"You silly girl, why are you so nervous?" Eric teased with a mischievous smile. He reached for the remote and played so lighthearted music, helping Ella relax a little.
In truth, Ella wasn’t sure why she felt so tense. Perhaps it was the lingering tension, fear, and anxiety from the past few days. Everything she’d been through had left her feeling unlike herself.
But Eric’s fiery kisses gave her no ti to dwell on such thoughts.
After so passionate ti together, both were drenched in sweat. They showered, and before they knew it, it was already noon.
Around midday, Lucas called personally, inviting them to lunch at the restaurant downstairs and suggesting they visit his ho afterward.
Ella initially wanted to decline, but Lucas’s gentle and slightly pleading tone caught her off guard. Before she could respond, he had already hung up.
Eric chuckled and pinched her cheek. "Why hesitate? Just go. Dwelling on past mistakes won’t change them. Holding onto resentnt will only make things harder for you."
Ella nodded silently. Her thoughts shifted to Eric’s strained relationship with Jas.
Unlike her and Lucas, Eric and Jas’s relationship was much harder to nd.
Lucas’s mistakes stemd from fear—he had misunderstood and inadvertently hurt Isabella. But Jas’s actions were deliberate, his cruelty driving Victoria to a tragic end.
By the ti Ella and Eric arrived at the restaurant, it was already 12:20 p.m.
Having just finished their "exercise" and taken their ti showering and dressing, they were slightly delayed.
Luke greeted them with a frosty expression, showing no trace of warmth or welco.
Lucas, however, rose to his feet with a kind and loving smile for Ella. "You’re here! We’ve already ordered, but if there’s anything Ella doesn’t like, we can order more."
Ella glanced at the table, noticing that it was filled with dishes she loved.
Clearly, Lucas had taken the ti to learn her preferences.
She nodded slightly. "This is fine."
Seeing that she was willing to engage with him, Lucas’s heart lifted. The unease he’d been feeling dissipated.
"Ella, have you decided where you’ll hold the wedding?" Lucas asked warmly.
Eric’s face lit up with happiness. "Ella says we’re still deciding—there are so many great options, both here and abroad."
Lucas nodded, his smile widening as he looked at his beloved daughter. "Take your ti. After the wedding, you could plan a longer honeymoon and visit several places."
Ella kept her head down, unsure how to carry on the conversation.
Although Lucas was her biological father, the unfamiliarity between them couldn’t simply vanish overnight.
"Ella," Lucas continued with enthusiasm, "do you have a wedding dress in mind yet? I know so excellent designers who specialize in bridal wear. If you’re interested, I can connect you with them. Their schedules are booked through next year, but I can ask them to prioritize designing sothing just for you."
His offer was genuine, his excitent evident.
Ella hesitated briefly before replying. "We’ve already made arrangents, but thank you."
Eric had already hired a top designer to create their wedding attire, and it would be awkward to suddenly switch plans.
"I see," Lucas said, a hint of disappointnt in his voice. Still, he smiled warmly. "As long as you’re happy with your choice."
Luke, who had remained silent up until now, suddenly frowned, his face darkening. He turned to Ella, his tone sharp. "Can’t you treat Father with a little more respect? He’s trying his best for you, and you act so cold. Who are you trying to impress with that attitude?"
Ella froze for a mont, taken aback by Luke’s harshness.
"Luke! How can you bla Ella for this?" Lucas said sternly, his tone calm but firm. "Eric likely already arranged for soone to design the wedding dress. Stopping them halfway wouldn’t be right."
Eric glanced sideways at Luke, his voice cutting but asured. "Mr. Anderson, perhaps you should learn to see things from another perspective. While Ella and Mr. Anderson may share a father-daughter relationship by blood, they haven’t developed the emotional bond to match. Expecting Ella to accept Mr. Anderson imdiately is unrealistic. Isn’t that right, Mr. Anderson?"
Lucas nodded slowly. "Eric is right. Setting aside blood ties, we’re practically strangers who have only t a few tis. I can only hope Ella can gradually adjust. That’s why I suggested she stay at my house for a little while. It might help her beco more comfortable. She can move out when it’s ti for the wedding."
Ella frowned. Move into his house?
The idea felt surreal. Living with her biological father, whom she barely knew, felt awkward and alien.
"Ella," Lucas said gently, noticing her unease, "there’s no rush. If you’d prefer, we can et at the hotel daily. When you’re ready, you can decide to move in then."
"There’s no need," Ella replied flatly, her refusal swift and firm. "I’m not used to living with people I’m unfamiliar with."
Though Lucas was her father, she still harbored resentnt toward him.
During the days Eric had been kidnapped, she had been at her most vulnerable, desperately needing support. Yet Lucas had pressured her to divorce Eric rather than offering comfort.
Biological ties aside, Ella couldn’t bring herself to accept him as a father—not emotionally.
Lucas’s expression faltered, his sadness briefly visible. "I know you’re angry at ... but I don’t regret what I did. From my perspective, if Eric didn’t have the ability to protect himself, he wouldn’t deserve to marry you."
Ella abruptly stood, her head throbbing again. Confronting such complicated emotions in this setting had quickly unraveled the composure she’d only just regained.
"Ella, are you alright?" Eric asked, quickly standing to steady her.
"I’m just tired," Ella murmured, her voice tight. "I’m sorry, but I don’t have the appetite to stay for lunch. Please, enjoy the al without ."
She turned and walked away, her steps quickening as her chest tightened with pain.
She didn’t want to hurt Lucas, but she couldn’t face him either.
"Ella..." Lucas called after her, standing helplessly as her figure disappeared from view.
"Mr. Anderson, I’ll talk to her. My apologies," Eric said quietly before following her out.
Lucas sank back into his chair, his hands trembling slightly. He had thought that Ella and Eric’s willingness to sit with him ant they were ready to accept him.
But it seed that hope was rely a fantasy.
"Father, are you alright?" Luke asked, his frustration evident as he stepped closer to pat Lucas on the back.
Lucas’s eyes, filled with sadness, seed to dim. "I know she still resents ... but I can’t help it. As her father, all I want is for my daughter to have the best life possible."
Luke, whom Lucas had raised with care, had a character and values Lucas trusted completely. If Ella married him, Lucas believed she would never face betrayal or heartbreak.
With the strength of the Anderson family behind her, Ella could live a life free from worry and hardship.
But with Eric, Lucas foresaw a tumultuous path filled with storms. Eric’s strikingly handso and devilishly charming appearance would inevitably attract countless won with ill intentions. The life ahead would be far from peaceful.
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