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  Silent Longing: Lucia and Damien Tale, a novel title that is immensely popur among young people. It is so famous that it has garnered thousands of fans. It's no surprise that many teenagers rush to get their hands on it. The novel has received thousands of comments, many of which include both criticism and praise.

  The story revolves around a protagonist named Lucia, a woman known for her achievements. She is admired by many people around her for her intelligence. Numerous men have confessed their love to her, but she rejected them all. She only wanted to focus on her career, driven by a past that keeps pushing her forward.

  Until one day, Lucia is reunited with her childhood friend, who also happened to be her schoolmate. Damien, that was his name. He was Lucia's first love, but she couldn’t confess her true feelings toward him because she didn’t want to ruin their friendship.

  Of course, after their reunion, she was personally recruited by Damien to become his private secretary. Lucia has worked with Damien for five years. Those five years were anything but simple, filled with twists and misunderstandings that kept readers on edge.

  Damien felt that his retionship with Lucia was ambiguous, not just a boss-and-subordinate dynamic. The feelings in his heart could no longer be hidden. Eventually, he directly confessed the feelings he had long kept inside to Lucia.

  What didn’t surprise the readers was — Lucia didn’t reject him!

  Despite Damien’s seemingly cold demeanor, he is actually a gentle person — though only toward Lucia. However, Lucia was unaware of this. After his confession was accepted, Damien publicly announced that Lucia was his.

  On the other hand, a man named Alexander also liked Lucia. And when he heard the news that Lucia was in a retionship with Damien, he quietly distanced himself. He couldn’t selfishly force someone to love him.

  Many readers felt sorry for the fictional character Alexander. But for the readers, this was merely the beginning of the conflict — the real story was just about to begin.

  ---

  Meanwhile, a young man named Arven didn’t seem interested in the romantic dynamics of the novel Silent Longing: Lucia and Damien Tale. For him, focusing on work and earning money was enough.

  Arven was an office worker, currently employed at a fairly well-known company.

  He lived only with his younger sister because their parents had separated.

  After Arven’s parents split up, he and his sister lived in a modest house. His mother went on to live with her new family, and the same went for his father, who left them behind.

  Even though they no longer lived under the same roof, his mother still sent monthly allowances to both her children. Meanwhile, his father hadn’t been heard from since he left home.

  Not wanting to depend on his mother, Arven started looking for a job with only his high school diploma. After three months passed, he received a call from a company telling him that he was accepted.

  He was quite happy to finally have a decent job with a reasonably good sary. Since then, Arven worked tirelessly from morning till night.

  At a retively young age, Arven managed to buy his own house with the savings from his sary. Even though it wasn’t big, it was far better than the house his parents had left behind.

  That night, the rain poured heavily, with droplets falling softly onto the ground, creating a natural melody that gently echoed through the air.

  In the quiet living room, a dim light glowed faintly, casting soft shadows on the walls.

  A cup of warm coffee rested on the small table in the center of the room, emitting a tempting aroma. Arven's fingers danced lightly across his ptop keyboard with a steady rhythm.

  Lightning occasionally fshed in the distance, illuminating the night sky with sharp streaks of light before vanishing again into the darkness.

  It was a peaceful and calm atmosphere for Arven, until he finished his work and gently closed his ptop — but suddenly, he felt a dizziness in his head. He ignored it.

  He carefully stood up from the sofa, sipping the st of his coffee before taking it to the kitchen. After putting down the cup, he went to turn off the living room light.

  However, noticing that his sister’s bedroom light was still on and the door slightly ajar, he slowly walked toward her room. Arven intended to turn off the light, but just as he was about to do so, he heard what sounded like someone murmuring in their sleep.

  He stepped beside his sister’s bed and saw her lying there, face flushed and with beads of sweat on her forehead. Arven then reached out and touched her forehead — just as he suspected. She had a fever.

  Arven quickly left the room and returned not long after with fever medicine.

  He gently woke his sister, “Hey, Vi. Wake up, you have a fever. Here, take some medicine,” he said as he handed her the medicine and a gss of water. His sister, half-awake, accepted and took the medicine obediently.

  After she fell asleep again, Arven covered her with a thick bnket, making sure she was comfortable. He sat quietly beside the bed, watching her tired face.

  Just as Arven was about to put away the medicine, he felt something gripping his hand. He looked down — it was his sister holding onto him, and just as he tried to let go, her hoarse voice stopped him.

  “Don’t go…”

  Arven smiled and gently stroked the back of her hand.

  “I’m just going to put the medicine away.” Arven tried to reassure his sister, but it didn’t work. Her grip only tightened.

  He sighed and pced the medicine on the nightstand beside the bed. He also grabbed the study chair nearby.

  After sitting down, his hand was still tightly held by his sister. “Alright, go to sleep. I’m here.”

  Arven knew his sister wouldn’t sleep unless someone stayed with her — it had always been her habit when she was sick.

  Still gently stroking the back of her hand, he gnced around the room. It was a simple bedroom, nothing fshy. Everything was pin and clean. Arven looked at the nightstand where he had pced the medicine earlier. There was a small mp, an arm clock, and some figurines.

  One book caught his eye. Arven picked it up. As soon as he saw the title, he instantly recognized that the book in his hand was a popur one.

  The cover design was simple, with the title written in a clear font: Silent Longing: Lucia and Damien Tale. And Arven began to open the book, initially intending to read just the first paragraph. But without realizing it, he became absorbed in the story, turning page after page.

  To be continued.