Chapter 231: Chapter 231: Compensation

By now, she no longer wore her black contact lenses.

She knew one thing very clearly: Lucian already knew her real eye color.

Hiding it from him served no purpose anymore.

Her clear blue eyes, unguarded and honest, were something Lucian had grown familiar with, almost instinctively so. He had seen the same flash of light in them whenever she took her silver kitten form.

For a fleeting moment, an urge surged through him to reach out and rub her head, to reassure her with that simple, intimate gesture.

He held back.

“How are you feeling now?” His voice was soft, careful.

Lana blinked, then smiled faintly.

“I’m fine,” she replied, her voice still a little weak. “What time is it… and how long have you been here?”

Lucian met her gaze calmly.

“I just arrived,” he lied smoothly. “You were unconscious for a whole day.”

Lana’s eyes widened slightly. “A whole day…?”

Her thoughts immediately flew to her university, panic flickering across her face.

Lucian spoke before she could voice it.

“I already contacted your university and explained your situation. You don’t need to worry about that.”

A long breath left her lips. Relief softened her shoulders. “Thank you…”

She nodded, but before she could say anything else, her stomach betrayed her with a loud grumble.

Lucian’s lips curved into a small smile. “I’ll get your breakfast ready.”

She nodded again, murmuring her thanks.

He left the room without hesitation.

As soon as the door closed, Lana turned her head toward Mr. Crow. “Tell me the truth,” she said quietly. “When did he really arrive?”

Mr. Crow pursed his beak, hesitating, before finally giving in.

“Since the moment he found you unconscious,” he admitted. “He didn’t leave your side. Not once. Only stepped out for the bathroom.”

Lana fell silent.

She sensed the emotion beneath his words, and Mr. Crow couldn’t help but add sternly,

“Don’t pity him. Remember, he’s the main reason you suffered like this in the first place.”

Lana nodded without arguing, her silence easing something in Mr. Crow’s chest.

Later, at the dining table, Lana learned that she had indeed skipped an entire day. She sighed softly, the spoon clinking against the bowl as she ate in an absent-minded manner, her thoughts drifting.

Suddenly, Lucian spoke. “I’m sorry.”

Lana paused, stunned. She looked up at him.

“I crossed boundaries,” he continued, his expression serious. “I made you uncomfortable. Because of that, you ended up like this.”

Lana inhaled deeply. “No,” she said firmly. “It wasn’t your fault. It was mine.”

Before Lucian could relax, she added, “I never made my boundaries clear.”

She met his eyes, her gaze steady and serious.

“I genuinely appreciate everything you’ve done. I’ll return your kindness someday… whether it takes days or years.”

Her fingers curled slightly against the table.

“But I don’t like anyone inquiring about my personal life.”

Her heart ached as she spoke, but she did not stop.

“This is my personal space. I can’t let anyone step into it freely.”

In her previous life, she had answered every question Lucian asked without hesitation, never realizing how much of herself she had been giving away. Back then, she had been so deeply in love that she never thought about boundaries.

’Not this time,’ she told herself.

In this life, she had promised herself she would not be pathetic. She would love him, but not at the cost of her dignity or her space. Loving someone and preserving one’s dignity were not opposites.

If love demanded the loss of dignity, then it wasn’t love. It was selfishness.

Looking at Lucian, she said quietly, “I hope you’ll respect this from now on.”

Lucian studied her for a long moment. Then he spoke calmly, “How do I change this status quo?”

Lana was taken aback.

She had expected him to retreat, or to feel offended. Instead, he met her words with sincerity. She was momentarily at a loss, but quickly gathered herself.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“I want to know you,” Lucian replied. “Personally. I want to understand your life. Someday, maybe give suggestions, not force anything. What I gave before was only a suggestion, never an order.”

His voice softened. “I want to be someone close to you. Even as a friend, that would be enough.”

Lana fell silent. A full minute passed.

Then she lifted her head and said, “If that’s the case… then we can be friends.”

Even as the words left her mouth, everything felt unreal. In her previous life, she had never had any relationship beyond that of a subordinate.

Maybe it was her own inferiority, or maybe it was how distant Lucian had always seemed.

But this life was different. She wanted to take a small step forward.

Even being a little closer to the one she loved was enough. As for the rest, she would never lower herself for love again. If anyone ever tried to put her down, then love could go to hell.

Maybe even if they never ended up as lovers, they could still become friends, and for Lana, that was already more than enough.

In the distant future, she imagined herself looking back at these memories, the faint warmth of nostalgia spreading in her chest, thinking that at the very least, she had once become his friend.

That thought alone soothed something deep inside her.

Lucian stared at her for a long moment, his gaze deep and unreadable. Then a gentle smile curved his lips. “Being friends sounds good.”

As he spoke, his tone softened even further. “So, as your friend, I’ll start by compensating you for what I did wrong.”

Lana blinked, confusion flashing across her face. “Compensation…?”

Lucian calmly took out a card and slid it across the table toward her. The faint sound of plastic against wood echoed in the quiet dining room.

“There’s a hundred million dollars in this.”

Lana’s eyes widened slightly.

Even Mr. Crow froze, his feathers puffing up in shock.

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