"Good grief, Amelie—what do you even see in a guy like this? He’s got zero sweetness in him!"
I muttered under my breath.
"How can he say something like that to me, and still claim he’s interested? Unbelievable. I seriously don’t get why women fall for him."

I turned to David, throwing him a half-glare.

"I mean, really—how does a guy with a mouth like yours end up with a bunch of girlfriends?"

David burst out laughing at my protest, clearly entertained. I took another sip of my latte and turned my gaze elsewhere, annoyed.

Then suddenly, David stopped laughing.
"Oh, El,"he said, his tone shifting as a strange little smile played on his lips. "I just thought of something..."

"What? What did you just think of?" I asked, curious and slightly suspicious of the long pause between his sentences.

"If I help you dig up info on that girl who scammed you..." he trailed off again, like he was intentionally trying to push my buttons.

"So you're not helping for free, huh? What do you want then?" I asked with a pout, tapping my fingers against the table impatiently. "Spit it out already, will you? Stop with the cliffhangers—this isn’t a soap opera."

David just kept smirking at me, clearly enjoying the way I was getting riled up.

"Relax, El. We just finished eating."

"Oh, come on! First you tell me to eat, now that we’re done, you’re still stalling? Do you even *want* to help me or not?" I snapped, getting up from my seat in frustration.

He quickly reached out and grabbed my hand.
"Hey! Where are you going?"he asked, standing up as well. I yanked my hand away in an instant.

"Don’t touch me!" I glared at him.

"Calm down, El. No need to explode like that..."

I huffed. "Of course I’m mad! You've been stalling this whole time like it’s a game!"

"Okay, okay, sit down again,"he said, gesturing to the chair.

"Nope!"

"Come on, I swear I’ll give you the answer now. Just sit, okay?" he kept insisting.

"No need to sit. I just want to hear what you meant earlier. Be direct already!" I crossed my arms, trying to stay firm.

He chuckled softly.
"You really are something else, El," he said, amused. "You know, *you’re* the one who asked me to meet today. *You* said you needed help. I didn’t force you to come. So what’s wrong with asking for a little something in return for helping you?"

I stood there, speechless for a moment. He had a point. I *was* the one asking for his help. But still... why did I feel like I was the one being played?

"Fine, fine. You're right. I asked you for this. So tell me—what exactly do you want in return?" I grumbled. I couldn’t risk him backing out now. Not when I was this close to finding Sylvia.

He smiled again.
"See? Much better when we talk like civilized people. No yelling, no table-slamming."

Ugh. I rolled my eyes. *This guy is so irritating...*

"Alright, I’ll tell you everything I know about that Fifi girl."

"Fifi? Her name is Sylvia!" I snapped again, already getting irritated.

"Yeah, whatever. Fifi, Sylvia—the scam queen," he said with a laugh.

I suddenly felt self-conscious for getting so worked up earlier.

"Okay then, can you repeat what exactly you want to ask me?"he said, looking at me with more seriousness now.

I clutched the strap of my bag. The sun was starting to dip lower in the sky—I really needed to get this over with.

"Alright. But answer me clearly this time, no more games,"I warned.

He nodded.
"Got it. I’ll answer everything you want to know—at least, as much as I can. I won’t make promises I can’t keep, but I’ll try to help you get the info you need about that fraud, Sylvia."

I bit my lower lip before continuing.
"Earlier you said the girl in the photo I showed you was your ex. Do you *know* Sylvia personally?"

"Not really," he shrugged. "I’ve only seen her around. That’s it."

"But you *have* some idea who she is, right?" I asked again, just to be sure.

He nodded with a serious expression.
"Yeah. I know *of* her, just not personally."

I took a deep breath.
"That photo—can you remember where it was taken?"I asked, eager for the answer.

David squinted like he was trying to recall something.
"Hmm... if I’m not mistaken, that was taken at her wedding."

"Wedding? Sylvia got *married*?"I was shocked. Well, kind of. I *did* know she married some wealthy tycoon...

"Yeah. My ex was pretty close with her, so I think that’s why I ended up being invited. Honestly, I was kinda surprised—her husband was a lot older than her. Not super ancient or anything, but the age gap was obvious."

I swallowed hard. He didn’t have to say who the man was—I already knew.

"I see..." I replied, keeping my tone neutral. "Do you remember where the wedding was held?"

David rubbed his chin, trying to recall.
"Give me a sec... I might still have the invitation from my ex." He reached for his phone on the table.

I anxiously twisted my fingers, silently praying he really did keep the invite.

"Well? Do you have it?" I asked, barely able to hide the urgency in my voice.

"Hold on, I’m looking. Patience, El," he said, his eyes scanning through files. "Let’s hope I didn’t delete it."

After what felt like an eternity, David suddenly smiled and handed his phone to me.

"Here, check this out. I found the invitation from Sylvia..."

I grabbed David’s phone and stared at the wedding invite.

"Villa La Mer, Coastal Hills, Marbella," I read out loud.

Marbella? Seriously?

I looked up at him. "She got married in *Spain*?"

David nodded. "Yup. Super fancy place. My ex wouldn’t stop complaining about the dress code."

My eyes scanned the names again. *Sylvia Margareth & Mr. D. Watter.*

“You know that name?” David asked, raising a brow.

“Just sounds familiar,” I muttered.

He shrugged. “Didn’t see many familiar faces at the wedding. Mostly rich folks, very private. No photos allowed either.”

Figures. Of course she kept it off the grid.

“Thanks, David,” I said quietly.

“You okay?” he asked, a little softer now.

I nodded, eyes still on the invite. “I just need to finish what she started.”

He tilted his head. “That sounds like revenge.”

I gave him a half-smile. “Nah. Just… justice.”

David smirked. “Well, if you need backup again, you know where to find me.”

***