“I’m worried that if I give it to him directly, he won’t accept it. That would be so embarrassing. So please give it to him instead of me.”
The guy Nina was interested in was undoubtedly Dylan Eve.
He was the tallest among the four guys.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
Lola felt a strange discomfort.
‘I should have made it clear.’
Not knowing that she and Dylan Eve had that kind of relationship, the young girl was asking her to deliver a gift, and Lola felt so awkward that she couldn’t laugh or cry.
After handing the gift wrap to Lola, Nina returned to the hospital room.
The gift Nina had prepared was chocolate.
‘But Dylan Eve doesn’t like sweet things.’
Should I just eat it all myself?
As Lola stared at the gift wrap sitting on the PC table in the nurse’s station, her phone in her gown pocket buzzed with a text notification.
When she took out her phone to check, it was a message from him.
-Lola, some of my friends are coming over for a housewarming today. Is that okay with you?
Honestly, his friends looked anything but ordinary, making them difficult and overwhelming presences.
However, since Dylan Eve had texted first to ask for her opinion, she couldn’t coldly refuse.
[Yes. Dear, I’m fine with it.]
As soon as she sent the reply, another message came in.
-If you don’t want to, I can tell them not to come.
With Dylan Eve saying that, how could she say she didn’t want to?
A faint smile spread across Lola’s face as she typed her response.
[I’m really okay. Dear.]
-We’ll order the food, so you don’t have to worry about that.
[Yes. Dear.]
-Thank you, Lola.
[^^]
Just when she thought the chat would end there,
_^^
Another text notification rang, and Lola checked her phone screen again, wondering if she had misread it.
‘Oh! This guy can send emoticons too.’
A gentle smile spread across Lola’s face, growing deeper.
But wait!
Lola’s smile slightly faltered.
‘Does that mean he’s coming too?’
Perhaps because she had firmly warned him yesterday, Prosecutor Frank had not shown his face at the hospital today. Only a man who appeared to be an investigator was waiting outside the emergency room, watching over a suspect who might wake up at any moment.
The thought of having to face Frank again made Lola feel uncomfortable already.
That man…
He felt far too intimidating compared to Dylan’s other friends.
******
Lola got off work later than usual. When she returned to the penthouse, Dylan’s friends were already there.
The friends, gathered on a long leather sofa, were drinking beer and chatting, and they greeted Lola warmly when they saw her.
“It’s nice to see you again, sister-in-law.”
“But you’re quite late getting off work today.”
“Lately, our professor has been giving you a lot of work, sister-in-law.”
These were the four handsome guys she had seen often since Xavier was hospitalized, both in the hospital room and at the cocktail bar.
As she had guessed, Prosecutor Frank was also among them.
Lola smiled softly as she greeted them.
“Hello. There aren’t many snacks. Should I bring something more?”
“No, this is enough.”
Tadeo waved his hand hurriedly with a playful smile.
“Oh, okay. Then take your time and enjoy yourselves.”
Feeling uncomfortable about interrupting the group of men, she tried to discreetly avoid them. But they insisted on her staying.
“Oh dear! We came to see sister-in-law, so it wouldn’t be fun if she’s not here!”
“Are we not welcome?”
Andy, who had once shown interest in Lola, now spoke to her without any awkwardness. As soon as Andy finished, Tadeo immediately chimed in. Even Frank, who usually spoke little, opened his mouth.
“Are we making you uncomfortable, sister-in-law?”
“Not at all.”
Lola hurriedly waved her hands in denial.
“Just sit down.”
Dylan gestured to the seat next to him with his eyes. At this point, Lola had no choice but to sit down.
Though she awkwardly took her seat, she felt uneasy under the gazes directed at her. Moreover, Dylan, who was sitting right next to her, couldn’t keep his hands still.
He either rubbed her nape with his hand or patted her head, and he also wrapped his arm around her shoulder affectionately.
“Do you want something to drink?”
Dylan whispered softly in her ear. Lola leaned closer to Dylan and whispered back.
“Dylan, I think there aren’t enough snacks. I’ll just make a few more and bring them over.”
“Okay, got it.” Dylan nodded reluctantly.
The expressions of the three men watching the very affectionate duo varied. Andy and Tadeo looked surprised, as if Dylan’s behavior was still something they weren’t used to seeing.
Frank’s gaze followed Lola as she stood up and walked toward the kitchen.
Once in the kitchen, Lola opened the refrigerator to see what was inside. She took out all the food in the fridge.
