Ch. 2691..2700

Chapter 2691 Rachel put the glass down on a nearby table and glanced impassively at Steven, who was standing at the door. “Is this the kind and loving girlfriend of yours you told me about?”

Kate faltered momentarily at the sight before her. She furrowed her brow and shot Rachel a puzzled look. “What‘re you doing here?” Was it not Gwen who came home with Steven?”

“What‘s wrong? You don‘t like seeing me here?” Rachel curled her lips into a smirk and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Then, she leaned against the chair and gave Kate a disdainful once–over. “Have I disappointed you? Who did you expect to see standing here, if not me? Do you need my help in contacting her and getting her here?”

Kate‘s expression darkened upon hearing this. She narrowed her eyes and glared at Rachel.” Don‘t you dare!”

“What makes you think I don‘t?” Rachel stood up, picked up her doctor‘s bag, and sauntered in Kate‘s direction. “Considering the fact that I even dared to accept your precious fiance‘s invitation to come and examine him...”

She stood defiantly in front of Kate and finished her sentence, “There‘s nothing else I‘m afraid of.”

With that, she circled past Kate and strode away. Kate remained motionless, her hands clenched into fists next to her. Steven furrowed his brow, glancing at Rachel‘s retreating figure, and barked orders at his assistants, “Please see Dr. Liddell off.”

“No need!” Rachel‘s voice rang out before the assistants could even answer. “I can hail a taxi on my own. I wouldn‘t want Ms. Miller to misinterpret our relationship.”

The color drained from Steven‘s face.

A split second later, he turned to stare at Kate. “What‘re you doing here?” This was his private residence that he had just purchased two weeks ago without anyone‘s knowledge, the reason being that he wanted someplace where he could escape Kate and the Hughes family‘s prying eyes. Despite knowing that everyone had his best interests in mind, he could not help feeling annoyed at their attention. Therefore, whenever he felt frustrated, he would spend some time alone in this house.

Moreover, he always thought that no one knew about the existence of this estate, apart from his two assistants, so how did Kate manage to find him here? “..” Kate furrowed her brow. The truth was, she had known about this house from the moment Steven signed the contract behind her back.

She had stationed her men to keep an eye on him 24/7 from the moment he awoke from his coma. Just recently, she thought that Steven had finally been rid of all the conscious thoughts

that belonged to Luke, which was why she had stopped tracking him so much. Never had she imagined that just a week after she stopped following Steven around, those bitches Gwen and Luna would arrive in Saigen City and try to steal her man! “Have you been following me all along?” Steven‘s eyebrows knitted tightly as he interrupted her before she could even explain herself. “If you hadn‘t, you wouldn‘t have managed to find this place at all.”

He closed his eyes and let out a bitter chuckle. “Is this how little you think of me, Kate?”

Kate was silent for a long time before turning around and leaping into Steven‘s arms. “Steven, I only did this because I care too much about you! I love you so much that I wanted someone to protect you every minute of the day! If you don‘t like me doing this...I‘ll stop, and I won‘t do it again in the future.”

Steven‘s voice lowered to barely above a whisper. “Apart from tracking my every move...” He lowered his head to meet Kate‘s shimmery, wide–eyed gaze. “What else have you been doing behind my back?”

Chapter 2692 Kate froze when she heard this.

A split second later, she lifted her head, staring right into Steven‘s searching gaze, and bit her lip nervously. “What are you trying to say, Steven? Do you not trust me?” Steven chuckled when he saw how Kate tried to deflect responsibility. “You‘re the one who didn‘t trust me in the first place.”

Steven never thought that his fiancee would secretly track his every move.

If she had not, how could she have discovered the address of his private residence, much less know that he had brought a woman home from the airport?

Steven did not remember much about his first impression of Kate. Although he had known since he was young that the Hughes and Miller families were close and had a marriage agreement, he never cared much about these customs.

However, when he awoke after five years of being in a coma, everyone told him that he and Kate had gotten engaged prior to his accident. Not only that, but his parents also emphasized how much Kate had sacrificed for him during the past five years.

Therefore, Steven had always been inclined to think that Kate was a kind and loving woman who was utterly devoted to him.

The few times he came across Gwen and developed feelings for her, he would thereafter be overcome by his guilt and feel that he was betraying Kate, but at this moment...

Staring at the woman before him, Steven suddenly realized just how foreign she seemed.

