Her eyes widened.
To her horror, a notification popped up on her phone.
$25. That's all she had left in her account.
"No… no no no."
She'd even borrowed money from Hanna just to prep for this date.
"I hate when he's right," she groaned internally, pressing her forehead lightly against the car window, flushed with embarrassment.
*****
Later, back at home, she exploded into a rant.
"Damn that Lux!" she shouted, throwing her purse onto the couch. "I knew he had something to do with this!"
"I shouldn't have told him I was going on a date! That was a mistake!"
She paced the room like a storm.
"Ugh, I feel it in my gut—he ruined it for me on purpose!"
"Alright, calm down," Hannah said with a sigh, phone pressed to her ear as she packed her nighttime skincare routine.
"Accusing him right now doesn't seem logical. Why? Because there were a lot of eyes on you at the mall."
"So it's only logical they'd think that," she added.
"But wasn't he in disguise? Who could have known?" Tiara protested.
"Some could have. You never know."
Just then, Tiara's phone buzzed with a notification.
"What now?!" she groaned.
Looking at her phone, she saw a refund notification.
"Wait… what?"
She stared in disbelief as the money she'd paid at the restaurant was refunded.
"Hannah, I'll call you back," she said quickly, ending the call.
"Did he really have them refund my money?"
She stared again at the notification, heart fluttering.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
"Alright, who is it now?"
She jumped out of bed and made her way to the door.
"Your order!" a man called from outside.
"Order? I didn't order anything," she thought suspiciously as she peered through the peephole.
Then she noticed the restaurant's name on the delivery bag—Ethan's family chain.
"Is he really trying to make me feel better?"
A small smile tugged at her lips as her heart fluttered at the thought.
"Didn't know he cared about me this much!"
Tiara grinned, snapping a picture of the food alongside the refunded money and texting Ethan.
"Thanks, boss!"
Sitting on her bed, she smiled to herself.
"Thinking about it now, his actions feel like he's getting comfortable with me.
Almost like he's begging me!"
She chuckled proudly.
"Good job, Tiara. One step closer to the girlfriend scheme—despite all the obstacles!"
Meanwhile, Ethan sat on a chair on his balcony, a glass of wine in hand, when his phone buzzed.
He glanced at the message.
Boss: What's with the food? Are you bored again?
Tiara: Excuse me?
Tiara: Just want to say thanks for the food, boss 🫡
Boss: Wasn't from me!
Tiara's jaw dropped mid-bite.
"You said what?!" she texted furiously.
Boss: You read what I texted right.
He added a faint smile emoji.
"You'll eat poison someday, but don't blame me when that happens!"
Tiara: "Please tell me you're kidding!!"
Boss: "No, I'm not!"
Boss: "Quite serious!"
Ethan glanced at his phone, his instincts telling him this was probably from Lux. The conversation between Mark and Lucas replayed in his mind—until Tiara's message popped up.
Tiara: "But you're the one who had them refund my money, right?!"
Meanwhile, Tiara stared at the food in shock, panicking at the thought of being poisoned.
"Alright, calm down, let's think," she muttered.
"My stupid assumption got me into this mess."
Then Ethan's message appeared.
Boss: "Why would they accept the fee when the food wasn't even touched?"
Tiara smirked and pressed the record button on her phone.
"Ahh, now you're caring for me already, boss," she teased in the most seductive voice she could muster.
"Now I don't know if I'm just crazy… or madly in love with y.o.u."
Take that, she thought, smiling.
Meanwhile, Ethan played the recording, the atmosphere turning quietly intimate—especially during her teasing confession. He masked his reaction.
"For you to be this active, you're probably okay eating food from an unknown source."
"Does he have to ruin this moment?" Tiara thought, slightly incredulous.
Tiara: "Well, now my stomach hurts. Mind giving me a ride to the hospital, please?"
"Hmph. Take that, " she thought, a little annoyed.
Boss: "Find a ride. I'm not your driver!" Ethan texted back.
"Currently broke, as you can see. So, pretty please?" Tiara recorded and sent, adding with a sly smile,
"Besides, the food was from your family restaurant."
Ethan: "Weren't your money refunded just now?" he texted.
Tiara quickly recorded her reply:
"About that, it was the money I lent, so I sent it back to the owner. So, please."
Boss: "Better make my time worth it!"
Tiara's face lit up with excitement, but the truth was—her stomach wasn't hurting at all.
"That's another scheme to get close to him, baby!"
She danced around her room, grinning.
"But wait… who the hell sent me the food?!"