"Hey. Don't make me curious.Did she scam you? Was it about money?" David asked.

Just then, the waiter arrived with our orders, making me hold off on answering his question right away.

I deliberately waited, giving the waiter time to neatly arrange all the dishes and drinks David had ordered. Ugh, I just realized—he *really* ordered a ton of food. Once the waiter finished his task, he politely smiled and gestured toward the dishes.

**"Please enjoy the specialties from our beloved chef. I hope everything suits your taste. If you need anything, feel free to call me back."**

David gave him a polite smile and nodded. **"Thank you so much for your service."**

Silence settled for a moment after the waiter walked away from our table.

Once he was gone, David picked up a glass filled with some juice—I had no idea what flavor—and took a slow sip. Then, with a slight smile, he spoke again.

**"So? Still waiting on your answer. What exactly did she scam you with? What was her name again? Sinta? Silvi?"**

**"Sylvia!"** I snapped, clearly annoyed.

**"Yeah, that one..."** He chuckled. **"So? Was it money? Or something else?"**

**"Something else..."** I quickly replied.

David frowned, clearly intrigued. **"Something else? Wow, I thought for sure it was about money. Guess not."** He grabbed a plate in front of him and looked at me. **"Look, you don’t have to like me, but this food didn’t do anything wrong, alright? So please, don’t let it go to waste."**

I exhaled and clenched my fingers beneath the table, hesitating to even touch the food in front of me. As much as he had a point, I still felt uncomfortable.

Sebastian probably had no idea I was currently at a café, having lunch with someone else—more precisely, another man. A twinge of guilt slowly crept through my heart.

**"Hey? Hello? What’s with the silence? Are you seriously not gonna eat anything?"** David asked enthusiastically. **"Come on! You're the one who asked to meet. At least have a drink."**

I glanced briefly at David’s face—he seemed a little disappointed. I picked up a single piece of French fry from the shared platter and slowly took a bite.

**"Don't just go for the fries. Eat this too. I ordered two portions on purpose."** David pushed the steak plate closer to me.

My stomach, which was already growling from hunger, responded instantly. I was torn—should I give in and eat, or keep up the act and say no out of pride?

Eventually, I gave in.

My eyes fluttered slightly as the juicy steak melted in my mouth. Oh my God, hunger had officially won over pride. That steak was too good to resist.

David was clearly trying not to laugh as he watched me dig into the steak he’d offered.

**"See? Delicious, right? Don’t stop at the steak—everything I ordered comes in pairs. So please, help me out. One portion's mine, the other’s yours. After we finish eating, we can talk more about how you got scammed by... Syntia?"**

**"Sylvia!"** I corrected him again, annoyed.

David grinned. **"Yeah, yeah, right. Just testing your focus."**

I rolled my eyes and made a small pout. I figured I might as well go along with his plan so we could finish things quickly.

I started picking up the plates one by one—the dishes identical to what he ordered for himself. He really *had* meant for me to eat all of it.

**"Take your time. Don’t rush through it! I’ll help you dig up info on that girl. Just enjoy your lunch first so we can focus when we talk,"** he said casually.

That made me slow down. I realized I must’ve looked like someone who hadn’t seen food in days.

Suddenly, I choked. David quickly grabbed a glass and poured some water, handing it to me right away.

**"See? I told you not to rush. Just relax!"**

After finishing the water he gave me, I felt even more ridiculous. But honestly, I didn’t care. I didn’t feel the need to maintain any sort of image in front of him. What for, anyway? It’s not worth the effort to look good in front of a player like him. Let him think I’m some girl who rarely gets to eat. Maybe then he’ll lose interest.

I smirked as I reached for the second dish David had placed in front of me.

**"Come on, this one too. Gotta finish everything,"** he said, pushing the last dish toward me.

Once I’d finally finished the meal he’d gotten for me, I took a deep breath. My stomach was no longer rioting for food.

David looked quite pleased, seeing me full and satisfied.

**"There we go. At least you appreciated the food I ordered."** He kept smiling.

**"Alright, let’s talk about what happened to me."**

**"Haha, hold on. I haven’t even finished my food yet."** He pointed at his plate. I just realized—he really hadn’t finished his own meal.

**"Oh. Sorry,"** I said briefly.

**"Besides, you just finished eating. Relax for a bit before we continue the convo,"** he said as he resumed eating. **"Here..."** he pushed a plate of untouched fries toward me, **"you can snack on these while we talk later."**

**"I’m full!"** I refused.

David chuckled. **"Good, glad you’re full. But the fries are here just in case—snack on them while we talk."**

I made a face and took a sip of my latte.

**"You… You eat a lot, huh? It’s rare to meet a girl with such a big appetite. Most girls never finish the food I order."**

I narrowed my eyes at him. **"Was that a compliment or an insult?"**

**"No idea."** He laughed, still chewing. **"Just amazed, I guess. You *look* like someone who doesn’t eat much, but surprise—you’ve got a killer appetite. That’s awesome."**

Oh my God, Amelie… What did you ever see in a guy like this? There’s nothing sweet about this guy’s mouth. And yet somehow, he said he was interested in me? I honestly can’t figure out what makes girls attracted to him.

**"What I can’t figure out,"** I said aloud, **"is how a guy with a mouth as blunt as yours manages to get girls to fall for him. And not just one—*a lot* of them."**

David burst out laughing at my little rant. I took another sip of my latte, feeling slightly more relaxed.

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