He could not believe that Kate, the fiancee that loved him above all else, was secretly following him all along!

“It‘s not that I don‘t trust you, Steven!” Kate wrapped her arms tightly around his body. “I was worried that something bad would happen to you because...”

She bit her lip and said, “I love you, I really do, and I don‘t ever want to lose you again, so I...”

“Is that so?” Steven gently pried her hands away and plopped down in the nearest seat.” You‘re doing this because you love me?” He lifted his head to stare coldly at Kate. “If you do, why have you never seemed bothered by the fact that I frequently have headaches and nightmares?” He narrowed his eyes. “What have you done to me when I was in my coma, Kate?”

Kate‘s entire body stiffened upon hearing this. She bit her lip nervously, her whole body frozen in stupor. “Steven... Did… What did Rachel tell you just now? Please don‘t believe her! She‘s not telling the truth!” Kate lunged forward, got onto one knee, and grabbed hold of Steven‘s hand in desperation.” Steven, we‘re about to get married soon; I should be the person you trust. Please don‘t believe in what other people say to you, alright?” Tears brimmed in her eyes as she wailed, “Please, Steven, can you trust me?”

She had already sacrificed so much for him; she could not possibly lose him at this juncture!

If Steven regained all of Luke‘s memories, it would not be something as simple as losing Luke.

Steven had already donated his heart to Gwen, and if the man before her was no longer Steven, this meant that the real Steven would cease to exist.

If that happened, the Hughes family would want someone to bear the brunt of this responsibility, and the Miller family would have to pay the price!

She had to stop this from happening at all costs! At the thought of this, tears began to slide down Kate‘s face. “Steven, I‘ve been waiting for you for five years and sacrificed so much for you! Do you have any idea what other people have done for you during this time?” Steven lowered his head to stare at the kneeling woman before him, and a twinge of pain shot through his heart.

Kate was right; she had sacrificed so much and put in so much effort to help him awake from his coma, and the last thing he should have done...was to question her motives. Perhaps she had been telling the truth.

Chapter 2693 Perhaps Kate had done it all for his own good.

However...

“Kate.” Steven gently clasped Kate‘s hand. “If... If you truly love and care about me as much as you claim, why have you never shown a hint of concern whenever I told you about my headaches and nightmares?”

Kate froze when she heard this.

A split second later, she bit her lip and replied, “I can explain. Are you willing to listen to me, Steven?”

At the hotel.

Ever since they returned from the airport, Gwen had locked herself in the room in despair.

Luna was worried that something terrible would happen, so she secretly went down to the lobby to request a copy of Gwen‘s room key, then surreptitiously opened the door to see what Gwen was doing

All this while, Gwen had been sitting in front of the laptop, reading through pages and pages of information about Steven.

Since Steven had grown up in Saigen City and hailed from one of the wealthiest families here, information about his upbringing could easily be found on the internet, so much so that Gwen even managed to find photos of the kindergarten he had gone to as a child.

At this moment, Gwen stared dazedly at the photos on her laptop screen, her mind seemingly having wandered elsewhere.

Luna felt a twinge of pain shoot through her heart at this sight.

Finally, she closed the door and went onto the balcony to call Joshua.

If she remembered correctly, Lucas had mentioned that Joshua had once gone on a business meeting with Steven in place of Thomas. Since they had been on a business meeting together, Joshua must have seen this man before.

The call was connected very quickly.

“Luna.”

“Gwen and I haven‘t left Saigen City.”

Joshua paused when he heard this. He lifted his head to glance at the photo of Gwen hugging Steven at the airport and furrowed his brow. “I know.”

Luna let out an exhale and asked sharply, “You‘ve met Steven before, haven‘t you?”

Joshua was silent for a moment before finally nodding solemnly. “Yes, I have.”

Not only that, but the two of them had sat down for a meeting together. Joshua was more than familiar with this man to the extent that he already knew of Steven and

Luke‘s relationship. However, he did not intend to let too many people know about their connection, which was why he had yet to tell Luna. However, Joshua never thought Gwen and Steven would run into each other at the airport. “Why didn‘t you tell me?” Luna let out a sigh and leaned against the balcony railing in exhaustion. She stared out at the snowing sky and continued, “Why didn‘t you tell me that Steven and Luke are carbon copies of each other? “You‘re an observant man. From the moment you laid eyes on Steven, you should‘ve known that this was Luke. Besides, you first met him about a day ago, didn‘t you? You must‘ve investigated this and discovered something, yet you couldn‘t be bothered to tell me anything.”

