Page 39 of Lucas

“Oh! Hi!” She places the leaves in a basket that was previously hidden from my view. “You must be Ava. I’m Lilibeth, the cook at Valeur Manor.”

“You mean for Lucas, or are there other people here?”

“Oh, I cook for the staff, too,” she explains, gesturing toward a cluster of smaller structures set back from the main house. “It takes a lot of people to maintain an estate this size. Only Lucas eats in the main house, though. The rest take their meals in the staff quarters.”

“Fuck, those are his too?” I shield my eyes with my hand, squinting against the bright sunlight as I take in the red brick structures. “Just how far does this property go?”

Lilibeth laughs, the sound rich and melodic. “I’m not sure, to be honest. The grounds are pretty extensive. There’s the horse farm on the east side,” she says, pointing to a distant building, its white walls gleaming in the sun, “and then thereare the agricultural fields that Lucas leases out to local farmers.”

“Wow.” I shake my head, trying to wrap my mind around the sheer scale of it all. I knew Lucas was wealthy, but this...

A glint of glass catches my eye, and I turn to see a large greenhouse nestled amongst a riot of colorful flowers. “And what’s that?” I ask, nodding toward it.

“That’s my pride and joy,” Lilibeth says, her face lighting up. “My vegetable garden. I grow all sorts of fresh herbs and produce in there for my cooking. Basil, rosemary, sage—makes the best tea, let me tell you. And the tomatoes!” She kisses her fingertips like an Italian chef. “Like pure sunshine.”

I smile at her obvious passion, her joy. It’s infectious, cutting through the dark cloud of my mood like a ray of light. “It sounds wonderful. I love to cook, too, actually. Maybe I could help you out sometime?”

She grins. “Oh, honey, I would love that. And I’m so happy Lucas found someone. He lacks a woman’s touch.”

I bite my tongue, resisting the urge to say what I really think. That Lucas doesn’t need a woman. He needs a swift kick in the ass and a lesson in basic manners. But I don’t want to offend this kind woman, don’t want to shatter the illusion of the happy newlyweds.

So instead, I just squeeze her hand and force a smile. “I’m glad he has you looking out for him, Lilibeth. I should get on now. I wanted to take a walk, and now that I know they’re there, I’ll go see the horses.”

“Is there anything you’d like to eat today? I’d be happy to make you whatever you’d like for dinner.”

“I’d love some pasta, actually,” I say, my mouth watering at the thought. “With a rich, decadent mushroom sauce.”

I need comfort food today. Just one day to allow myself to wallow in self-pity over what I’ve done before I pick myself back up.

“Gladly, sweetie. Lucas never eats pasta. It’s a refreshing change.”

“Is he...”

Lilibeth tilts her head, waiting for me to complete the sentence.

“Never mind.” I don’t care if he doesn’t eat pasta, doesn’t like it, or if he’s allergic and will die.

There’s no clause in the contract that dictates what I’m allowed or not allowed to eat for dinners where I’m not required to be in his company, so I’m going to enjoy the amenities here.

I watch Lilibeth return to her basket and continue picking. I peek at the distant stable. I like horses. For a short while, I even took riding lessons as a child and tried to compete, but I didn’t win any prizes, and my father decided it was a waste of time.

There’s no point in wasting time specializing in something you’re not excellent at. Better to find a field you can master and invest your time there.

Always excel.

I examine the crops in the fields as I walk, enjoying the sunlight on my face. This place is beautiful. Maybe I’m trapped here alone for the next week, but I’ll use the time to explore and hike the grounds.

There’s no city noise, no car noise, just quiet and birds. All this nature, and we’re only an hour and a bit drive from the city. I’m still not thrilled to lose all that time commuting every day, but I can see what Lucas finds in this place. It mustbe hard to go back to living in the city after getting used to the lifestyle here. The tranquility.

I struggle to reconcile the tough, lust-filled man I know with this place.

The resentment that filled me until now about being forced to move here dissipates.

Nature has a calming effect on me, almost meditative. Plus, I’m killing two birds with one stone because this way, I don’t have to see Lucas while I’m outside. I can even take my work calls from outside. Everyone at the office knows I’m on my honeymoon, so I only have to deal with urgent matters, and there aren’t many.

There aren’t many because we don’t have enough projects in the works.

I shake my head, refusing to let the worries of business intrude on this moment of peace. I’m determined to make the most of this time, to find some way to center myself before I have to face the reality of my situation again.