The old man invited them to dinner, and during the meal, they had to maintain the image of a married couple.
Luciano pulled out the chair beside him for Estrella to sit.
But Estrella, still angry about what had happened in the car, walked to the other side of the dining table and pulled out a chair for herself.
Luciano glanced at her but said nothing.
He knew she was angry about the incident in the car.
But was she expecting him to apologize?
When had it ever been his place to apologize?
Thinking about her question, he clenched his fist, and his expression darkened.
Chairman Banks watched their interaction and immediately knew there had been a fight between them.
And he didn't need to be told who caused it.
He knew it was his grandson.
Luciano had always had a temper.
He sighed and glared at Luciano.
Luciano simply looked away and focused on his food.
"Are you enjoying the food?" Chairman Banks asked, turning to Estrella.
Estrella nodded. The food was truly delicious.
Chairman Banks ate only a little before standing up, wanting to give them space.
Estrella also stood up.
Luciano didn't even glance up; he remained focused on his plate.
Chairman Banks shook his head.
His grandson was hopeless.
And the girl was just as stubborn.
He then called Estrella to his study.
It was a large, well-organized space.
Estrella looked around and noticed several paintings hanging on the walls.
Most of them were landscapes.
She couldn't help but think of her grandmother's paintings.
Come to think of it, these paintings looked quite similar to hers.
But her thoughts were interrupted.
"Come, sit over here," Chairman Banks said.
Estrella walked over and sat in front of him.
She glanced at the canvas before him and saw that he was painting.
His brush moved steadily, creating beautiful strokes.
Estrella watched quietly, completely absorbed.
The room fell into silence—only the soft sound of the brush against the canvas could be heard.
After a while, the painting took shape.
It depicted a deep hole—so dark that it gave off an unfathomable, almost unsettling feeling.
Chairman Banks finally broke the silence.
"You two had a fight."
"Hmm?" Estrella muttered.
Did he mean her and Luciano?
How did he know?
As if reading her thoughts, he continued,
"You refused to sit with him, and you stood up immediately after I left the dining table."
Estrella said nothing.
Chairman Banks set down his brush.
"I know Luciano was probably the cause of it. He has a very bad temper," he said, looking at her.
"But he hasn't always been like this."
He paused, then opened a drawer and brought out a framed photograph, placing it on the table.
Estrella glanced at it casually, but then her attention lingered.
The man in the picture looked so much like Luciano—but she could tell it wasn't him.
He was smiling.
"That is Lorraine, Luciano's father—my eldest son," Chairman Banks said, his voice carrying a hint of sadness.
So this is Luciano's father, Estrella thought.
"He was the joy of the family. He always knew how to make everyone smile."
A faint smile appeared on his face as he spoke, but it soon faded, replaced by unmistakable grief.
"He went missing fifteen years ago. We tried everything to find him, but it was to no avail."
He paused before continuing.
"His absence dealt a huge blow to the Banks family. And Luciano was the most affected."
"Tania never had time for Luciano, so he grew up very close to his father. When his father suddenly disappeared, he shut everyone out."
"And that is how he became this… ruthless."
Hearing this, Estrella couldn't help but feel sympathy for Luciano.
She knew what it was like to lose someone at a young age.
After all, she had gone through it herself.
"Sometimes I think about the man Luciano could have become if Lorraine were still alive," Chairman Banks continued quietly.
"I feel like I failed him."
He looked directly into Estrella's eyes.
"So I hope you can help me. I want him to be happy… like his father."
Estrella felt overwhelmed by the request.
How could she possibly do that?
The old man held her hand.
"I know it's selfish to ask this of you," he said softly. "But please… can you save me one more time?"
Estrella lowered her gaze.
She wanted to refuse.
But the plea in his eyes stopped her.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Chairman Banks quickly put the frame away.
"Come in," he said.
Luciano entered, his expression as stoic as ever.
"You're done eating?" Chairman Banks asked.
Luciano nodded and turned to Estrella.
"Let's go."
Estrella stood up, ready to leave.
But then Chairman Banks spoke again.
"Why don't you stay for the night?"
Before Luciano could refuse, he added,
"I'll sign the property transfer tomorrow."
Luciano narrowed his eyes, clearly suspicious.
"I promise," the old man assured him.
"…Alright," Luciano agreed.
Estrella froze.
Wait… did he just agree?
Staying the night meant they would have to share a room.
She squeezed Luciano's hand, signaling for him to refuse.
There was no way she was sharing a room with him.
But Luciano ignored her signal.
Instead, he tightened his grip on her hand.
"Let's go to my room to sleep… wife."
Did he just call her 'wife'?