Luna could not hold back her seething rage any longer. “What are you trying to do, Joshua? What the hell are you thinking? You know full well that Steven is Luke, yet you chose to hide this from us!

“If we hadn‘t bumped into him at the airport today, and if it weren‘t for Rachel...Gwen and I would‘ve returned to Merchant City by now, perhaps even already on our way to Sea City!

“You‘re my husband, so you should know how much Gwen matters to me and how important Luke is to her! Why did you choose to hide this from us?”

Chapter 2694 Joshua closed his eyes and sighed. “Luna, please calm down, and I‘ll explain everything.”

Luna furrowed her brow upon hearing this.

She plopped down in the lounge chair on the balcony and narrowed her eyes as she stared at the snow–covered city beyond. “Alright, I‘m listening.”

She wanted to hear what he had to say about this.

Joshua sighed when he sensed Luna‘s rage and said slowly, “I know that you‘re mad at me right now, but please think about this: What was Steven‘s reaction like when you bumped into him at the airport today? Did he admit that he was Luke, or did he patiently listen to you recounting your memories withi Luke?

“Try to remember Gwen‘s reaction when she saw Steven just now and how she has been acting over the last few days... If you were me, would you have come forward with the truth after seeing just how unhinged Gwen had been over the past few days at any mention of Luke?”

Luna was silent after hearing this. She bit her lip and recalled how Gwen had looked in the dump station the day before, rummaging in the garbage with her red, frozen hands in search of the metal plate Luke had given her.

Luna bit her lip nervously. No matter how reluctant she was, she had to admit that Joshua was right.

Regardless... Luna let out an exhale and said, “Alright, you chose to hide this from Gwen for her own good, but what about me? Why did you have to lie to me too?”

Joshua closed his eyes and whispered, “Knowing how close you and Gwen are...how can I entrust you with this secret? I‘m more than familiar with how bad of a liar you are, and besides, the more you treasure someone, the harder it is for you to control your emotions. What if you suddenly took pity on her and blurted out the truth to her? This would‘ve led to chaos.”

Joshua sighed. “However, I guess I had been worrying for nothing; Gwen is much calmer now compared to the last few days.”

If Gwen had run into Steven in her state the night before, things would turn out to be very different.

Perhaps this was already the best outcome he could have hoped for.

Joshua‘s low, calm voice had managed to extinguish most of the raging fire in Luna‘s heart. She sighed and asked, “Well, regarding Steven...have you managed to find anything?”

Joshua paused for a moment before finally saying, “Steven is actually Luke, but he–“.

Before he could even finish, the doorbell to Luna‘s hotel room rang.

Luna did not want the sudden noise to disrupt Gwen, so she quickly bade Joshua goodbye and

rushed back in to open the door.

The person standing outside their room was none other than a smiling Rachel.

“It turns out you guys have been staying here; I went to all that trouble for nothing.” Rachel stepped into the foyer and took off her winter coat. “I asked about your hotel at the airport but forgot to ask for the exact address. “I searched for the hotel‘s address online, but when I arrived, I couldn‘t find you at all. It turned out I had gone to the wrong branch, and it took me a long time to finally find the correct one.” With that, Rachel plopped onto the sofa, poured herself a glass of water, and finally lifted her head to glance at Luna. “Where‘s Gwen?” “Gwen is ”

Chapter 2695

Before Luna could even firtish her sentence, the door to Gwen’s room was flung open.

Gwen stormed out of the room and desperately grabbed Rachel’s hands. “What happened, Dr. Liddell? Is Steven…”

Tears brimmed in her eyes as she stared earnestly at Rachel. “Is… Is he Luke?”

When she saw the look in Gwen’s eyes, Rachel bit her lip and sighed. Then, she reached out to hold Gwen’s hand in consolation. “Gwen, why don’t you first tell me how you’re doing?”

Gwen had just received her heart transplant less than two months ago, and Rachel was worried that Gwen’s heart would not be able to handle the news she had to give.

“I’m doing well.” Gwen bit her lip as tears slid down her cheeks. “Please tell me the truth, Dr. Liddell. I promise that I can handle it.”

A twinge of pain shot through Luna’s heart at the sight of this. She strode over to them and picked up a tissue to gently dab at Gwen’s tears. “No matter what happens, Gwen, promise me that you’ll face the truth, okay?”

