The Day I Kissed An Older Man

Nellie Nymphaea’s name took Lucas by surprise. He sighed and asked, “And? Did you see it?”
Corinne shook her head. “I didn’t. Jeremy bought that painting early on and deliberately refused to show it to me.”
“So, what is it you want to do?” Lucas raised his eyebrows.
Corinne answered bluntly, “I want you to help me buy that painting back from Jeremy at all costs! I’ll pay for it.”
Lucas narrowed his eyes. “Money isn’t a problem. Getting it from him is. He bought the painting on purpose because he knew
you wanted it. He’s not going to give it up that easily.”
Corinne cocked her eyebrow and asked, “Are you saying it can’t be done?”
Lucas reached out and patted Corinne’s head gently. “It won’t be easy, but I’ll get it for you even if it means risking my life. I won’t
be able to get it that soon, though, so you’ll have to wait. Is that alright with you?”
Corinne nodded. “That’s fine as long as I can get her self-portrait.”
Lucas had a heartbroken expression as he looked at his sister. “Are you that eager to see your mother?”
“Of course.” Corinne glanced at him. “Don’t you want to?”
Lucas sighed. “I do. Missing those who aren’t around anymore shows empathy, but we can’t let our feelings take over our lives.
It’s exhausting. I hope you can move on...”
Corinne gently pushed Lucas’ hand on her head. “I can’t move on! I won’t betray my mother even if the whole world does. You
might be able to forget the pain, but I can’t!”
Lucas felt distressed, but he understood the obsession in Corinne’s heart too. He withdrew his hand and got up, saying, “Let’s
not dwell on these unhappy things. It’s getting late. I’ll bring you to your room to get some rest now. You might feel a little
unaccustomed just after coming back, so feel free to call me if there’s anything you want to ask. Take it easy, okay?”
Corinne got up too and followed behind him in silence. When Lucas opened the door, he and Corinne were both stunned to see
Sunny standing outside with a shocked expression.
Lucas’ mind went blank for a moment before he frowned. “When did you come back? What are you doing standing here?”

Sunny snapped back to his senses. He looked at Lucas, then at Corinne, and exclaimed in shock, “Lucas! Corinne is—”
“Zip it!” Lucas warned, interrupting Sunny’s words.
Lucas knew Corinne did not want other people to know her true identity, but Sunny had somehow overheard their conversation.
Having gone to great lengths to persuade Corinne to stay, he was worried Corinne would change her mind after Sunny found
out.
Sunny continued to press further despite being interrupted. He did not dare to talk to Lucas anymore, so he looked at Corinne in
surprise. “Now I get it... I always felt a special connection with you! You’re Luna, my half-sister whom Lucas has been searching
for many years...”
Corinne frowned, obviously a little frustrated by how everything turned out.
Lucas dragged Sunny to one side to keep from babbling on about it. He turned to the maid who was standing beside him and
said, “Bring Miss Corinne to rest in the other room. Make sure her bed is made and the toiletries are all prepared.”
The maids nodded. “Yes, sir! Please come with us, Miss Corinne.”