Chapter 51 We All Know Now

Lorna's heart grew heavier with every thought, reflecting her unwillingness to accept reality. She had grown up alongside Luke, yet someone else had swiftly stepped in and taken her place. Still basking in the joy of learning that his son had a girlfriend, Robert failed to notice his daughter's troubled mood. After ending his phone call, he approached Lorna to share his delight. "I'm truly happy your brother has a girlfriend now." Lorna responded unenthusiastically. "I saw." "We'll have to ask your mother what gift to give. What do girls generally like?" Lorna answered absentmindedly, "Dresses, jewelry, that sort of thing." She felt immense pain at the mere thought of Luke kneeling before another woman, as if her heart was bleeding. Following the warning she had received, Lorna dared not act rashly. Now, just being near Luke and seeing him daily was enough to content her heart. Robert shook his head. "No, that won't do." "Then you should ask Mother. I'm done eating." Meanwhile, Floriana was experiencing a similar turmoil. She thought, 'I was the one engaged to Luke first, so it should never be that wretched woman's turn!' That morning, Floriana rose, eager to try on the dresses she had recently ordered. But upon picking up her phone and seeing those updates, she was so infuriated that she hurled the phone away, shattering it to pieces. She told herself that she must find a way to win Luke back, convinced that Charlotte was unworthy of such a good man. Right after Caelan hung up his phone, Sofia's began to ring. "You, girl, when I'm not watching, you really become lawless, don't you?" Sofia, hearing her mother's voice on the other end, was startled and sat up in bed. "Mom, what are you talking about?" "You're trying to hide it from me, but I've seen everything." Still half-asleep and confused, Sofia couldn't grasp her mother's words. "I really don't know what you're saying." "Where are you now?" Sofia glanced around her surroundings and was about to answer when she saw Caelan emerge from the bathroom, stark naked. It was then that she remembered being in a relationship. "I-I'm at Tropis Island. Is there a reason you called me this early?" "We all know about what you did last night. When will you bring your boyfriend home to meet us?" "Ah?" Sofia, panicking, quickly checked the day's headlines, where videos of their previous night's proposals and confessions had gone viral. "So that's it. We'll see about the time. He's usually busy with frequent business trips. When we have time, I'll bring him over." Sofia's mother, Miya Seed, laughed heartily over the phone. "Didn't you say you didn't have a boyfriend? How come you moved so fast? You got a boyfriend and didn't even think to bring him home for us to see, making us nag you every day." Sofia's expression mirrored Caelan's earlier one. "Mom, I just got together with him yesterday. It hasn't even been 24 hours. How was I supposed to tell you?" Miya's words, similar to Robert's, struck a similar chord. "I don't believe what you're saying. If you've been together for only a day, how could it have caused such a stir? The way you two look so familiar with each other, it must have been much longer." Sofia was momentarily speechless, unsure how to explain to her mother. She scratched her head in confusion, while Caelan, having already gone through this, chuckled at her side. Even without eavesdropping, he knew what was being said on the other end of the phone. Sofia insisted, "I'm telling the truth; we just got together last night." "Whatever you say. If you won't admit it, that's fine. Just don't forget to bring him home for us to see." "I know, Mom." "Alright, have fun. If you run out of money, just let us know." Sofia sighed resignedly. "That's impossible, Mom. You don't have to worry about me." "Okay, I won't keep you, I'm going shopping. Have fun over there and enjoy yourselves." Sofia ended the call and buried herself back under the covers. Caelan watched her with a hint of glee. "When do you plan to take me home?" Sofia glanced at him irritably. "Take you home? Sleep!" After saying that, she ignored him, intending to go back to sleep. Caelan, unable to sleep, sat at the bed's edge, occasionally glancing at Sofia and reaffirming their relationship in his mind. Over an hour later, when Sofia finally woke up, she was startled to see someone sitting beside her. "Why are you here?" Caelan leaned in closer. "What do you think?" Sofia, now a bit more awake, remembered that she was indeed in a relationship. She blushed slightly. "Right, I remember now. I'll get up then. Could you step out for a moment?" Caelan remained seated at the edge of the bed, staring directly at her. "I need to change clothes. Could you please step out?" "Now that we've been so open with each other, do you still want me to leave?" Sofia was genuinely shy. She had never had such an experience before and wasn't accustomed to changing in front of someone else, feeling awkward about it. It was all happening so fast, and she was still trying to adjust. "Alright then, you can stay and watch." Caelan watched intently as Sofia picked out her clothes and dressed herself, only standing up once she was fully clothed. The weather being beautiful that day, they headed straight for the beach after getting ready, planning to swim. Luke and Caelan brought out fishing gear, taking advantage of the perfect weather for sea fishing. They even took the time to tidy up the yacht. Caelan looked over the equipment. "You're really well-prepared." Luke continued his work. "I prepared these a long time ago, hoping to use them someday. Who knew that you would be the first to bring them out after all these years? The yacht is also making its maiden voyage today." Charlotte and Sofia were still inside the villa, changing into their swimsuits. When they came out, they each had a shawl draped over their swimwear. The villa, located right on the beach, made the area private. He had spent a considerable amount of money when he bought it and thought he would never use it in his lifetime. Once everyone was aboard the yacht, Luke took them to a more distant location. After spotting a reef with a place to land, they disembarked.