Gwen nodded as tears slid down her face, landing on the tissue Luna offered.

Rachel could not help sighing at this. She fixed her gaze on Luna and Gwen, then sighed again. “I’ve already sent a sample of Steven’s DNA to the DNA Diagnostic Center; the results will be ready tomorrow. By then…”

She let out an exhale. “We’ll finally be able to know whether Steven is Luke or not. Even though I have a rough guess myself, I still think we shouldn’t simply come to a conclusion before obtaining concrete evidence.”

Gwen’s entire body stiffened upon hearing this.

Disappointment flashed across her face, but a split second later, it was replaced with resolution. “You’re right, Dr. Liddell. You’re a very observant person. A DNA report…will truly be the best proof we can get of Steven’s true identity.”

The scars and calluses on Steven’s hands could be explained in many ways, but there was no lying about one’s DNA.

When she finally sensed Gwen calming down, Rachel sighed and said slowly, “However, I ran into a familiar face just now.”

“Who?”

“Kate.” Rachel curled her lips into a smirk and glanced at Gwen. “Steven came to find me without Kate or her family’s knowledge, so the place he had brought me to was his private residence.

“However, less than an hour after our arrival, Kate appeared. Not only that, but she behaved even more aggressively than she had been while working as Luke’s assistant and literally kicked the door down.

“She thought I was Gwen and had come to stop Steven from talking to me and prevent him from believing anything I said.”

With that, Rachel stood up and added, “I can’t help but suspect that Steven is, in fact, Luke, just based on her behavior alone. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so desperate to stop Steven from meeting Gwen at all.

“After all, Steven had never left this city and, therefore, would never have met Gwen, so why was Kate so worried about them seeing each other?”

Gwen bit her lip and wrung her hands nervously. “Dr. Liddell, what if the DNA report shows that Steven is actually Luke?

“If that happens, can you explain to me what really happened to Luke to make him this way? Because…‘

Gwen bit her lip anxiously. “When I interacted with him today, I couldn’t help noticing that his behavior and even the way he talked was entirely different from how Luke used to…”

Chapter 2696

The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned quiet.

Rachel furrowed her brow and turned to stare at Gwen with a look of disbelief.

Rachel was a doctor who specialized in the treatment of comatose patients, so she had seen plenty during her time and was thus always able to keep calm even in stressful situations.

To be frank, Rachel’s first impression of Gwen had not been a good one.

Rachel remembered the numerous times Gwen had tried to escape from Luke while in Merchant City. Not only that, but she even witnessed Gwen trying to persuade Kate to help her take care of Luke after she was gone.

Therefore, Rachel had always thought of Gwen as a labile and extremely emotionally–driven person.

However, this same woman was asking her about Luke’s demise so calmly and in such a collected manner that it shocked Rachel.

She glanced again at Gwen, frowning. “I thought that after running into Steven, your entire brain would be so preoccupied with thoughts of Luke that you wouldn’t be able to think straight.”

Gwen paused for a moment, then let out a self–deprecating laugh. “To be quite honest, I had lost all rationality when I first laid eyes on Steven, but I’m so familiar with Luke that I remember every last detail on his body and regarding his mannerisms.

“Therefore, when I realized that Steven’s body language and behavior were totally different from Luke’s, I quickly regained my rationality and learned to think straight.”

Gwen sighed and fixated her gaze on Rachel. “So…does this mean that Steven is Luke?”

Rachel sighed, stood up, and turned to gaze at the snowing city outside. “I’m reluctant to come to any conclusion before the DNA results come out, but I can say with ninety–percent certainty that Steven is, in fact, Luke, or at least…”

She paused for a moment. “At least, that body belongs to Luke.”

Gwen momentarily faltered when she heard this.

She bit her lip and asked, “What are you trying to say…?”

“Have you ever thought-” Rachel turned to look at her. “Have you ever considered the possibility that something that you only see in movies could, in fact, happen in real life?

“For example, the brain–restructuring surgeries you see in sci–fi movies are actually attainable in real life.”

The entire room fell silent.

Luna stared dazedly at Rachel, unable to believe her ears.

How could this…

Gwen’s jaw dropped, and she was so shocked that she could not utter a single word.

After a long time, she bit her lip and whimpered, “So you’re saying that…

“The Steven we see now is probably Steven’s mind enclosed within Luke’s body?”

