Chapter 53: Mi Amor

Maya watched as the familiar woman approached her. Her brown hair was tied into an elegant bun and the red dress on her body perfectly matched her tan skin. She wasn't as slim as Maya, but the curves on her body were more prominent and feminine, making Maya feel a little self-conscious.

It was the organizer of the event: Grace Rodriguez.

The woman walked up to her with a gentle smile.

"Miss Yeung, I've been looking everywhere for you. This is yours," Grace said as she handed a small booklet to Maya.

Maya looked at the booklet with confusion. Did this booklet belong to her? She had never seen it before...

Seeing the confusion on her face, Grace quickly explained, "This ball is an event that I organize once a year. All the proceeds from the art auction go to charity. This year, we are donating to this orphanage."

Grace pointed at the booklet that she handed Maya and Maya looked at the booklet carefully. On the front was a picture of a building with some kids.

"I also agreed to feed a child from this orphanage for an entire year for every guest that arrives. That booklet contains the information of the child that I will be feeding on your behalf," the woman continued to explain. "It also has details of how to help if you're interested in providing further assistance."

Maya opened the booklet with interest and saw a photo of a little girl. She had the sweetest, most innocent smile. This was a great cause and very thoughtful. However, something bothered her a little. "If you're feeding one child for every guest, what happens to the leftover children," she couldn't help but ask. She had worked for charity events and not-for-profit organizations before. Although they were 'not-for-profit', the staff usually got paid high salaries, and the money for donations either went towards their pay, admin, or towards things that the donator did not expect.

Grace looked at the woman and her eyes softened. "I can see why Lucas brought you. You both asked the same question..." she chuckled.

Maya looked at the woman in surprise. "He did?" she asked.

Grace nodded her head. "Let me tell you what I told him: you don't have to worry, the rest of the children will be fed using the money from the auction, and anything leftover, will be used to refurbish the orphanage and improve its facilities," she explained. "By the way, do you also volunteer at that orphanage every year?"

Maya tilted her head in confusion again. "Volunteer?"

"Yes, Lucas goes there for a few weeks every year to help. He has a strong connection with that place. Probably, that's why he bid so high on the painting."

Maya listened in disbelief. Who knew that the arrogant playboy actually did volunteer work. She had always wanted to participate in a volunteer program but she never had the chance because she was tied down to work. Yet Lucas managed to do it every year.

At that moment, a male voice asked, "Are you talking about me? I heard my name..."

Grace turned and laughed as Lucas approached with a smirk.

Maya quickly avoided the man's gaze. All night, there had been an awkward vibe between them.

Lucas glared at the woman. Why did it feel like she had been avoiding him? And where did that blond-haired guy go?

"We were talking about that painting you won," Grace teased, "I never knew you were such a big fan of L7 that you would spend half a million on his work."

Lucas laughed, "Half a million was nothing. Other famous street artists have sold their art for millions of dollars."

Maya rolled her eyes. Every time her impression of this man changed a little, he would do something to highlight his arrogance again. Was he trying to make her feel poor? Or was he trying to say that L7's work was cheap?

Grace smiled and nodded, "Yes, you were very fortunate. I'm sure that the painting will grow in value. You should go collect it from the back."

Lucas also nodded. He was actually on his way to collect the painting when he noticed Maya standing on the balcony in her off-shoulder dress and subconsciously approached to check on her. [Doesn't this woman know it's the middle of winter? Does she want to catch a cold?]

His eyes ran across the woman's exposed shoulders and collarbone, and saw some goosebumps forming on her arms. His eyes then trailed up her neck which was slightly covered by her long brown hair.

Suddenly, he noticed something. Lucas stared at the woman's neck and smirked in amusement. It appeared as though she had applied some makeup to hide something...

[Forget it. She lied to me and I forcefully kissed her. I shouldn't be so petty as to watch her freeze and do nothing.]

Taking off his coat and placing it on the woman, he said, "I'll be right back." He then walked off to collect his winning item.

Maya gripped onto the coat in surprise. What was this sudden gesture?

Next to Maya, Grace giggled, "This is the first time Lucas has ever brought someone to an event with him. You must be really special. I wish Mi Amor was here to give me his coat..."

Maya looked at Grace in confusion. Mi Amor? She didn't know Spanish but she did know what this term meant. Mi Amor meant 'My Love'...

At that moment, Maya noticed for the first time that night that Grace was wearing a gold ring on the fourth finger of her left hand.

"Are you married?" she asked in surprise as she pointed to the ring.

The beautiful Latin woman revealed a sweet smile and nodded her head. "Too bad Mi Amor was urgently called away for a business trip; otherwise, he would have enjoyed this ball..."

As she said this, she began to walk away. "Since I have no one to give me a coat, I'm getting a little cold," she teased, "I'll see you back inside

For some reason, Maya felt a weight lift off her shoulders as she watched the woman walk away. As it turned out...Grace was already married...

Which meant...Lucas wasn't actually flirting with her...

She had misunderstood the entire night. But why did it bother her so much?

While she was deep in thought, a sudden vibration near her hip snapped her out of her daze. Jumping a little in surprise, she felt around and realized that Lucas had left his phone in his coat pocket. Pulling out the phone in curiosity, she glanced at the screen and realized Lucas had received a message and her finger had accidentally clicked it open.

But when she saw what was written in the message, she almost dropped the phone in shock...