The room fell into a strange silence.
The woman's smile stiffened, her eyes slowly narrowing as she looked between Estrella and Luciano.
"…Your wife?" she repeated.
Estrella didn't move from Luciano's lap. Instead, she adjusted her position slightly, as if she belonged there.
"Is there a problem?" she asked lightly.
The young lady behind the woman clenched her fingers.
Wife?
That clearly did not sit well with her.
Luciano said nothing.
But his arm remained firmly around Estrella's waist.
That alone was an answer.
"Are you joking with me?" the woman questioned.
Estrella pointed to the marriage certificate lying on the table.
The woman reached for it. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she skimmed through it.
Luciano was really married.
"How dare you get married without telling me?" she said, trembling with anger. "I am your mother, for crying out loud!"
So she is Luciano's mother, Estrella thought.
Seeing Luciano's mother's reaction, the young lady immediately understood that the marriage was real.
How could that be?
She was Crystal, the eldest daughter of the Thompson family—the second most powerful family after the Banks family.
She had liked Luciano for so many years. How could he suddenly get married?
Even though she was in denial, she remained calm.
She wasn't going to accept this.
There was no way she was giving up her love.
Luciano was hers—and hers alone.
Luciano's mother, Tania, seemed to have lost control. The next moment, her hand flew toward Estrella's face.
"You little vixen! How dare you seduce my son?"
But Estrella caught her hand mid-air and pushed it away.
Tania stumbled and almost fell, but Crystal quickly caught her.
"Careful, Aunty."
"Does Mrs. Banks not know how to communicate like a normal human being?" Estrella said coldly. "And has to resort to violence? Are you an animal?"
"You!" Tania pointed at her. "Did you just call me an animal?"
She rushed to Luciano's side and grabbed his arm.
"Luciano, she just called your mother an animal. Hurry and deal with her!"
Estrella knew it was rude to speak to an elder like that, and Luciano might get angry.
But when she looked at his face, there was no reaction.
Instead, he snatched his arm away from Tania.
Tania froze.
Had she misjudged the situation?
Unable to take the cold treatment, Tania suddenly sat on the floor and began to wail.
"How could you treat me like this? I am your own mother!"
Luciano remained cold and unmoved.
"Enough of your drama," Chairman Banks said, having had enough of Tania's behavior.
"Get out now," he commanded sternly.
Tania wanted to refuse, but Crystal persuaded her.
"Aunty, you should go home and rest. This won't be good for your image."
Tania cared deeply about her image, so she had no choice but to listen.
"Don't worry," she said, glaring at Estrella. "I will be back for you, vixen!"
She straightened herself and turned to leave.
"Goodbye, Chairman Banks," she said with a slight bow. Then to Luciano, "Goodbye, Mr. Banks," offering an innocent smile.
Her gaze lingered on Estrella.
She could tell she wouldn't be an easy rival.
But she didn't care.
She was going to take that position from her.
It was rightfully hers.
Then she walked out.
Estrella watched her leave, deep in thought.
She could already tell Crystal liked Luciano—and was jealous of her position.
Just then, Luciano's voice broke her thoughts.
"Are you enjoying your sitting position?"
"Hmm?" Estrella turned to him, confused.
Then she realized she was still sitting on his lap.
She quickly stood up.
She had only done that to make the marriage look real.
After all, no wife would sit quietly while another woman was introduced to her husband.
Luciano, however, felt a strange emptiness as she stood.
He missed her faint, fruity scent lingering around him.
He frowned slightly.
What am I thinking? he scolded himself.
She's just a gold digger.
"Did you have to scare her off?" Chairman Banks scolded.
Just then, the door opened and the doctor walked in.
He greeted everyone and said, "I'm here for the ward check."
"Go ahead," Chairman Banks replied.
After a few checks, the doctor announced, "Your body has fully recovered."
"Really?"
"You were never seriously injured in the first place. You can be discharged today."
Chairman Banks let out a relieved breath.
"Finally."
The discharge procedures were completed, and soon he was on his way home.
Luciano decided to escort him back, and Estrella had no choice but to tag along.
A fleet of cars drove out of the hospital, heading toward the Banks' private residence.
Inside one of the cars, Luciano sat with Estrella.
Estrella couldn't help but wonder if they had to go everywhere with escorts.
The rich are so troublesome.
She had caught a glimpse of the Banks family drama today.
Even the mighty Banks family had internal issues.
And she could tell Luciano didn't have a good relationship with his mother.
She wondered why.
But it wasn't hard to guess.
That woman was unreasonable—anyone would struggle to get along with her.
Then a thought crossed her mind.
Where was his father?
She turned to him.
"What about your father?" she asked curiously.
The question made Luciano pause.
He swallowed hard, his expression shifting instantly.
The temperature in the car seemed to drop.
He looked away, his jaw tightening slightly—something dark flickering in his eyes before disappearing behind his usual cold mask.
"Mind your business," he said sharply.
It wasn't just anger.
It was avoidance.
A shield.
Estrella stared at him in surprise, then turned away in irritation.
It was just a question.
Why was he reacting like that?