Chapter 10

During my recovery, Lucas Gray seemed busier than ever.

Every day, his assistant would deliver flowers to my room, always starting with the same ritualistic introduction:

"Miss Ayla, I'm Mr. Gray's assistant."

By the day before I was set to be discharged, the assistant came again, but this time his expression was hesitant.

"Miss Ayla, Mr. Gray has been…" He trailed off, as though carefully choosing his words.

I looked up at him, half-expecting him to say something like, "Mr. Gray hasn't been eating properly and his stomach's acting up."

Instead, he surprised me.

"Mr. Gray has been thinking about you every day," he said. "He's been wondering when you'd be willing to see him."

"He knows that the way he acted that day was, well… overbearing. Like a brute. But that wasn't his intention."

"He's hoping you'll give him a chance to explain."

As he finished, the assistant added in a lower voice, almost conspiratorial:

"And just so you know, Mr. Gray never does anything illegal. He's a law-abiding citizen, through and through."

Lucas seemed to know me too well, like he could see right into my thoughts. He understood exactly what I was afraid of.

After thinking it over, I decided to meet him.

When I arrived at the restaurant, I saw Lucas again.

Today, he looked… different.

There was something refined, almost regal, about his appearance, and for the first time, I couldn't help but notice how good-looking he was.

As I tried to figure out what had changed, he smiled. His tone was calm and gentle.

"I asked you here today to talk about your future plans."

I hadn't expected him to get straight to the point.

He slid a perfectly cut piece of steak onto my plate, his voice soft.

"You didn't get to finish your education. Do you still want to go back to school?"

Hearing the word "school" after so many years made my eyes sting.

"I… I can't," I said, my voice barely audible.

"Because of the face blindness?"

I nodded.

"Then treat it. And if it can't be cured, switch fields. Don't tell me you never brought this up with Kevin."

I had, in fact.

But Kevin had brushed me off, saying, "Ayla, how much money do you think you have? Without me, how could you afford the tuition? Isn't it enough to just stay by my side? Being my girlfriend isn't such a bad deal, is it?"

I lowered my gaze. "No other programs are willing to waive my tuition."

In the most difficult years of my life, I'd lost the one skill I was most proud of.

With my inability to recognize faces, even finding a job was a struggle—let alone going back to school.

But I also knew that this moment, sitting across from Lucas, felt like a second chance.

Taking a deep breath, I asked, "Are you offering to send me back to school?"

A genuine smile lit up his face.

"Yes. But Ayla, let's keep emotions out of this. If I'm going to sponsor you, I expect something in return."

My hands clenched under the table, bracing for the worst.

But Lucas simply smiled and continued:

"Setting emotions aside, I want a capable partner—someone with expertise in psychology. I hope that person will be you."

The words I'd feared never came.

The waiter opened the windows, and the warm summer breeze swept in, carrying the scent of blooming flowers.

For the first time, I felt truly seen—not as a burden, not as someone to pity, but as a person.

I smiled, a genuine smile that I hadn't felt in years.

"Alright."

Lucas's assistant brought out a contract.

In clear black-and-white terms, it outlined our arrangement: Lucas would fund my education, and once I graduated, I'd work as a psychological consultant for his company for three years.

It wasn't an unreasonable deal, but it definitely wasn't an easy one either.

The assistant added, "The Gray Foundation treats all scholarship recipients equally, Miss Ayla. If you have any concerns, feel free to raise them."

I shook my head. "This is more than fair."

With shaky hands, I signed my name beside Lucas's bold signature.

After the assistant left, I noticed Lucas was still staring at me.

"Do you… have something else to say?" I asked cautiously.

He leaned back, his demeanor shifting from professional to playful.

"Now, let's talk about something less… logical."

"Ayla, I'm twenty-eight, and I've always been a man of discipline. That night was my first time."

My face instantly turned as red as a tomato.

"You… you can't just say that!" I stammered, my eyes darting around to make sure no one had heard him.

Lucas tapped the table lightly, unfazed.

"Well, considering how many people in the world are, let's say, ‘used up,' I suppose being taken advantage of isn't the worst thing."

"You don't want me, and I can't force you to. But still, I lost my precious first time. From now on, I'll probably be a broken, loveless man."

I couldn't take it anymore. Bursting out of my seat, I rushed over to him and clamped my hands over his mouth.

"Stop talking!"

He raised an eyebrow, his expression clearly amused.

"What do you want me to do, then?"

The implication in his words made my face burn even hotter. I quickly pulled my hands away, like I'd touched something scalding.

"I… I'll take responsibility," I mumbled.

Lucas smiled, his voice soft and teasing.

"Well, that's the best news I've heard all day."

By now, I'd figured him out. Lucas had a clear line between business and personal matters. Money debts were money debts, and emotional debts were emotional debts.

But the way he went about settling emotional debts? That was a whole different story.

It wasn't until he pulled me into his car that I realized something felt off.

"Wait," I said. "Something about this logic feels… weird."

Lucas leaned back in his seat, completely at ease.

"It's fine. I'm not insisting that you take responsibility."

"If you want to curse me out for being shameless or say I deserved it, that's entirely your choice."

"After all, I'm the one who got involved in this mess. It's my fault for loving someone who doesn't love me back—"

Before he could finish, I slapped my hand over his mouth again, my voice trembling with embarrassment.

"I already said I'll take responsibility!"