Chapter 06 Memories

Still a bit woozy, I returned to the gathering. Big Joe immediately grabbed my arm, "You okay, Madeline?"

Rubbing my aching stomach, I whispered, "Sorry, Big Joe, I had stomach surgery before; can't really handle much to drink."

As he furrowed his brow, concerned, his gaze shifted down to the embossed card in my hand.

His eyes widened in disbelief. "Is that Mr. Xavier's personal card?!"

I nodded, recalling the earlier encounter.
That card – reputedly so exclusive it promised direct contact with the man himself.

I raised my brow guardedly, my voice quiet yet firm, "Why would Mr. Xavier extend such a rare opportunity to an unknown, small-time journalist like me?"

He tipped the corner of his mouth slightly, "I suppose... I find you rather agreeable."

It was such a Lucas thing to say.

During those two years when I took care of him, I gradually got to know Lucas better.

He would show this wild little temper in front of me from time to time.

Like... at certain moments.

Gritting my teeth, I swallowed the tiny sounds from my lips and grabbed his hair: "You can't see, so stop fidgeting."

Under the dim light, the boy lifted his head slightly, soft strands of hair swept across his unfocused eyes

He licked his lips, his fingers pressed against my neck, pressing gently, and whispered, "Other places are fine, so I need you to be louder, let me hear you."

...

I snapped back to reality and gave Big Joe some hastily made-up excuses.

When I returned to the office the next day, my boss called me over.

With a friendly smile, he said, " Madeline, you know, that popular live relationship show you've heard about? Get ready; you're going as a special guest observer for the next taping."

Then, when I started working on it, the guests scheduled for the next episode were none other than Nicole Zimmerman and Lucas Xavier.

After that interview session, their engagement news made a big splash in the trending searches.

It was a publicity stunt for the show.

The comment section was roaring with excited fans.

"To walk through the low times together, and now to meet at the peak, what a beautiful love story."

"Rumor has it that the Vanderbilt Group was on its last legs before a boost from Xavier Luxury Group brought it back."

"Power couple. You're not human if you don't ship them."

I skimmed through and closed the comments.

Host Daisy was going over the script while making small talk with me:

"If we could dig into the specific story of Mr. Xavier and his fiancée during those two years, it would be great for the show."

...

I gripped the pen tightly, quietly affirming.

I knew every single detail of what happened during those years.

However, I couldn't say a word.