Chapter 70

“I’m not exactly generous, and I don’t have a habit of letting strangers hitch a free ride on my jet. So, what should I do?” Domini spoke lazily, watching as Luke’s face darkened.

Just as the tension in the air grew thick, Dominic suddenly let out a low chuckle and changed his tone. “How about this? Since we’re both from Halewick, I’ll give you a fair market pelor. Just make an answer the money, Mr. Munoz.”

He looked like some benevolent patron bestowing a favor, his tone laced with a hint of condescension.

Luke was so furious he could practically feel his chest tightening. And yet, he had no choice but to endure it. After all, he needed to board his private jet.

Vespera sat beside them, pretending not to hear their conversation. She thought, “Luke has probably never endured this kind of humiliation in his entire life.”

Were it the past, he would’ve walked away without hesitation rather than put up with this. Luke turned to Vespera. He gave her a look that clearly said he was doing this for her.

She understood the meaning behind his gaze and let out a sarcastic laugh. Enduring humiliation for her, as if that would move her—she felt nothing but disdain. If that was his plan, he was wasting his time.

Once they boarded, Vespera pulled out her phone and made an Instagram post. It was a shot of the bright blue sky above the airport with the sunlit runway stretching into the distance… And in the background of the VIP cabin, a certain someone had accidentally made it into the frame—Luke.

The caption read: “My wonderful vacation is being ruined, so annoying! How do I get rid of this clingy, annoying guy?” Her tone was a mix of playful anger, smug satisfaction, and outright provocation. It was almost as if she were taunting someone, saying, “Look, the man you want still belongs to me.”

Not long after she posted it, Dominic glanced at her from across the cabin. The air around him suddenly felt heavy. Vespera blinked in confusion.

She had used her Halewick number to post it and had restricted most of her contacts, including her parents, close relatives, and friends. But she had forgotten one person—Raymond. The moment she posted, he saw it.

Seeing her distressed words and then noticing Luke’s figure in one of the photos, he instantly assumed she had been abducted by Luke. Panicked, he took a screenshot and sent it to Dominic, asking him to rescue the “poor” Vespera.

He scoffed at the word. “Poor?” She was clearly just putting on a show and flaunting. It seemed as though she was enjoying this. Her cold attitude toward Luke felt like nothing more than an act. Deep down, she still wanted to get back together with him. Dominic suddenly realized he had underestimated this woman.

Vespera felt unsettled under his gaze. She had posted that update on purpose. She wanted to amp up the heat, stir things up, and provoke Tina into making a move, forcing her to fight for Luke.

“You should get some rest,” Luke leaned toward her.

“I’m not tired,” she averted her eyes and picked up a magazine, flipping through it absently.

“You barely ate this morning. Want something to eat?”

“Not hungry.”

“At least have some fruit.”

When she didn’t respond, Luke called over a flight attendant and asked for some fruit. Without hesitation, he peeled a grape and held it up to her lips. She turned her head away. Unbothered, he spoke to her in a low, gentle voice, as if she was just being stubborn and playing hard to get.

One was determined not to eat, the other was determined to feed her. They were tugging back and forth, pushing each other around. With Dominic and Gerard in the cabin, she couldn’t lose her temper or raise her voice. Instead, she had to speak subtly, keeping her frustration in check.

But to an outsider, the whole scene looked suspiciously flirtatious—like a couple teasing each other in their own little world.