She Was Never Just a Pretty Face novel Chapter 174

On the second floor of the villa.

Luther watched Jolie drive away.

That very night, the staff replaced the bed, the vanity, and all the cabinets in the walk-in closet that the woman had used. But halfway through the overhaul, Luther quietly told them to stop. "That's enough."

Replacing the furniture wouldn't bring the past back.

It wasn't just the room that carried the stench of Jolie.

It wasn't just the bed or the furniture. It was him.

—He was the one who was unclean.

...

Aegis Group.

The top-floor executive suite.

Luther signed the final document, slowly capped his pen, and asked his secretary, Lori, "Did you really throw that painting away?"

Lori played dumb. "What painting?"

Luther looked up at her, his voice heavy. "First Love."

Lori put on a show of sudden realization. "Oh, you mean 'First Love'! Didn't you smash the frame and tell me to trash it? I was just following your orders."

Luther stared silently at his secretary.

For a long time, neither spoke.

Lori finally sighed. "Alright, fine! I didn't throw it away!"

Not only had she kept it.

Lori had secretly paid a professional to restore and reframe it.

And, naturally, she had expensed a hefty sum for the trouble.

Half an hour later, *First Love* was hanging back up in the office.

Right next to *The Isle*.

Luther stood there, quietly admiring it.

A wave of warmth washed over his chest.

It felt as though a fractured piece of his soul had quietly mended itself.

Just then, the second secretary knocked and entered. "Mr. Sanford, we've located that Damien Croix. He's waiting outside right now. Do you want to see him?"

Luther kept his eyes on the paintings, his voice soft. "Send him in."

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