“That’s right.” Rachel closed her eyes. “Even though these kinds of surgeries are theoretically attainable, it’s extremely difficult to pull off in reality.

“That’s because when transplanted into a new and foreign body, organs tend to reject each other, which is why many transplant patients die of complications related to organ rejection. “As one of the most vital organs in the human body, the brain is even more susceptible to rejection from the receiver body.

“If Steven and Luke had truly undergone this operation, their success could only mean one thing…”

Rachel lifted her head. “The only reason that could explain the success of Steven and Luke’s operation is that they’re twin brothers.”

Gwen instinctively took a step back.

How could this…

How could this be?

Did this mean that the heart that was beating inside her chest was Steven’s?

Since Steven had given her his heart, this meant that he had died, while Luke’s body had taken the place of Steven’s.

However, this meant that Luke’s body was nothing but a vessel for Steven’s brain!

Chapter 2697

If this were the case…it would perfectly explain why Steven had been acting so differently.

Gwen bit her lip and suddenly felt her head spin. A twinge of pain shot through her heart, and she instinctively took a step back.

Luna quickly stormed over to catch her and held her securely in her arms.

After setting Gwen gently down on the sofa, Luna lifted her head to stare at Rachel. “Since you say that Steven’s brain is now residing in Luke’s body…what about Luke?”

She bit her lip nervously and gave Rachel a searching look. “What about Luke’s brain, then? What happened to all his thoughts, his past, and his entire being?”

This was the question that Gwen, too, wanted to know the answer to.

She bit her lip and stared expectantly at Rachel, hoping to hear the answer she wanted, but… Rachel closed her eyes and sighed. “They probably got rid of it and buried it with Steven’s body.”

Then, she was silent for a long time before finally meeting Gwen’s gaze. “I know this isn’t the answer you want, but it’s the truth.

“Even though Luke’s body still exists as Steven’s, Luke can’t return anymore. The brain cannot survive without its host body, so in a sense, Luke is no longer alive now.”

The color drained from Gwen’s face.

She bit her lip and squeezed Luna’s arm so hard that her knuckles turned white.

Tears slid silently down her cheeks. Gwen opened her mouth to say something in return, but no words came out.

Recognizing the immense sorrow on Gwen’s face, Rachel sighed and said, “I know you’re not willing to accept this, Gwen, but it’s the reality. No matter how much you miss and love Luke, there’s no way he’d return to us.

“Luke has now become Steven, a man you have nothing in common with. I sincerely hope you can start your new life afresh instead of wallowing in the past forever. You deserve to live a good life.

“And as for Steven, you shouldn’t attempt to intrude in his life because he’s not Luke. It’s as though…”

Her gaze landed on Gwen’s chest. “It’s the same as how your heart used to belong to Steven, but none of his family members has ever attempted to reach out to you.

“I

‘After an organ leaves its original host, it belongs to someone else now.‘

Gwen closed her eyes as tears started to fall.

She had been engulfed with conflicting emotions from the moment she saw Steven at the airport that day.

On the one hand, she had hoped that the man she had run into was actually Luke, but on the other hand, she knew that realistically speaking, this was impossible, until…

Until Rachel gave her the reality check she needed.

Gwen could not stop her heart from hurting.

Fate was playing a cruel joke on her. After finally coming to terms with Luke’s passing, fate had deliberately arranged for her and Steven to run into each other at the airport.

However, after that, God chose to take away all her hope…

“But Steven is the organ donor in this situation.” Luna furrowed her brow and tried to object. Besides, every organ donation requires the donor or their next–of–kin’s approval before proceeding. If so, whose permission did the Miller and Hughes family obtain for this?”

Chapter 2698

The entire room fell silent.

Rachel furrowed her brow and glanced first at Gwen, then at Luna.

Finally, she cleared her throat and replied, “I know neither of you are willing to accept this, but I’m still obligated to bring this up.

“Gwen is Luke’s girlfriend, not his wife. Thus, legally speaking, she isn’t on any grounds to agree to this organ transplant at all. Besides, neither Luke nor his family is obligated to disclose this information to you, so perhaps he or his next–of–kin had signed this agreement without your knowledge.”

Luna bit her lip. “Luke is an orphan and has no family.”

Rachel froze. “Then the only person equipped to make this decision is Luke himself.

