The blonde woman went pale the moment Luca’s gaze settled on her.

Until now, she’d been desperately hoping Damian would take all the blame. The second his finger pointed in her direction, that hope shattered.

A chill ran down her spine.

Instinctively, she took a step back.

"Cuz..." Lisa spoke quietly beside Luca. "She’s my classmate. Chloe Ross."

Luca didn’t take his eyes off Chloe.

"Tell me exactly what happened."

His voice was calm, but somehow that made it more intimidating.

Lisa took a breath.

"I needed money for school expenses," she began. "Chloe told me she knew someone who could help me find a high-paying hospital job."

Her voice trembled slightly.

"I trusted her."

The memory clearly made her uncomfortable.

"When we got here, I thought this was just a meeting place. But the moment I realized what kind of place it was, I tried to leave."

She swallowed.

"She grabbed my wrist and wouldn’t let me go."

The room fell silent.

Lisa lowered her head.

"I kept telling her I wasn’t interested, but she wouldn’t listen."

The more Luca listened, the colder his expression became.

He had wondered how someone as sensible as Lisa ended up in a place like this.

Now he had his answer.

She hadn’t walked into it willingly.

She’d been led here by someone she trusted.

Sold out by her own friend.

Luca finally looked at Chloe.

"Is that true?"

Chloe immediately shook her head.

"No! That’s not what happened!"

Her voice came out higher than normal.

"I just brought her here to meet people. I thought she could make connections and earn some money. I never meant for anything like this to happen."

Luca looked down at her with pure disgust.

"Do you think I’m an idiot?"

His voice remained flat.

That frightened her more than if he’d shouted.

"I..."

Chloe opened her mouth but couldn’t finish.

She felt as if any wrong statement from now could have dire consequences.

Her fear was strengthed by the realization that nobody in this room was going to help her.

Not Damian.

Not the hostesses.

Not anyone.

Desperately, she looked toward Lisa.

Their eyes met.

For a brief moment, Chloe thought she saw hesitation.

Then Lisa turned away.

Completely.

The last bit of hope inside Chloe disappeared.

Lisa wasn’t stupid.

Damian had already admitted Chloe received money for bringing her here.

The moment she connected everything together, she understood exactly what had happened.

Whatever friendship they once had was over.

Without another word, Luca pulled out his phone.

The room watched quietly as he dialed a number.

The call connected almost immediately.

"Good evening, Mr. Hale."

Director William Harrington’s respectful voice sounded through the speaker.

"What can I do for you?"

Luca spoke calmly.

"Director Harrington, do you have any influence at San Fierro Medical University?"

A chuckle came from the other side.

"A little more than influence. I’m currently serving as an honorary vice president on the university board."

"Good."

Luca glanced toward Chloe.

"There’s a student named Chloe, Chloe Ross."

The girl’s face instantly lost all color.

"I want her removed."

The room froze.

Director Harrington didn’t even hesitate.

"Understood."

"I’ll handle it personally tomorrow morning."

The call ended.

Simple.

Direct.

No questions asked.

"No!"

Chloe practically collapsed.

She crawled forward on her knees.

"Mr. Hale, please!"

Her voice broke.

"I was wrong!"

Tears streamed down her face.

"Hit me if you want. Attack me. Do whatever you want."

She shook uncontrollably.

"But please don’t expel me."

For the first time that night, her fear looked genuine.

Years of studying.

Years of exams.

Years of effort.

All of it could disappear with a single phone call.

"Please..."

Her voice cracked.

"I worked so hard to get into medical school."

Nobody responded.

Panicking, Chloe turned toward Lisa.

"Lisa!"

She crawled closer.

"We’re friends."

Her hands reached for Lisa’s arm.

"Please help me."

"Please tell your cousin to forgive me."

Before she could touch her, Luca stepped forward.

He grabbed her wrist and dragged her up.

Not violently.

Just enough to stop her.

The warning in his eyes was enough.

"Don’t touch her."

Chloe froze.

