The next day, Luca Hale received an unexpected call from Benjamin Caldwell.

The old fox wanted to invite him to Octaveo Pharmaceutical’s shareholders’ meeting the following morning. As the owner of fifteen percent of the company’s shares, Luca was now its third-largest shareholder, so his attendance was only natural.

"Mr. Hale, then it’s settled," Benjamin said with a confident chuckle. "You won’t be taking sides. Once I become chairman, I’ll make sure your dividends double."

"Don’t worry," Luca replied calmly. "I’m a man of my word."

After lunch, Austin Silva returned the Koenigsegg One:1.

Luca accepted the keys and was about to see him off when something beneath the passenger seat caught his eye. He bent down and pulled out a crimson designer handbag.

"Hm..."

Austin’s heart skipped a beat.

"Bro Luca... what’s wrong?" he asked nervously. "Did we damage something?"

He looked so anxious that cold sweat had already begun forming on his forehead. Even the smallest scratch on a Koenigsegg would cost a fortune to repair.

Luca smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Relax. The car’s fine." He lifted the handbag slightly. "I’m just wondering whose this is."

Austin let out a helpless sigh.

"To be honest... more than just the four of us drove the car last night."

He quickly explained.

During the race, they had run into a woman driving a Ferrari 599. The moment she saw the Koenigsegg One:1, she insisted on taking it for a few laps. Since everyone knew each other and none of them wanted to offend her, they reluctantly agreed.

Hearing "Ferrari 599," Luca immediately recalled the red sports car he had seen a few days earlier. His first thought had been Arabella Windsor, but Arabella hardly seemed like someone who enjoyed street racing. That meant it had to be someone else’s.

"So this bag belongs to her?" Luca asked.

Austin nodded.

"Yeah. It’s Sister Vivienne’s."

Luca paused.

"Sister Vivienne?" His eyes narrowed slightly. "You mean Vivienne, the chairwoman of Octaveo Pharmaceutical?"

Austin blinked in surprise.

"You know her too, Bro Luca?"

"I don’t know her personally," Luca replied, shaking his head. "I’ve only heard about her situation. Her father got terminal cancer and passed down ownership of his company to her, and she’s been having a difficult time keeping control of Octaveo Pharmaceutical."

Considering Benjamin Caldwell had just invited him to a shareholders’ meeting that morning, the timing was hardly a coincidence.

Austin sighed.

"Yeah... she’s really having a rough time. If it weren’t for the Caldwell family, Sister Vivienne wouldn’t be under this much pressure."

Luca nodded absentmindedly.

Who ended up controlling Octaveo Pharmaceutical had nothing to do with him. As far as he was concerned, he was just another shareholder watching the show unfold.

He casually reached out to hand the handbag back.

Then his movement froze.

Attached to one of the shoulder straps was a small photo card.

The instant Luca’s eyes landed on the woman in the picture, his entire body stiffened.

His breathing caught.

His fingers trembled almost imperceptibly.

He stared at Austin.

"...This is Vivienne?"

"Yeah." Austin looked at him in confusion. "Bro Luca... is something wrong?"

He had never seen Luca react like this before. Luca was usually calm no matter what happened, yet now genuine emotion flickered across his face.

Could he actually know Sister Vivienne?

Luca slowly suppressed the surge of emotion in his chest.

"...It’s nothing."

After exchanging a few more words, Austin drove away.

Back inside the villa, Luca placed the handbag gently on the bedside table before picking up the photo card once more.

The woman in the picture had long burgundy waves cascading over her shoulders. She wore a simple crimson dress without any extravagant accessories, yet she possessed a breathtaking beauty that was impossible to ignore.

She stood quietly before the camera, her expression cool and indifferent, as though nothing in the world deserved her attention.

She looked almost otherworldly.

A smile slowly spread across Luca’s face.

"So... I’ve finally found you."

Vivienne.

She was the mysterious woman he’d spent a passionate night with after hitting rock bottom, when both his career and relationship had collapsed.

They had barely exchanged more than a handful of words that night.

Yet every smile she wore, every glance she gave him, and every graceful movement had remained engraved in his memory ever since.

Most importantly...

That night had also been her first time.

Luca gently brushed his thumb across the edge of the photograph.

’Vivienne....’

’No one gets to bully you.’

His eyes gradually turned cold.

’Benjamin Caldwell... your plan was almost perfect.’

’Unfortunately for you... you’ve chosen the wrong opponent.’

As for keeping his promise?

Luca let out a quiet laugh.

’Honesty doesn’t apply to people who think they can trample over my woman.’

All of a sudden Luca had chosen a side for the power struggle of Octaveo Pharmaceutical.

...

The following morning, Luca got up early, drove Naomi Monroe back to Golden Water Bay, then headed alone toward Octaveo Pharmaceutical.

Morning rush hour had completely swallowed the city.

Cars stretched endlessly along every major road, turning what should have been a forty-minute drive into nearly an hour and a half.

Octaveo Pharmaceutical was the largest pharmaceutical company in San Fierro.

Its products supplied hospitals throughout the city and neighboring provinces, giving it tremendous influence across the regional medical industry.

However, after its founder’s sudden illness, the company’s stock price had steadily declined, falling far from its former peak.

Luca had barely parked his Mercedes-Benz G-Class when a white BMW pulled into the neighboring space.

The driver’s door opened, and Miss Brooks stepped out.

She wore light makeup, but it couldn’t conceal the exhaustion beneath her eyes. Even from several meters away, the fatigue and worry on her face were unmistakable.

Luca smiled and raised a hand.

"Good morning, Miss Brooks."

Hearing the familiar voice, Miss Brooks turned around.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Mr. Hale?" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

She couldn’t help feeling puzzled.

Today’s shareholders’ meeting had nothing to do with San Fierro Kanda Hospital, and she couldn’t think of anyone in Octaveo Pharmaceutical influential enough to invite Luca personally.

Unless...

There was another reason he had come.