“However, according to his original plans, Luke intended to donate his heart to Gwen after his death. Therefore, he couldn’t possibly have signed an agreement with the Hughes or Miller families to donate his body to them…”

With that, Rachel lifted her head to glance meaningfully at Gwen. “If Luke never signed this legal agreement at all, this would be a serious felony.

“Even if Luke had intended to undergo assisted suicide to save Gwen’s life, this still doesn’t allow them to claim his dead body as theirs to use.”

Finally, Rachel walked over to Gwen and squatted in front of her so their could meet. ”

gazes As one of the people closest to Luke before his death, I think that…apart from grieving his passing, you should also do your best to avenge his death.

“If the Hughes and Miller family had deceived Luke and performed surgery on him without his permission, you have to make them pay the price of their crimes.”

Rachel’s words were calm and steady in an attempt to soothe Gwen’s emotions.

Luna furrowed her brow. She could not help feeling a little uneasy by Rachel’s words, but she knew that Rachel had meant no ill harm.

Rachel was a doctor who had seen plenty during her time, which was why she could remain so calm and collected in the face of death.

However, this was not the same for Gwen.

If she had not met Ben, Gwen would still be living a comfortable and luxurious life.

At the thought of this, Luna lowered her head to glance at Gwen.

Gwen’s face was expressionless, and even though there were still tears clinging to her eyes, she was clearly more at ease as compared to moments ago.

She lifted her head to meet Rachel’s gaze. “How am I going to avenge Luke’s death?”

If Rachel’s speculation was right…she would do everything she could to get revenge on the people who had tricked Luke, even though the heart that was beating inside her chest belonged to their son!

Worst came to worst, she would remove her own heart and give it back to them after they received the punishment they deserved.

After all, there was no point living anymore ever since Luke passed.

Before this, she kept trying to force herself to move on because she did not think it would be fair to Luke if she continued living her life so worthlessly.

However, since the heart inside her chest did not even belong to Luke…it would not matter if she killed herself, right?

She would apologize to him properly when she finally met up with him in heaven.

“First of all-” Rachel let out a sharp exhale. “Firstly, you must calm down and take care of yourself first. We’ll wait for the DNA results to come out tomorrow.

“It’s only after obtaining this DNA report that we can finally confirm our suspicions and make things easier in the future.”

Gwen nodded and stood up obediently. “Alright then… I’ll get some rest in the meantime.”

All of a sudden, she froze in her steps as though she had recalled something and turned to bow at Rachel in gratitude. “Thank you.”

Chapter 2699 Rachel did not expect Gwen to suddenly bow for her, so she froze momentarily in surprise before finally frowning in disapproval. “Gwen, you‘re Luna‘s friend, so you‘re a friend of mine, too. “Even though I‘ve never been an openly warm person, my heart isn‘t made of stone either, so you don‘t have to be so courteous with me.”

She sighed and added, “Let‘s agree to wait until the DNA report comes out tomorrow before we decide on a course of action, alright?”

Gwen nodded earnestly.

She lifted her head to glance at Rachel one last time before finally returning to her room.

After seeing Gwen close the door behind her, Luna finally sighed and gently patted Rachel‘s shoulder. “This is a surprise.”

She never thought that Rachel, who had always been a calm and somewhat stiff person, would talk to Gwen so gently in response to her gratitude.

Not only that... This was so foreign to Luna that she could not help thinking that this was not Rachel at all but a stranger who just so happened to look identical to her. Rachel had never acted this way, not even to Theo.

She had always been a strict and professional person. Rachel let out a sheepish laugh when she heard Luna‘s comment. She knew exactly what Luna was referring to.

She sighed and turned to stare at Gwen‘s closed door. “How can I bear to let her down?”

Luna nodded and could not help agreeing.

Rachel was right; no one could possibly bear to let Gwen down...except for Luke. Despite knowing how devastated Gwen would be after his death, he still chose to go ahead with his plan. Luna guessed that Luke had probably underestimated Gwen‘s love for him and thus did not think that she would be sad for too long after his death.

However, it seemed that...even Luke himself had underestimated Gwen‘s loyalty.

Just as the two women were immersed in their thoughts, Rachel‘s phone suddenly rang.

Her brow furrowed as she lowered her head to glance at the screen.

It was Theo.

She let out an exasperated sigh and pressed decline. “Excuse me for a while. I need to go to the bathroom.”

With that, she disappeared into the bathroom.