Luca released her.

"Leave."

His voice was ice cold.

"This ends here."

A pause.

Then he added:

"If you keep pushing your luck, I’ll call the police and let them investigate everything."

The threat hit harder than any slap.

Human trafficking wasn’t something that disappeared with money.

Chloe knew that.

Everyone knew that.

Her body trembled.

After several seconds, she slowly reached into her purse.

A bundle of cash appeared.

One thousand dollars.

The exact amount Damian had paid.

She placed it on the table.

Then, without another word, she lowered her head and walked out.

The suite remained silent until the door closed behind her.

Austin finally spoke.

"Want me to have someone deal with her or nah?"

Luca shook his head.

"No."

His attention shifted toward Damian.

He was still kneeling on the floor.

"Mr. Hawthorne."

Damian immediately straightened.

"Y-Yes?"

Luca’s gaze was calm.

Too calm.

"Take tonight as a lesson."

Damian nodded frantically.

"If anything like this happens again, I won’t be this patient."

A shiver ran through Damian’s body.

"Understood."

"I swear it won’t happen again."

"Good."

Luca placed an arm around Lisa’s shoulders.

Only then did the atmosphere in the room finally ease.

He looked toward Austin and the others.

"Let’s go."

Nobody objected.

The moment Luca and the group left the suite, Damian collapsed backward onto the sofa.

His shirt was soaked with sweat and his own blood.

For several seconds, all he could do was breathe before calling for medical help.

The fear hadn’t left him yet.

"That bastard Luca, I know your name now and I won’t be forgetting it too soon either." He murmured to himself with intent.

Outside, the neon lights of the lounge painted the lobby in shifting colors.

The atmosphere felt completely different from the suffocating tension inside the suite.

Luca stopped near the entrance.

"I’m taking Lisa home."

He smiled faintly at Austin and the others.

"We’ll do this another time, maybe without the whole drama and such."

Austin laughed.

"Definitely."

The others nodded in agreement.

As they parted ways, Lisa suddenly stopped walking.

Her eyes were fixed on something nearby.

Specifically, the carbon-fiber monster parked in the VIP valet area.

The Koenigsegg One:1.

Even under the city lights, it looked unreal.

"No way..."

She pointed.

"That’s yours?"

Luca followed her gaze.

"It is."

Lisa stared at the hypercar.

She didn’t know much about cars, but even she could tell it was absurdly expensive.

"That looks like it costs a million dollars"

Luca laughed

"Way more"

The realization left her speechless.

A few minutes later, Luca opened the passenger door for her.

She climbed in mechanically, still trying to process everything she’d seen tonight.

The car pulled away from Crimson Velvet Lounge and merged into the flow of city traffic.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

Lisa watched the lights outside the window.

Then she glanced at Luca.

The more she thought about it, the stranger it felt.

The cousin she remembered and the man sitting beside her now seemed like two completely different people.

Austin Silva.

Gavin Ross.

Dominic Jose.

Ayden Young.

All of them treated Luca as an equal.

Even Director Harrington had responded immediately to a single phone call.

The influence.

The wealth.

The confidence.

It was difficult to connect any of it to the cousin she remembered from years ago.

"What?" Luca asked, noticing her staring.

Lisa quickly looked away.

"Nothing."

A smile tugged at her lips.

"I was just thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

She grinned mischievously.

"You’ve changed a lot."

Luca chuckled.

"I’ve heard that alot recently."

Lisa leaned back comfortably.

Then another thought crossed her mind.

Her grin widened.

"By the way..."

"Hm?"

She tilted her head.

"Isn’t your wife going to be angry that you’re hanging around nightclubs this late?"

Luca blinked.

Then a strange look appeared on his face.

"Which wife are you talking about?"

Lisa stared.

"What do you mean which wife?"

She laughed.

"Vanessa, obviously."

After all, Vanessa was the only woman she’d ever known as Luca’s girlfriend back in the day.

As far as Lisa knew, there wasn’t any other possible answer.