Loveless Marriage

Chapter 6  Luke

Shortly after, the other party’s representative arrived. Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

The representative was a Frenchman, but his assistant and two bosses were not. One of the tall men

appeared familiar to Isabella, but she wasn’t sure if they had met before.

The man recognized her. He said with a smile, “Hello, Isabella.”

Looking into his warm and smiling eyes, Isabella finally remembered who he was.

It was Luke, her father's former student who used to work at the court. He could be considered her

father’s apprentice, but Luke had moved to Switzerland because of his family business and hadn’t

returned since.

“Hello, Luke.” Isabella smiled back at him.

As it was a business negotiation, the two of them couldn’t reminisce about old times. They could only

have a chat in private later.

Isabella sat by Mr. Stock, listening to the other representative attentively and translating for Mr. Stock.

Then, she would translate Mr. Stock’s reply for the other representative.

This was a huge test of her listening skills. Not to mention, due to the difference in languages, some

parts might end up lost in translation. Isabella tried her best to interpret the negotiation as concisely as

possible so that both sides could understand each other.

Midway through the negotiation, the men were in high spirits and began to deliver toasts. Isabella

accepted all the alcohol on Mr. Stock’s behalf. However, she was still on her period, so her face turned

pale when she drank the cold drink.

Luke glanced at Isabella, then whispered a few words to the representative. After that, the number of

toasts reduced. Isabella was relieved that she could finally catch a break.

Within an hour and a half, the negotiation wrapped up successfully and both parties signed the

contract.

Seeing as there was nothing more that she could do, Isabella informed Mr. Stock that she was going to

the washroom. She wanted to have a cigarette but realized that she had left her bag in the room, so

she just washed her hands and left.

In the corridor, she bumped into Luke.

Isabella greeted him first. “Luke, thank you for just now.” If Luke had not helped her out, she might be

drunk and throwing up into the toilet right now.

“No worries.” Luke smiled. Seeing her wet hands, he offered her a handkerchief. "You might catch a

cold if you leave your hands wet."

Isabella accepted the handkerchief easily and wiped her hands. She joked, “I remember seeing you

carry a handkerchief around a lot back then. I didn't expect you to still do it.”

“It’s a habit. Also, it’s sanitary.” They walked back to the room side by side. “When I came back, I heard

about what happened to your father, but I didn’t have your number, so I couldn’t get in contact with

you.”

“He deserved it,” she said expressionlessly. “Luke, you don’t need to sympathize with him. He was

greedy and didn’t know how to appreciate his position."

Sighing, Luke gave her a business card. “I heard that your father hasn't been sentenced yet, so if you

need any help, please let me know. After all, he was my teacher for many years.”

Isabella hesitated before accepting the card.

When she saw him earlier, she had considered asking him for a loan, but two million dollars wasn’t a

small amount. Further, her father had been his teacher; it was too embarrassing to ask.

“Thank you. I will come to you if I need help.” Isabella dismissed the idea of borrowing money and

changed the subject. “I heard that you got married soon after you went to Switzerland. How’s that

going?”

“Not great.” A wry smile appeared on his cold face. “My wife was too wild, and I couldn't get her under

control. Sometimes, three men would come looking for her in one day. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I

filed for divorce.”

“......”

Isabella hadn’t expected to hear that. She was taken aback. “Didn’t you have a child with her? What

happened to your child after the divorce?”

“I was afraid that she would be a bad influence on my daughter, so I gave her half of my assets in

exchange for full custody. When I returned here, I brought my daughter with me too. I plan to stay here

for some time.”

”Seeing Isabella’s frown, Luke appeared a little embarrassed. He laughed and said, “Isabella, don’t feel

bad for asking. It’s not a big deal. If things don’t work out between a married couple, it’s only natural

that they get divorced.

Isabella smiled and said nothing.