The Creditor Is My Husband? - Chapter 19

“You should know best. Or maybe not? You seem to have an overinflated ego…”

“Pfft!”

At that moment, a laugh was heard from the front. It sounded odd, as if someone had quickly covered their mouth to stifle it, but it was definitely a laugh.

“Ah…”

Giselle realized she wasn’t alone with Lucas.

The driver and the secretary were sitting right in front of them.

And they must have heard their entire conversation.

The person who laughed just now must have been either the driver or the secretary.

“…”

Giselle’s face turned bright red in an instant. She clenched her skirt tightly and bowed her head. She felt her neck heating up as well.

Just then, a low chuckle was heard next to her.

But Giselle didn’t lift her head. She didn’t want to confirm what kind of expression the man sitting next to her was making at that moment.

* * *

Her round ears turned red as if they were about to burst. No, it wasn’t just her ears that turned red.

Lucas could guess that Giselle’s face, still bowed, had turned as red as a ripe tomato.

He looked down at the small back of her head and lightly rubbed his mouth with his hand to suppress a laugh.

…Laughing.

Lucas stifled another laugh. It was strange. The fact that he could laugh at something so trivial.

He wasn’t one to laugh often. If anything, he might smirk derisively, but genuinely laughing out of joy was rare.

Even on the day he made hundreds, thousands of times the profit from a risky investment, defying everyone’s opposition, he hadn’t shown such emotion.

So why did he keep wanting to laugh when he was with this absurd ‘investment target’?

Lucas looked at the back of the woman’s head, who still hadn’t lifted her head, and reached out his hand. But just before his hand touched her head, he pulled it back.

He placed his hand on his thigh for a moment and then clenched his fist.

Strangely, his clenched fist felt hot. No, it wasn’t just his hand; he felt a rising heat throughout his body.

“…Phew.”

He brushed his face with one hand and half-opened the car window. The cold morning air coming through the open window seemed to clear his mind a bit.

“Achoo!”

Just then, a sneeze was heard from beside him. Giselle, who had been bowing her head, had sneezed.

“Ah, sorry.”

The air must have been too cold. He hurriedly tried to close the window. But Giselle waved her hand and lifted her head, her eyes widening.

“No, it’s okay. But are you hot, senior? Your face is red.”

“…My face? No way. You must be talking about your own face.”

Lucas flinched at her words but immediately responded as if nothing was wrong. Unaware of his inner turmoil, Giselle quickly reacted to his words.

“What’s wrong with my face! I must have blood rushing to my face because I was bowing my head!”

She shouted angrily and turned her head sharply. Then she touched her cheek with her hand and muttered to herself.

“Is it really that red…”

“Pfft!”

Lucas quickly suppressed a laugh and turned his head away.

Fortunately, Giselle didn’t seem to hear his laugh. She was too preoccupied with worrying about her own red face.

“…Ha.”

He let out a short laugh and ran his hand through his hair. She could be so naive at times.

‘Despite being so competent at work.’

Well, that’s probably why she has lived sacrificing herself for a family that doesn’t show her any affection.

Of course, that was just Lucas’s guess. Giselle didn’t like to talk in detail about her family.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t understand.

It was impossible to consider people who forced her to marry an old noble as a normal family.

But more than anything, he could tell because he was familiar with that look.

He knew better than anyone what unloving parents were like.

“Ugh, ah! Done!”

Lucas was almost lost in his memories of his Father when a bright voice reached his ears. He set aside his thoughts, turned his head in the opposite direction, and wore a puzzled expression.

For some reason, Giselle was looking at him with a proud expression.

“……?”

“Ah… I struggled for a bit because I didn’t know how to open the window. But now I know.”

Lucas’s gaze shifted beyond Giselle. The window beside her was open.

He thought he heard some grunting sounds earlier, and it seemed those sounds came from her.

“Ha…”

He couldn’t help but chuckle, finding it both absurd and amusing. Giselle blushed slightly and pouted.

“I’ve never ridden anything other than this kind of car. But I figured it out on my own, isn’t that impressive?”

“Right. Impressive. Truly befitting the top student of the academy.”