The moment Rachel closed the door behind her, Luna‘s phone began to ring. She glanced at the screen.

It was Theo again. Luna curled her lips into a smirk and glanced at the closed door. When she heard the sound of running water coming from inside the bathroom, she could not help shaking her head.

“Hi, Theo.” Luna went out on the balcony to pick up the call.

“Luna, I‘ve arrived in Saigen City,” Theo said as he stood at the entrance of Saigen City Airport, shivering in the cold. “Why is it winter here in this horrible place? I didn‘t bring a single winter coat with me, and now I‘m freezing! Can you and Rachel come to pick me up?” Luna chuckled when she heard Theo‘s teeth chattering. “Didn‘t you check the weather forecast before coming?” Saigen City and Merchant City were numerous time zones away from each other, so of course the weather would be drastically different. Even though it was still autumn in Merchant City, Saigen City was already in the throes of winter.

“I came here because of Rachel, so how can I be bothered even to check the weather?” Theo‘s voice was trembling from the cold. “Come pick me up quickly!” Luna snickered. “You probably just want Rachel and can‘t care less whether I go or not, right?”

She had noticed Rachel declining his call. Theo was silent for a moment before finally laughing sheepishly. “You‘re right, as always, but

He glanced at his clothes. “But I‘m not lying about the cold. If you don‘t come soon, I‘m going to become a block of ice.”

Chapter 2700 Luna was amused by Theo‘s chattering voice. She sighed and glanced once again at the bathroom, then replied in a whisper, “I saw Rachel declining your call just now.”

She rubbed her brow in exasperation. “I honestly don‘t think she‘ll be willing to come with me to the airport to pick you up.”

Theo let out a sigh when he heard this. “That‘s precisely why I called you; I was hoping you could convince her to come see me...”

A hint of disappointment crept into Theo‘s voice. “After all, I had flown here just to see her, and I want to let her know how much I care about her–much more than that fiance of hers does, anyway.”

Luna did not know what to answer to this.

She was close to Caleb. Thus, she knew that Rachel and Caleb‘s engagement was just a hoax the two of them were nothing more than friends.

Caleb needed this engagement to conceal the truth about his sexual orientation, whereas Rachel just wanted an excuse to stop Theo from chasing her so she could focus on her career.

Not only that, but the reason Rachel had even ‘gotten together‘ with Caleb in the first place was due to her disappointment in Theo.

Whenever she recalled the crazy things Theo had done for Roanne, Luna could not help thinking that if she were in Rachel‘s shoes, she would not choose to forgive him so easily, either.

However, since both Theo and Rachel were her friends, she was in no place to comment on their relationship.

“Alright. I‘ll ask Rachel if she‘s willing to come with me to pick you up. If she‘s unwilling, I‘ll have to send Joshua and Thomas to do so.”

Theo was silent for a long time before finally sighing. He had no choice but to relent. “Alright. I guess that‘s fine.”

Then, he could not help adding, “Luna, do you think that...I‘m not as good as Caleb, and I don‘t even stand a chance of winning back Rachel‘s heart?”

This question was so abrupt that Luna did not know how to answer it.

At this moment, the door behind her creaked open, and Rachel emerged from the bathroom.

Luna quickly hung up. “Was that Theo?” Rachel asked, raising her brow. Luna did not think it was necessary to hide the truth from Rachel, so she nodded and said, “He told me that since you refused to take his calls, he had no choice but to contact me instead.” “What does he want?”

“He...” Luna pursed her lips and quickly relayed their conversation to Rachel. “He wants us to

go pick him up and bring some winter clothes for him too.”

Rachel furrowed her brow in exasperation. “That idiot.”

How could he not know that Saigen City and Merchant City were in different seasons? How could he have flown over without even thinking of bringing winter clothes?

Even though Rachel was snippy, Luna could not help noticing the worry and apprehension on her face. She asked testily, “Why don‘t we go pick him up together?”

“No point. Might as well let him freeze.” Rachel shifted into a more comfortable position on the sofa and added, “He‘s not a child, and it‘s not like he flew over without any money. He can always just hail a cab and buy some winter clothing, so why do we need to go to all that trouble?”

Then, she fell silent for a moment before finally glancing at Luna. “Isn‘t Joshua in Saigen City too? Why don‘t...you ask Joshua to send someone to pick him up? “He‘s so dumb that I‘m worried he might get lost here.”