Chapter 24 4 Realizing her thoughts were starting to spiral , Luciana took a breath and forced herself to refocus . She ducked her head to hide the flustered look on her face and grabbed a backup pencil . She picked up the pace . Two , maybe three hours later , the finished sketch came to life on paper . It was so realistic it looked like the husky might jump off the page at any second . Alicia was beyond thrilled with the result . Without hesitation , she transferred six thousand dollars straight to Luciana's phone . Luciana looked embarrassed . " Alicia , this is way too much … Something like this usually only goes for two or three hundred dollars . " " Oh , please . " Alicia waved her off . " Top design student at Jorendale University sketching my GoGo ? That's a privilege . It's worth every cent . " To be honest , whether Thiago actually liked Luciana or not , Alicia found herself genuinely enjoying Luciana's company . They just seemed to vibe . There was no forced energy , no awkwardness . It was easy to be around her . Thiago , off to the side , muttered irritably , " c kids . " you please rename your damn dog ? The day he gets snipped , I'll feel like I just lost my future Alicia ignored him and pulled Luciana over to sit . " I had my manager send over food . Look at the time - it's almost evening and you haven't even had lunch . I'd feel like a monster if I let you leave hungry . Come on , eat something first . " Luciana glanced at Thiago . He happened to be looking at her too , which made her quickly shift her gaze and stand up . " No , really - it's fine . I don't want to intrude … " Thiago's voice cut in , slow and lazy . " Luciana , did you already forget what you left with my shirt the other day ? " Luciana instantly piped down . " Sit down . Eat first . Then go . " " … Okay . " A few minutes later , Alicia's manager , Elise Young , showed up with a massive spread from The Court , one of the city's most famous restaurants . The three of them gathered around the table . Luciana made sure to sit next to Alicia , putting as much space between herself and Thiago as possible . While they ate , Alicia kept casually chatting with her . " So , Luciana , does the design department have more guys or girls ? " Luciana answered between bites , " It's pretty even , actually . It's not like the engineering department where it's mostly guys . " " Hmm , makes sense . And with you being so pretty , you must have tons of guys after you , right ? " Luciana didn't know how to reply to that . " Come on , spill ! I've been feeling nostalgic lately . I'm thinking of doing a college romance drama . " As she spoke , Alicia reached over to put some food onto Luciana's plate . The next second , her cutlery was knocked right out of her hand . She stared wide - eyed at Thiago . " What the hell is wrong with you ? " Thiago gave her a bland look . " She's allergic to zucchini . Don't give her that . " Luciana froze, totally thrown . She blurted out , " How do you know I'm allergic to zucchini ? " Thiago shot back , " You always complain about the rashes but still eat it anyway . " She wanted to curl up and disappear into the floor . She was allergic to zucchini , but she loved it . She would always sneak a bite , only to break out in itchy red rashes on her arms . From then on , she kept quiet . She shoveled the food into her mouth with silent urgency . She didn't even chew loudly . She just wanted this meal to end already so that she could leave , She didn't get why she was trying so hard to avoid Thiago , yet somehow , he kept showing up in her life anyway . If she had known this would happen , she never would've come here to sketch that husky . Maybe that spark she felt the moment they reconnected had always been doomed to burn out of control . Thiago seemed to sense her thoughts . His expression darkened slightly . He didn't even mean to react like that , but he couldn't stop himselt . When the meal finally wrapped up , he pushed back his chair and stood . " Luciana , I'll drive you home . " Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!