The private jet takes off in the direction of Imperial as the black Maserati Quattroporte drivers further into the distance. Yue Ling sat in the passenger seat with her head turned to the passenger window. She noticed that the road they were on was different from the empty and open charter they had landed.
There were trees on either side of the road with the only minimal light source to guide the way. However, she also noticed that along the road's edge were in-ground lighting, allowing one to not go off the road.
"Tian, where are we?"
She had kept silent for too long, and her anticipation has finally run out. Now, her only choice is to ask since she has no idea where they are going or where they are.
Lu Tian sounds a chuckle from the driver's seat. He knew that it was only a matter of time before she asks. He just didn't know when.
He parts his lips to answer but seeing something up ahead, a smile curls on his face.
"You can see for yourself."
Yue Ling was washed with a wave of contempt by his words. She looks at him then her eyes follow in the direction he is looking at. Her eyes opened widely, and she softly gasps.
She prompts herself up in her seat and places her palm on the dashboard. Her sudden movement made it look like she was on a balcony overlooking the world in front of her.
"Am I awake, or am I dreaming?"
Despite the darkness engulfed around them, she could the bright and radiant lights of a villa a few meters in front of them. The closer the car near, the exterior of the place can be seen better.
There weren't enough glass windows to describe the place as a glasshouse, but there were sections of the villa with towering glass walls, giving the estate a modern design of sorts. The dense trees outline created a magical feature that enhances the whole place like a painting come to life.
"This…"
Yue Ling murmurs as the villa comes closer and closer to view. Her eyebrows crease a little as she suddenly thought about something she heard from her subordinates.
She looks away from the magical scene in front of her, and her attention shifted to the man driving. Her eyes narrow ever so lightly like she was trying to read him.
"This place, don't tell me…"
Her words paused, and she ponders on the right words to say.
She never asked about what Lu Tian did to Chu Li Xiang, let alone where the despicable man was taken. It wasn't because she was afraid to ask. She just didn't want to know.
However, after her recovery, she had overheard a conversation between Liu Shan, Lin Hui, and Qi Li.
The three men had conversated about how Lu Tian made sure Chu Li Xiang suffered a slow and painful death. Not only that, but they also went into detail about the place as it was Lu Tian's private island where Xu Long and Wolf Team are sent for disciplinary measures.
She ends her thoughts with eyes still narrowing at the man seated next to her.
"Are we on your private island?"
Lu Tian couldn't help himself and smiles a chuckle. He gives her a side glance, then back at the road ahead.
"We are on one of my private islands."
He doesn't hide anything from her and continues to drive the car forward until they reached the front door to the villa. He shuts the engine off and finally turns his head to look at his wife.
"Don't worry. It's not the island you're thinking about."
His hand reaches for the door handle and opens it but pauses. He gives her a reassuring smile with one hand pointing in a specific direction.
"That island is on this side."
Yue Ling was struck baffled by each of his words. Before she could even utter a sound, Lu Tian had already stepped out of the car.
She watches as he walks around the hood of the car, but unlike the other times when she lets him help her like a gentleman, she pries open the door for herself and steps out.
"What do you mean by this is one of your private islands? How many do you have?"
She closes the door and stares the man down. Her left palm stuck out to him as if she was stopping him, and she corrects herself.
"No, let me rephrase that. How many islands do you NEED?"
She emphasized the word 'need,' which caused Lu Tian to let out a chuckle. The image of her stumbling out of the car was still replaying in his head, but he quickly discards it.
"I have five around the world. This is one of them. As to why I need them, they're for personal use."
He walks to the back of the car and opens the trunk. He was just about to reach for their bags but stops. He pokes his head from behind the car to look at his wife.
"And no. I've never brought anyone here. You're the first."
His words fell with nothing but the truth as he returns to get their bags.
"Steward Bao should have left the door unlocked. It's cold tonight, so you should go in first."
Yue Ling was even more baffled by Lu Tian's words. One corner of her mouth twitched as she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
She didn't even think if he had ever brought anyone here, so would he say something like that?
Quickly as the question came to her, her eyes widen, and she finally understood. He was teasing her, probably trying to see if she will get jealous.
She rolls her eyes at this conclusion and walks to the front door. Just as Lu Tian had said, the door was unlocked. This didn't come to her as a surprise because she knows that they were on his private island, and anyone daring to step foot here is begging to enter death's door.
And like an eager little girl on a field trip to see a castle, she excitedly enters the villa.
Upon her entrance, she was greeted with an interior utterly different from her imagination. She didn't need to turn the lights on because they were already lit when they arrived.
She could see at a glance that the villa is the pinnacle definition of effortless sophistication. It's understated neutral colors paired with bold gold-hued accents brought an illumination drama.
The entire place was designed with a spacious layout that didn't make the area look cluttered together, and the sumptuous furniture fashionably reinvented luxury.
Anyone who entered this villa would think that it a home designed for a modern king.
"Like it?"
Lu Tian's deep voice sounds from behind as he entered the villa with their bags, and Yue Ling turns to look at him. She kept a calm expression, but her brightly lit eyes said otherwise.
"It's beautiful."
She shrugs her shoulder indifferently, but deep inside, she was screaming at the top of her lungs. If he weren't present, she would have run around the entire villa to see everything.
Clearing her head, she looks back at the scene in front of her. The living room stood directly upon entrance with glossy marble stairs on the second floor's right. She notices the glass railing on the stairs, and something crosses her mind.
"But I never pictured you as the type to lean towards a light-colored lifestyle."
Since the villa is on Lu Tian's private island, she thought it would be like his old penthouse. Dark furniture, a gloomy atmosphere, and barely any light.
"Then again, who am I to judge someone's preference. Right?"
She chuckles softly at her own words, causing Lu Tian to smile with her. He walks past her to the living room and places their bags down on one of the couches.
"You're right. I do prefer a dark living style."
He walks back to her and towers over her view of the villa.
"I designed the villa, but my mother picked out the decorations. She and my father occasionally come here when they want to get away from the busy city."
His right-hand raised to caress her cheek, and a smile full of unending love curls on his face.
"Should I give you a tour of the villa first or after dinner?"
