discovering Rebecca's affair.
Luzen never loved Rebecca deeply, but the fact that she'd betrayed him so openly, behind his back, wounded his pride.
A powerful man like him—outplayed by a business associate? It was basically throwing dirt in his face.
That humiliation was the reason he got drunk out of his mind, and that was when his reckless friend, Orland, dragged a random man into the hotel for him to… "relieve stress."
Orland's excuse for bringing a man instead of a woman was simple: avoiding messy scandals like accidental pregnancies. Who would've guessed Luzen ended up enjoying that night—and kept Luca as his secret lover afterward?
Truly ridiculous.
---
That afternoon, Luca left with Emile Wilson, who had picked him up from the D'LV building. They headed toward a mansion on the western edge of X City.
At first, neither of them sensed anything unusual. But during the drive, Emile began to notice a car tailing them. To confirm it, he suddenly turned left at a fork in the road.
"It looks like we're being followed. Haha… think they're your Sugar Daddy's men?" Emile glanced at Luca with a mocking grin.
Luca's sapphire-blue eyes flicked to the side mirror. Two black cars were maintaining a steady distance behind them.
"No idea. I've only been his lover for a few days. How would I know what his real personality is like?"
"Should we confront them?"
Luca shook his head. "No. We don't know who they are or what they want. Better to throw them off. Tell someone to send another car to the meeting point and switch with us. Let someone else deal with them.
This is not the time for me to reveal who I really am."
Emile called someone and relayed Luca's instructions. After finishing, he focused on the road and sped up.
Meanwhile, Luca sat quietly, staring out the window with crossed arms and an unfocused gaze.
Dominic Luzen Vadelard, what exactly are you planning?
That question kept echoing in his mind ever since he received orders to approach his next target—Luzen. The man's name had appeared in a confidential file about the Romanov family serial murders. Although the file didn't prove his involvement, Luca doubted things were as simple as they looked.
That was why he created this entire scenario—becoming Luzen's lover—just to get close enough to uncover evidence and confirm his suspicions.
Twenty minutes later, their car reached the basement of a random apartment building in X City. As planned, they swapped cars to shake off their followers. Once they felt safe, the new car sped down the road.
After an hour-long drive, they reached the forest on the outskirts of the city—an area difficult to access due to the narrow road leading deeper inside.
Who would've thought that hidden in this thick, rumor-filled forest stood a massive mansion with towering walls?
And those rumors weren't baseless. The mansion was surrounded by landmines, and armed guards lurked in the shadows. Anyone foolish enough to investigate would lose their life before ever learning what lay behind those walls.
Their car stopped in front of the huge entrance gate. Two guards blocked their way.
Emile lowered the window and held out a pass card to the scanner beside the gate. Moments later, the gate opened, and the guards bowed, allowing their car to pass through.
"Luca, you should go see Mr. Vernon immediately. He's been waiting to explain something. He seems upset you still haven't reported to him after being summoned several times," Emile said as the car stopped in front of the mansion.
"I know. He's not someone who lets me go easily. Just thinking about what he might want gives me a headache." Luca rubbed his temples, annoyed at whatever new demand Vernon had in store.
Originally, Luca and Vernon had an equal agreement—Luca acted as the leader of an intelligence and spy network working in the Underworld, while Vernon controlled the organization behind the scenes.
But lately, Vernon had been giving him unreasonable missions. Luca had no idea what that man was thinking.
Luca stepped out of the car and headed toward the heavily guarded mansion.
"Where's your master?" Luca asked one of the guards at the entrance.
"He's waiting for you in his office."
Luca climbed to the second floor and headed to the familiar office where he usually delivered his reports.
He knocked. "Sir, I'm here."
"Come in," a voice answered from inside.
Luca entered and found Vernon buried in documents, his glasses perched on his nose—making him look both sexy and dangerously tempting to anyone who saw him.
"You finally came, Luca. Was it that hard to show up? I had to send Emile to fetch you," Vernon said as he set aside his documents and glasses.
He approached Luca, who stood in front of the desk with his hands in his pockets and a bored expression—as if he'd rather be anywhere else.
"Let's skip the small talk. What do you want, Mr. Vernon? I already passed all the reports to Emile. Isn't that enough?"
Vernon's desire to tease him only grew as he saw Luca's indifference.
He stood directly in front of Luca, lifting Luca's chin with one finger and forcing their faces close, staring into those cold sapphire eyes.
"You know, Luca… I hate when someone questions my orders. And you've crossed that line."
Vernon's voice was calm, but dripping with authority.
Slowly, Luca removed Vernon's hand and smiled coolly. "Sir, in what way have I disobeyed? And don't forget—our agreement is equal. I'm not your subordinate."
Vernon paused, then stepped back and chose to sit on the sofa.
"Fine. You win. You're right—we only have an agreement, and I have no right over you."
Luca knew Vernon was insane, but he didn't expect this level of madness just to force him to show up.
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
"Wait! Do you really not understand why I called you? Luca, my patience has limits."
Luca glanced back. "If you mean work, then yes—I understand perfectly. But if you mean anything else… sorry, Mr. Vernon. You know very well I never involve emotions in a partnership.
Not now, and not ever. Excuse me."
Luca walked out—again. This kind of scene had already happened many times.
"So hard to tame a wild cat like you. Should I chain you up so you'll finally submit to me, Luca?" Vernon murmured with a dark grin as he watched Luca leave.