It'll Come Naturally

"You..." Bradley stammered, "Aren't you the President of FX International Group?" Bradley had been staring at Edward ever since he had shown up. He was from a rich family. It was normal for him to know Edward's face. "Do I know you?" Edward frowned. He looked at Bradley carefully now. But he couldn't remember his face.

"Oh, no, sir. But I know you. I have seen your pictures in the financial newspapers. My father also mentioned about you a lot, and has always asked me to learn from your example." Bradley's face lit up like Christmas. He had even forgotten all about Luke and Michelle. "Thanks! Please give your father my regards. Bye!" Edward disliked it when others flattered him in order to get close to him. He dismissed Bradley fast so that he wouldn't have any chance to talk to him further.

"You're not coming?" Luke asked, looking at Michelle, who hadn't moved from her spot.

"I'm coming!" Michelle threw a glance at Bradley and then ran to catch up with them. Bradley was totally confused now. He had always thought that Michelle was born in an ordinary family. But from what he just witnessed, he figured that there was more to her than she was letting on.

This was not Michelle's first time riding in Luke's car. She felt uneasy as she stole a glance at the cold, handsome face beside her.

"Are you still angry at me?" she asked, a complex feeling emerging from her heart. She did not know what it was. She was hoping that he would be angry, yet she was afraid he might be. Contradictory emotions swirled inside her.

"We'll talk about it when we get home," said Luke. He was focused on following Edward's car tightly. He wouldn't forget his duty. It was a peaceful world and seldom did accidents happen, yet it paid to be alert at all times because hell could break loose in the blink of an eye. Luke was not a man who left anything to chance.

Michelle understood that it was not the proper time to discuss the problems between them. She stopped talking, leaned against the back seat, and closed her eyes. She thought about everything that had happened today. It was such a mess. She had to sort it out soon. Luke cast a side glance at her. For the first time, he thought that she was beautiful when she was quiet, which he had never noticed before.

By the time they arrived home, Michelle was fast asleep. She did not open her eyes when the car came to a halt in front of the house. Luke did not wake her up. He always thought that he was the only man she liked. He had, in fact, taken it for granted. But today, he realized that she might be taken away from him by another man, who was either really brave or really stupid to declare war on him. He suddenly noticed that she could have more choices in her life, but she refused them because she loved him.

That other guy was young. He was younger and more energetic than him. More importantly, that guy liked her. But what did he do for her? He refused her over and over again, without opening any doors for her. If she fell in love with another man, he would not stop her from pursuing her happiness. But at that moment, he felt his heart tighten in some kind of pain which he had never felt before. It was only a slight hurt, yet it made him want to change his attitude towards her. He could feel something changing in him. "Oh! Are we home already?" Michelle opened her sleepy eyes and looked at the surrounding outside the car.

"What were you doing last night? You look really tired and you fell asleep in such a short time." Luke shifted his eyes and avoided eye contact with her to calm his messy heart.

"I was working on my painting last night," Michelle said, pursing her lips awkwardly. She had only closed her eyes to think about some stuff. She did not think that she would have fallen asleep all the way.

Luke did not respond. He cast an interested look at her, and then turned around, got off the car, and walked into the house without looking back. His back looked so distant to her.

Michelle sighed slightly. What else could she do? She got off the car. She hesitated for quite a long time outside. When she finally entered the house, she did not see Luke around. She guessed that he might have gone upstairs. She was relieved. This way, she did not have to talk to him immediately. She did not know how to explain today's event to him yet. She was still struggling with it.

"Mrs. Luo, here you are. Mr. Luo asked me to inform you to go upstairs as soon as you came in," Maria said in a hurry, as she passed her a glass of water. Luke knew Michelle's personality very well. He had guessed that she would try to buy time.

"He said so? OK then." Michelle was annoyed again. It looked like she had nowhere to hide anymore.

"Yeah! Why don't you go upstairs already? Or he might get angry," Maria sighed helplessly. She wondered when their relationship would improve and when they would start loving each other. They both deserved happiness.

Michelle took a deep breath. She stirred up her courage and started walking up the stairs as if she was getting ready to face death, unflinching. What happened had happened and now she had nowhere to hide. So, it was better to face the consequences sooner than later. Despite such brave thoughts, she was climbing the stairs as slowly as a snail.

"What are you doing? Climbing a mountain?" Luke stood near the second floor rail and looked down at her climbing the stairs. He was wondering why she hadn't shown up yet, and then found her coming up the stairs as if she was half dead from the effort. "Woah! Why are you there? You scared me!" Michelle patted her chest slightly, pretending to slow down her heartbeat from the scare.

"Well, if I weren't here, I wouldn't have known that you were trying so hard to buy time." Arms crossed over his chest, Luke teased her. He found her quite cute from that angle.

"I wasn't buying time! It's these stairs. They are steep." Michelle had to admit to herself that that was the lamest excuse she had ever used in her life. But that was the best one she could come up with at the moment.

"Why don't you blame your short legs?" Luke teased again. That was the stupidest excuse she could have given. At least, she should have come up with something smart enough to convince him. 'Steep stairs' was the best she could come up with? Needless to say, he wasn't impressed. But he was definitely amused.

"Ha ha! That's right. My short legs are also the reason." It was true that she did not have long, pretty legs like Leena or Daisy. They were both tall and had beautiful legs. But hers were pretty fine, compared to other women's. Anyway, she had come to terms with it long back. She had no one to blame, but her genes.