Luca’s arms tightened instinctively around Arabella.

Her body felt wrong, cold and wrong in a way that jolted him wide awake. Her clothes were soaked through, clinging to her skin, and she was shivering violently. When he pressed his palm to her forehead, the heat hit him like a shock.

"Damn it..."

She was burning up. At least thirty-nine degrees, maybe more. He had completely misread the current situation.

There had been no hidden meaning. No invitation. She had simply been exhausted and freezing, and his mind had twisted it into something else.

At that moment, Arabella looked frighteningly fragile. Her lips were pale, her body ice-cold against his, yet her forehead radiated heat. Luca’s stomach dropped. They needed a hospital...now. The usual remedies in the car wouldn’t be enough.

He climbed into the back of the G-Wagon, grabbed every warm piece of clothing he’d packed, and pulled her close. Gently, he patted her flushed cheek. "Arabella, can you hear me?"

"Hmm?" She squinted up at him, eyes heavy with effort.

A small wave of relief washed through him. She was still conscious. "I need to get you out of these wet clothes and into something dry. Is that okay?"

"Okay..." she murmured, no hesitation in her voice.

Luca moved quickly but carefully. He unzipped the back of her dress, revealing her smooth back, then helped her out of the soaked fabric. There was no time to linger on anything else. He dressed her in his own dry shirt and pants, wrapped his heavy coat around her, and buckled her seat belt. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Don’t worry," he said, voice steady as he started the engine. "I’m taking you to a clinic right now."

The G-Wagon roared through the pouring rain, slicing down the highway. Ten minutes later, Luca spotted the exit, followed the navigation, and pulled up to the nearest municipal hospital.

"Doctor! We need help!"

He killed the engine, scooped Arabella into his arms, and ran for the emergency entrance. A doctor in a white coat hurried over.

"What’s happening?" the doctor asked.

"She got caught in the storm and spiked a dangerous fever," Luca explained quickly.

"Bring her this way."

While the nurses took her temperature, 39.8°C, Luca waited, heart pounding. Thankfully, they had arrived in time. As Arabella finally settled into a hospital bed with an IV in her arm, sleeping peacefully, Luca let out a long breath. This quiet girl had scared the hell out of him tonight.

Only then did he notice the delayed system notification hovering in his vision:

[DING!]

[The host has successfully authorized emergency medical expenditure for Arabella Windsor. Reward granted: An absolute 15% controlling stake in Octaveo Pharmaceutical!]

Exhaustion crashed over him. He pulled a chair beside her bed, rested his head down, and fell into a deep sleep.

---

The next morning, Luca woke to find Arabella already sitting up against the pillows, watching him quietly.

"Why didn’t you wake me?" he asked, rubbing his temples.

"You looked like you needed the rest," she said. Her intense gaze softened just a little.

Even through the fever the night before, she had been aware enough to remember everything—him changing her clothes, carrying her inside. The memory of his hands on her bare skin brought a flicker of shyness, but it was quickly drowned out by the warmth of how desperately he had fought to help her. ’Luca Hale... who are you really?’

"Are you feeling any better?" He stood and pressed his palm to her forehead without thinking. "Fever’s gone down. That’s good."

Arabella stared straight at him, tracking his every movement with those sharp eyes. Luca suddenly realized how intimate the gesture was and pulled his hand back, touching his nose with an awkward smile. "Sorry. I was just worried. Didn’t mean to cross any lines."

She shook her head calmly. "It’s fine. After all, there isn’t much of me you didn’t see last night."

Luca blinked. "That was a medical emergency! And I asked you first." He paused. "Could you at least pretend to be a little shy about it? Just for my sake?"

"Believe it or not, I am feeling quite shy right now," she said, face perfectly composed.

He stared at her serene expression, no blush, no fidgeting, and couldn’t help but laugh. ’My mother was right. The more beautiful they are, the better they are at lying with a straight face.’

"What?" Arabella asked, frowning slightly.

"Nothing," Luca said, still grinning.

Later, she quietly explained what had happened. She had only stepped out to use the service station restroom. The wind had been brutal, and even with an umbrella, the rain had drenched her in seconds. She’d planned to dry off in the car’s heater but had fallen asleep, leading to the fever.

Though her temperature had dropped, she still looked drained. Luca decided they should stay one more night at the hospital before heading back to San Fierro.

He stepped aside to call Director William Harrington at San Fierro Kanda Hospital, explaining the delay. The director was understanding and told him not to rush. Arabella overheard the easy, authoritative tone of the conversation and felt a quiet surge of surprise. Director Harrington of the prestigious San Fierro Kanda Hospital was absolutely not an ordinary physician that someone could simply schedule a meeting with whenever they felt like it. Yet Luca Hale was currently speaking to such a legendary medical authority as an absolute corporate equal. Who exactly was Luca Hale?

She kept her curiosity to herself. If he wanted her to know, he would tell her.

That afternoon, messages came in from Sophie and Naomi. Sophie’s was warm and full of longing; Naomi’s was more casual but couldn’t quite hide her excitement about his return. Luca smiled as he replied to both. ’Being this good-looking and capable really does come with its complications.’

The next morning, after a peaceful breakfast together in the VIP ward, they set off again. The G-Wagon rolled smoothly along the highway and reached San Fierro by mid-afternoon. As they drove onto the San Fierro University campus, hundreds of curious students turned to watch the sleek black vehicle glide past the main buildings toward the women’s dormitories.