I Came Back And They All Chose Her Over Me Chapter 05

I Came Back And They All Chose Her Over Me Chapter 05

Lucien landed even earlier than I expected.

By the time I arrived at the airport, night had just fallen, and the lights outside the private arrivals exit were bright and white.

I wore a simple black knit dress and had not even bothered to fix my lipstick properly. But the moment I saw

him appear, the hurt I had been holding in my chest for days seemed to finally seemed to have somewhere to

Lucien walked quickly. He spotted me at once, handed his luggage to his assistant, and a second later, he

was already in front of me.

“Sera.”

He softened the last syllable of my name.

I looked up at him, and my nose stung. “Didn’t you say there were still two hours?”

“We landed early.” He lowered his head and studied my face, his gaze moving slowly over me as if checking whether I had taken proper care of myself. “Have you lost weight?”

I smiled. “Is that the only thing everyone knows how to say?”

He did not answer. He only reached out and pulled me into his arms.

There was a faint scent of cedar on him, mixed with the coolness of a long flight.

In those two seconds, with my face buried against his shoulder, I suddenly did not want to explain anything

at all.

Lucien released me and took a small box from the pocket of his coat.

“A gift.”

I opened it. Inside was a small platinum brooch shaped like a lily of the valley, with tiny diamonds set into

the centers of the flowers. It was so delicate it almost did not look real.

“What is this?”

“You said you wanted to look a little softer for the family reception.” He answered seriously. “I did some

research. In the language of flowers, lily of the valley means the return of happiness, right?”

My lips curved, but my eyes started to sting.

“Lucien.”

“Mm?”

“If you keep doing this, my parents may like you even more.”

is expression finally eased a little, and he said softly, “Then that’s good.”

On the way back to the Ashbourne estate, Lucien sat beside me and listened as I told him what had happened

over the past few days.

I did not go into too much detail, only brushing past the worst of it. But after he listened in silence, he still

reached over and took my hand.

“If something like this happens again, tell me first.”

“If I tell you, will you fly over?”

“Yes.” His answer came naturally. “I’ll fly over.”

I turned to look at him and suddenly felt that this man probably had no idea what restraint meant.

And because of that, the sense of safety he gave me was impossible to miss.

My parents were already waiting at home.

The moment Lucien entered, he greeted my parents with almost excessive formality.

His English pronunciation was not perfect, but his attitude was so earnest that even my father, who was

notoriously hard to please, could not help smiling when Lucien misplaced the stress on one word.

Dinner was unexpectedly relaxed.

Lucien remembered that my father drank tea instead of alcohol. He remembered that my mother did not like

overly sweet desserts. He even knew how to cover for me when I picked at my food.

Halfway through dinner, my mother went to tell the kitchen to bring out the soup. I got up to follow her, but

she pulled me aside.

“This fiancé of yours,” she whispered, her eyes full of amusement, “did he come here to steal our daughter, or is he reporting for duty?”

I felt the corner of my mouth lift before I could stop it. “Is there a difference?”

“A very big one.” My mother straightened my collar for me. “The first means he likes you. The second

means he likes you and knows how to take care of you.”

Warmth stirred quietly in my chest.

After dinner, I still had to go to The Ridge Club to confirm the final menu tasting for the next day.

Lucien should have been sleeping off the jet lag, so I told him to stay home. Instead, he picked up his suit jacket and followed me into the car as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Doesn’t the fiancé get to help with the planning?”

I had no answer for that, so I could only bring him along.

Halfway there, while I was still looking down at the schedule, Lucien suddenly reached over and took the papers from my hand.

“What are you doing?”

“Checking it for you.” He flipped through two pages, his tone calm, as if this were completely ordinary.

“There are too many desserts at your mother’s table. The Whitmores and Wards should be handled in the

second round of introductions. Also…”

His fingertip tapped the lower right corner.

“You crossed out your own rest time.”

I paused. “It’s only half an hour later.”

“No.” He looked up at me. “Tomorrow, all you need to do is stand where you’re supposed to stand. Leave

everything else to the staff.”

He said it with such certainty that, for a moment, I did not know how to argue.

The manager of The Ridge Club came over the moment he saw me and was just about to report when

someone called my name from behind.

“Sera.”

I turned and saw Evander.

He had probably come to meet a business partner, and a few hospital administrators stood beside him. His gaze landed on me first, then slowly moved to Lucien beside me.

The air went still for two seconds.

Before I could speak, Lucien had already stepped forward and offered his hand.

“Hello,” he said in English. “Lucien Beaumont.”

Evander did not shake his hand right away.

He looked at Lucien, then at me, and for the first time, a rare, almost helpless confusion entered his eyes.

“He’s…”

I turned slightly and looked at the man standing beside me.

Lucien wore the cufflinks I had just given him. His expression was calm, but his hand remained steady at the small of my back.

At that moment, I no longer wanted to leave any ambiguity for anyone.

“Let me introduce him.” I curved my lips. “Lucien Beaumont, my fiancé.”

Evander stood there for a long time without speaking.

In that instant, The Ridge Club was as bright as daylight.

But when he looked at me, his eyes looked as if he had only just woken from a very long dream.