Sir, Madam Dispeared Again After Divorce!
Chapter 539 Luke's Affection

"It's inappropriate in any way." Sydney sighed, "Only lovers can call each other like this to show their intimacy, but we are just friends, so it's a bit too much for you to call me in that way."

Luke gave a short, derisive laugh, "How could it be a bit too much? I've been calling you that for over a decade. During those years, you've never said anything or felt anything wrong about it. Why did you change your mind now? Did someone say something that changed your mind?"

Sydney opened her eyes a little wider.

That explained everything to Luke. He held his fist tight, "I knew it. Someone told you to do that. It's Julien, isn't it?

With the flicker of her eyes, Sydney admitted it in silence.

"I guessed it!" Luke's face clouded, "You are very much obedient to him. Just because he told you to, you'd rather give up the pet name I'd been used on you for years as he wished."

Sydney couldn't help but feel guilt-ridden at how she had treated him. She bit her lip and replied, "Luke, I'm terribly sorry for that. 1 admit Julien did ask me to do that. He got me to tell you not to call me like tha anymore. It was weird. I have been thinking about it before finding him right in the end. It's not a proper form of address given our relationship."

It was true that she hadn't given much thought to it before, but Julien did remind her to start to take it seriously. That Luke called her "darling" was really weird and intimate, which did indicate something beyond a friendship.

"No, it's not really about the form of address." An ironic smile curved Luke's lips, "It's just that you don't want to make ' somebody' unhappy."

Sydney replied with a stiff expression, "Wh-what?"

"Nothing!" Luke took a step back, turned and walked over to the driver's door. Then he opened the door, bent forward to pull out the key and asked, "I'm asking you one last time. Do you really want me to stop using the pet name on you?"

With her lips twitching, Sydney seemed hesitant about the answer.

Julien, however, crossed her mind at the very moment, which immediately made her determined to nod and say yes.

On hearing her answer, Luke's heart sank to the bottom, and that optimism in his heart faded at that moment, too.

Some bitterness flashed in his eyes," Alright. I got it. I'll agree if you insist. I will never call you 'darling' again. You know what? From this moment on, you and I are less close than before. Just as you wish." Sydney frowned at him, "Why? Nothing has changed except for the form of address. We are still friends. Close friends."

"Yes, that will change nothing for a real friendship, but it's different with us." Luke gripped the car key in his hand and took a breath, "I thought I was the only one to call you 'darling'. That made me feel unique and somewhat important in your heart. Now it was deprived by you. I lost the privilege to call you that, which proves me wrong. I was no different and not that important in your heart. So... it's all over!" After the words, he put the car key on the hood, turned and walked towards the side of the road.

"Luke!" Sydney called out to him.

Luke proceeded straight to the roadside, with no indication of looking back or stopping, as if he heard nothing. He waved a hand to hail a cab and left in it.

Watching the vehicle drive away, Sydney was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

What Luke said just now revealed a lot about their relationship.

Above all, she was really surprised by the truth that he had feelings for her.

A look of astonishment and incredibility emerged on Sydney's face, as she clenched her fist and shook her head slightly.

Obviously, she still couldn't believe that instead of treating her as a friend, Luke was in love with her!

She wouldn't have sensed anything if he hadn't admitted it himself a moment ago.

That explained why he had insisted on calling her 'darling'.

And that explained why he had overreacted to her request.

Real friends might feel hurt if asked to stop calling her 'darling', but he overreacted. It seemed like he was going to cut ties with her.

"Luke..." Sydney whispered, looking in the direction where he had left.

It was a pity that they would never be so close as before, but she didn't regret what she had done.

Well, she might regret it if his love had been unknown to her. But things are different now.

She couldn't let Luke develop stronger affection for her, which would never be reciprocated because she didn't love him.

In the end, he would get nothing but hurt.

Fortunately, the "darling" thing could make it clear to him that she had been treating him as a friend instead of someone she loved. That might help him distance himself from the affection he had for her before being plunged into it; otherwise, it would end in tragedy.

Sydney sighed at the thought. She then walked to the car, picked up the key placed on the hood by Luke and entered the apartment.

At the same time, Julien finally returned to the Flint Mansion after a period of time.

His phone started to ring as soon as he got out of the car.

H raised his hand as a sign for Zach to stop pushing the wheelchair, and then answered the phone.

"President Flint, Ms. Raines has been sent to the Shallow Bay safe and sound." A voice spoke.

Julien replied with a "hum" and continued, "Good job. Any strange cars along the way?"

"Ho."

Julien frowned, "Got it. From now on, you two must secretly protect Sydney and keep her safe."

"Yes." The person at the other end of the phone nodded and answered.

Julien hung up the phone without saying anything else.

Zach resumed moving the wheelchair into the gate of the Mansion at the sight of his putting down the phone.

As Julien was pushed into the living room, he saw Velma sitting on the sofa with her back towards him.

She was holding a mirror with one hand and seemed to be stroking something around her collarbone with the other hand. Meanwhile, she kept repeating things like ' so beautiful".

Julien raised his eyebrow and asked," Mom, what are you doing?"

Velma was freaked out by his voice and dropped the mirror on her lap. It hurt so badly that her face even contorted.

In spite of this, she hurried to throw the mirror away, rubbed the sore leg and then stood up with her hand covering her collarbone. She turned and stared at Julien with a forced smile, "Julien, why did you return now? I thought you were living outside these days."

Aware of her panic, Julien squinted his eyes, "I'm back for my things. Mom, what's wrong with your neck? Why are you covering it?"

Faced with his searching look, Velma felt more flustered. She almost broke out in a cold sweat and her eyes kept flickering, "I... I have an allergic skin problem around the neck, so... so..." Suddenly, her phone rang, interrupting her.

Velma took her hands off the collarbone in a subconscious attempt to answer the phone.

At the very moment when she realized what she had done, she screamed in her mind, "Oh dear! He must see it!"

"It's the Azure Heart?" Zach, who was standing behind Julien, looked at the necklace around Velma's neck and opened his mouth wide in surprise.

Julien saw that too. He asked in a deep voice, with his forehead bunched in a frown, "Mom, I've given the necklace to Sydney. How come it is with you now?"

Having heard the question, Velma rolled her eyes and an idea struck her, "This...this is a fake one. It's just a high-quality counterfeit I bought."