Page 58 of A Win-Win Situation

"Oh Lucas, there you are. I’m happy to see you."

Unlikely—she’s almost as conniving as her father. If not for the vote, I would believe this whole charade was her idea.

"Are you here alone? I don’t see your wife," she hisses like the snake she is.

"Don’t worry, she’s here," I reply calmly, trying to hide my irritation with her.

"Who would have thought that Lucas Ayoub would get married out of nowhere? I certainly didn't peg you as the type of man who settles." Melina sneers at me, her voice dripping with venom.

I raise an eyebrow at her. "Settled? I don't settle, Melina."

She scoffs, "Please, Lucas. You’re not fooling anyone."

I lean toward her, my voice low as I say, "I’m sorry to disappoint you, Melina, but my marriage is none of your business."

She attempts to sit down in the empty seat next to me, but I stop her, giving her a tight-lipped smile. "You can’t sit here."

"Oh, I didn’t know we had designated seats."

"Every seat next to me is reserved for my wife, and my wife only."

Her face flushes with anger, but before she can respond a voice interrupts.

"Hello."

Leora's voice comes out soft and polite as she introduces herself. Melina’s eyes scan her up and down, probably trying to find something to criticize, but she can’t come up with a single thing.

"Oh, the wife," she says in a condescending tone. A knowing look graces Leora's face. She remembers her from the club.

Melina’s gaze lingers on Leora’s hand, and a mean smirk grows on her face. "Cute ring."

"Thank you" Leora says quirking a brow. "Now, would you please move? That’s my seat."

Melina rolls her eyes. "Whatever." She huffs and moves to another seat, shooting daggers at us both with her eyes.

I can't help but feel a sense of satisfaction as Leora calmly takes the seat next to me, not even acknowledging Melina's comment

"Who was that?" she asks, pretending not to remember her.

"That was Melina, Michel’s daughter," I reply, trying to keep my tone neutral.

Leora’s eyebrows furrow in confusion. "Why was she so rude?"

I grimace. "Melina is also my ex-girlfriend."

"Your ex?" Leora's eyes widen in surprise, but she quickly composes herself. "I see."

I can tell she's trying to process the information, but before she can say anything else, the person on Leora’s left introduces himself and they start to discuss our wedding. I can see Leora nodding and smiling politely, but her mind seems to beelsewhere. Her hands are clutching her bag in a death grip. Weird—very weird.

What’s wrong? It’s possible she’s just nervous or anxious?

When their conversation dies down, she turns her gaze toward me, and a warm smile graces her lips. In that shared glance, her eyes soften, and I feel a sense of relief washing over me.

"Are you okay?" I ask to double check.

"Yes, I’m fine."

Fine.The word rings in my ears, and I know it's not always as straightforward as it seems when it comes to women. Fine could mean a multitude of things—hurt, upset, or disappointed.

---