At the same time.
Lola was feeling down and had just arrived at the rib restaurant where Dylan was, following Gia, who had a craving for ribs.
Having been pregnant and giving birth, Gia was two years behind her peers in taking the specialist exam, and sometimes, she would sigh and feel gloomy. One of the ways Gia relieved her stress was by eating delicious food.
Today was no different.
The rib restaurant was across the street, newly opened, and Gia had lured Lola in by saying it was incredibly tasty.
From the looks of the packed tables, it seemed the rib restaurant was doing well. After waiting for about ten minutes upon arrival, they finally got a vacant table. As they followed the kind staff to their seats, someone’s voice suddenly stopped the two of them in their tracks.
“Isn’t that Teacher Gia? What a coincidence to run into you here. It’s been a while; it’s nice to see you.”
The voice belonged to Alan.
Gia exchanged formal pleasantries with Alan, who was her older brother’s chief prosecutor and someone she had known for a long time.
“Hello. I’ve been well, how about you?”
Alan’s gaze shifted back to Lola after Gia’s greeting.
“I see you brought a friend along.”
“Hello.”
Lola nodded and greeted him.
At first, she had passed by without a thought, but when she turned her gaze, she noticed there was someone she knew very well.
Lola, looking a bit surprised, and Dylan’s expressionless gaze met each other.
Like a scene from a drama’s ending, Nia, who unexpectedly ran into Lola again, deliberately sat very close to Dylan, making sure she was visible to her. She smiled haughtily.
Gia’s eyes sharpened as she noticed Nia sitting right next to Dylan, who had just sat down a beat later. Even seeing the unpleasant expression on Gia’s face, Nia feigned delight and joked.
“Oh my! You must be Gia, right? How is it that you look exactly the same as before? No, have you become even prettier? I heard you married the third generation Business magnate from Donald Group?”
“I heard you two know each other well?”
Alan asked Gia, but Nia answered instead.
“Of course, we know each other well. We used to see each other often when Gia was little. Gia, it’s so nice to see you again after such a long time.”
A strange smile lingered on Nia’s lips as she looked at Lola, whose face had stiffened. It was the reaction she had wanted.
“Who are you?”
Gia asked stiffly, displeased with the woman pretending to be close to her.
“Oh, really! It’s like you two are siblings. How can you look just like Dylan? Can’t you even recognize who I am? I must have become really pretty.”
The woman seemed to have a thick skin, both then and now. She was still advertising with her whole body, “Look at me, I’m pretty.”
Lola stood quietly next to Gia like a straw mat. She felt Dylan’s gaze on her but tried her best not to meet his eyes.
“Shall we sit together? We were just talking about Teacher Gia.”
Alan asked with a smile, happy to run into Gia by chance. Gia politely declined.
“Thank you for the offer, but I’ll pass. I came with a friend today. But…”
Gia paused for a moment, glancing at Dylan before turning her gaze back to Alan.
“You’re not talking about me behind my back, are you?”
“Of course not! We only said good things about Teacher Gia, so you don’t have to worry.”
Alan responded cheerfully to Gia’s joke with a hearty laugh.
“I’m honored to hear you only said good things. Thank you. Enjoy your meal.”
The pretty woman only spoke pretty words, making her appear even prettier.
Alan’s smile deepened. At that moment, Nia spoke up with a teasing tone.
“Oh no! What a pity. Gia, see you later.”
Gia didn’t give Nia another glance. She nodded to Alan and quickly took Lola’s hand, hurrying to leave.
******
Lola and Gia were guided to a table where they could easily see Dylan when he looked up.
As soon as they sat down, they ordered food, and after Lola took a sip of the water on the table, she cautiously asked.
“Gia, do you know that woman well?”
“Why? Are you worried?”
Gia also felt uneasy when she saw the woman sitting right next to Dylan.
Is my brother out of his mind?
Sitting with another woman right in front of his girlfriend?
If another woman sat next to him, he should have pushed her away without question.
“No. She was acting friendly with you, so I wondered if you knew her well.”
As Lola waved her hand dismissively, Gia seemed to think for a moment.
Who was that woman who was so familiar with her, speaking casually and making a fuss?
She couldn’t remember.