Without even thinking of lowering the corners of his mouth, Lucas clapped slowly as he replied.

Giselle scrunched her nose and turned her head away abruptly. It was clear she was sulking from being teased.

‘Should I console her?’

With a perplexed expression, he scratched his forehead and opened his mouth.

“Gi…”

“Wow!”

Almost simultaneously, an exclamation burst from Giselle. It seemed she didn’t even hear him calling her.

“Wow…”

As if nothing had happened, she repeatedly exclaimed in admiration while sticking her head out the window to look outside.

‘What on earth is she looking at?’

Curious, Lucas leaned slightly towards her.

There was nothing particularly surprising. It was just the same everyday scenery he passed by every morning.

“What are you looking at?”

Unable to contain his curiosity, Lucas tapped her shoulder with his finger and asked. Giselle, who was looking outside, turned her head.

At that moment, a strong wind blew in, causing her hair to fly.

“Ah!”

Giselle pressed down her puffed-up hair with both hands, looking distressed. Seeing that, Lucas chuckled and teasingly spoke again.

“You’re not a child, so what’s so fascinating that you have to stick your head out and look? It’s the scenery you see every day on your way to work.”

“Well, that only applies to seniors like you who commute comfortably in such a big car. Imagine being jostled around by others in a carriage. Do you think there’s any time to appreciate the scenery?”

She retorted while smoothing her disheveled hair with her hand. With nothing to say in response, Lucas opened his mouth but then closed it again.

“So, rich gentleman, got nothing to say?”

Seeing Lucas flustered, Giselle seized the moment to tease him. He awkwardly touched the tip of his nose and spoke in a low voice.

“Let’s stop. Okay?”

“Why stop? It’s fun.”

She smiled brightly despite his warning. Seeing that, Lucas raised both hands as if surrendering.

“We’re not alone, Ms. Anticia. You’re going to be the lady of the Taylor family. Don’t you think you should maintain your dignity?”

Gritting his teeth, he pointed towards the passenger seat. Giselle, about to tease him further, followed his finger absentmindedly and saw the secretary’s shoulder twitch.

“Oh… right.”

Giselle finally closed her mouth and rolled her eyes. Seeing her clear green eyes moving side to side, Lucas sighed and muttered softly.

“You must have forgotten again. I’m worried about the memory of the woman who will be my wife.”

“Do… don’t tease me!”

Giselle, flaring up at his words, tried to raise her voice but then lowered it again. She then fanned herself with her hand and turned her head towards the window.

Her face was probably red. Her ears would be bright red too, just like a moment ago.

‘I can’t confirm it directly since I can only see the back of her head.’

He chuckled and picked up the documents beside him.

But the scent tickling his nose distracted him again.

It was a subtle fragrance. Not an artificially combined scent, but rather a natural one.

Lucas touched the tip of his nose and turned his head to find the source of the scent.

The small pink back of her head came into view again.

“What perfume are you wearing?”

“Perfume? Me?”

Giselle, who was looking at the scenery outside, turned to him and answered indifferently.

“I don’t wear perfume. Where would I get the money for that?”

“You didn’t wear perfume?”

Lucas frowned at her answer and asked again. Giselle nodded in response.

‘Then what is this scent?’

He pressed the tip of his nose with his hand again.

The subtle fragrance still lingered near his nose. It was so faint that you could miss it if you didn’t pay attention.

Maybe it was the scent of wildflowers blooming by the roadside.

“Hmm.”

It felt like thin flower petals were fluttering in, tickling somewhere inside his chest.

Petals that resembled the color of her hair.

Feeling awkward, Lucas cleared his throat and turned his gaze outside.

They seemed to be near the company now as buildings came into view.

“Oh… it looks like there are reporters gathered in front of the company too.”

Giselle, who was sticking her head out the window, grumbled as she looked outside.

Indeed, there were reporters lingering near the company’s main gate. They seemed desperate to get something, almost to the point of being pitiful.

But that didn’t mean he was kind enough to tolerate actions crossing the line.

He just hoped they hadn’t forgotten that.

* * *