Chapter 1556

She let out a weary yawn as she sank into his car.

Lucas reached over, handing her a silk eye mask with a gentle smile. “Try to get some rest on the road. I’ll drive slowly.”

“Thanks,” Belinda murmured, already feeling her eyelids droop. She had spent the early hours performing an emergency surgery that had ended just past five in the morning.

Sliding on the mask and reclining in her seat, she quickly drifted into sleep.

The drive, normally about three hours, took four and a half with Lucas driving slowly.

By the time they reached their destination, Belinda had woken up, feeling slightly better after catching a few hours of sleep.

They headed directly to the hotel’s private dining hall, where Johnson and the others were already gathered.

As soon as they arrived, Faye beamed. “Uncle Lucas, Belinda—what took you so long?”

Before Lucas could answer, Vincent grinned mischievously. “Faye, you might not know, but Lucas took his time on the road. Want to guess why? Because Belinda needed some sleep. Lucas slowed the car so every bump wouldn’t wake her up.” His tone was full of playful teasing.

Lucas merely offered a quiet laugh, saying nothing. But his reaction was as good as an admission.

Faye’s expression froze momentarily. Then, she sighed. “Lucas is so good to Belinda! I’m feeling envious!”

“Alright, enough chatter. Let’s eat,” Johnson interjected.

Soon, the dishes began arriving in a steady stream.

After a few quick bites, Belinda began to feel a lot better. She glanced across the table at Johnson, seated beside Catherine.

Belinda looked at him with a hint of curiosity. “Johnson, where’s your girlfriend? She didn’t come with you?” The question seemed casual, but it wasn’t.

The moment the question was asked, Catherine’s grip on her fork faltered slightly.

She said nothing, but her knuckles turned white.

Johnson turned his gaze to Belinda, eyes narrowing.

He quickly caught on to Belinda’s intention.

Raising an eyebrow with deliberate poise, he replied in a low voice, “We broke up.”

As soon as Johnson finished speaking, Catherine’s face flickered with a subtle change.

She couldn’t resist glancing at Johnson.

Had Johnson and Zoie really broken up?

How could that be? Not long ago, Stella had been buzzing about their upcoming engagement.

And when Zoie had confronted her, asking her to steer clear of Johnson, she had also mentioned her plans to get engaged to him soon.

But now…