“Huh? What’s going on, here?”Staying out of the way by the side of the road, Leila and the others watched what was happening in shock.A veritable fleet of expensive cars lined outside the karaoke bar. A throng of people swarmed about the place.“Something must have happened! Gosh… could it be that rascal Gerald’s gotten in over his head?” Douglas wondered aloud.“Must be. I mean, who else in Serene County could stir up this much of a fuss? I should’ve known better than to bring that guy here, no matter what anyone said. Now look at this mess: The moment something major goes down, we’re gonna get dragged into it—Mr Lourdes knows very well he’s with us!” The guys whispered amongst themselves, their outlook seemed bleak.Cindy had gone pale, hearing their words. If what they said was true, then Gerald’s life might be in extreme danger!No, she had to go in and see for herself. If things were really that bad, she’d call the cops! Thinking thusly, Cindy threw open the car door and r

“Excuse me, miss!” The waitress in the lead smiled at Leila, who stared with mouth gaping wide as a feast was laid out upon the table before Gerald.“Huh? What?” Leila stuttered for a moment, then exclaimed, “Hey, hey, hey! There must be some mistake—you’ve got the wrong table!”Anyone could tell that it was a sumptuous meal worth a small fortune—at least five hundred dollars or more—and it was meant for Gerald?Leila had always held him in contempt as a man with nothing to his name. One time, she’d let slip that their fathers had been arranging for them to be married, and it had made her a complete laughing stock.“Hey, Leila! Somewhere on a far away farm, your fiancé’s waiting for you!” She could still see those mocking grins vividly at the back of her mind.It had been the greatest source of misery in her life. She never spoke of it, but it was always on her mind. As a symbol of her humiliation, she utterly despised Gerald Crawford.And yet, Gerald was eating so well right now

“That’s right, sir. One thousand and five hundred dollars!” The waitress beamed.Douglas’s face was a sight to behold. At first, he’d thought to just toss down a hundred bucks, and then swagger out of there. He’d never expected that bunch of flowers to be worth so much!If he called his father over to make some noise…No, that wouldn’t do. This restaurant chain was owned by a powerful figure over at Mayberry. Whatever clout his family had counted for nothing in here!But neither did he have a thousand five hundred on him right now!“Hmph. So it’s a thousand five, so what? No big deal!” Leila sneered. She was this close to slapping the money in that waitress’s face.Gerald was watching. No matter what, she had to have the last word in this!Leila glanced towards Douglas. He’d definitely be able to do something about this!Patting his pockets, he leaned in close to whisper to her, “I’ve only got a few hundred left on me… I can’t pay!”“Ah?” Leila had been expecting Douglas to st

“What was that?” Gerald couldn’t believe his ears.Stay a few days, at his place? How would he be cool with that? He talked to Mila every day, and on that note: He was spoken for right now—just that his girlfriend was abroad at present—and yet he’d be living together with another woman?Even if the rest of the world was cool with it, Gerald certainly wasn’t! What madness was this?“No way, forget it!” he answered.“Oh… haha, it’s alright… I thought someone would be willing to help me, but I get it now…” Giya’s voice was barely more than a whisper.“Has something happened over there?” Gerald asked, intrigued.Come to think of it, Giya was hardly the sort of girl to suddenly run off to crash at some guy’s place for a few days without rhyme or reason. Had she fallen for him?Hah! As though Gerald thought that highly of himself… He was only asking out of curiosity.After a pause, Giya suddenly announced, “I’m getting engaged!”“Oh, congratula—” As Gerald began to respond to this, he sudden

“Gerald, I bought these fruits for you. I’ve already washed them, so come over and eat them!”Giya set a tray of fruits down upon the coffee table, then took an apple herself and began munching on it as she watched the television.Rather than a runaway fiancée escaping an arranged marriage, Gerald thought she looked more like she’d come for a pleasant holiday.He’d returned half an hour ago. After helping Giya get settled in, he’d gone to take a bath.At the moment, he wasn’t sure what to say about this relaxed, untroubled mood she was in. Regarding the luxurious suite he was in, Gerald had only mumbled some throw-away excuse so far.His earlier attempt at theatrics had flopped, and now he was no longer in the mood. Imagine bringing it up out of nowhere…Gerald took a seat. “So, about your engagement… I think it’s best to talk things through with your father. Certainly, you can’t keep running away from it forever. The trouble with his business will ease in time—surely it’s not worth sa