Chapter 5

Yvonne's words rendered everyone awkward, except Cedric, who looked as proud as ever. Stuck in a tense atmosphere, Leroy quickly smoothened things to avoid making Yvonne uncomfortable. "Why don't you guys get on with your day? We won't hold you up. We have somewhere else to be as well." With that, he pulled Yvonne's hand and prepared to leave. Meanwhile, Scarlett had been oddly quiet by the side. Instead, her gaze fixed squarely on Leroy's hand on Yvonne. Cedric, however, stepped forward and stopped them. "Since we're all here, why don't we have lunch with Ms. Middleton?" "No, I don't think we should." Leroy rejected him decisively, yet Cedric glanced at the former's hand on Yvonne's and deliberately let out a knowing expression. "Oh, I see… You guys wanna have some alone time. But a meal isn't going to take up much of your time. Come on." Cedric's suggestive tone made Leroy tighten his brows. He would've accepted the invitation if he were alone, but he definitely wouldn't dare to drag an innocent girl like Yvonne into this mess. Before he could turn him down again, Scarlett suddenly piped up with a cold voice. "Come on! Otherwise, Cedric is going to keep feeling sorry for you." Leroy's free hand clenched into a fist as he felt a wave of emotions. He couldn't tell from his feelings whether he wanted to escape or face them head-on. In a dilemma, he turned to Yvonne and asked, "Yvonne, do you want to do it?" Scarlett's gaze dimmed when she saw how intimate they were behaving. Yvonne was perceptive enough to notice her expression, so she withdrew her hand from Leroy's grip and wrapped her arm around his instead. With a light chuckle, she smiled sweetly and affirmed, "Sure. Let's go." At last, the group arrived at a restaurant on the top floor of the mall. The waiter passed the menu to Cedric, who began ordering for everyone. "We'll have some Cajun shrimp, some Buffalo wings…" He listed a bunch of oily and spicy dishes. Leroy scrunched his brows. "Why are you ordering all the spicy food?" Cedric cast him a glance, then turned to Scarlett. "These are all her favorite foods." Leroy stayed silent momentarily but decided to speak up at last. "Ever since she got sick, she had to go on a strict diet. She can't eat most of the foods you've just ordered." Upon hearing that, Cedric's face stiffened. "What?" However, quickly regained his composure and wore a dejected look. "I'm sorry, Lettie. I wasn't with you at your lowest point, and now, I don't even know what your favorite foods are anymore…" His words softened the expression of the originally gloomy Scarlett. She held his hand but glared at Leroy, rebuking, "You're so controlling. Since Cedric is thoughtful enough to remember what I like, I'll eat whatever he orders. You should mind your business." Then, she instructed the waiter, "We'll get whatever he's ordered." Leroy was undoubtedly hurt. He fell silent, musing, "Right. Why did I care?" Naturally, Cedric was satisfied with the outcome. His gloominess from earlier instantly transformed into amusement. He closed the menu and passed it over to Leroy and Yvonne. "Here, have a look." However, Leroy remained quiet and gave the menu to Yvonne instead. "Feel free to order whatever you like." No matter what, he had to consider the feelings of the innocent party who had been dragged into this meal. After they ordered the food, Cedric opted for a bottle of whiskey, claiming he wanted to have a drink with Leroy. Without considering his feelings, he insisted on pouring the whiskey straight into Leroy's glass. Right then, a fair and slender hand covered the mouth of the wine glass, halting Cedric's movement. "He can't drink." Yvonne's voice was soft yet resolute. In reality, Cedric had intended to get Leroy drunk so the latter would embarrass himself before Scarlett. As such, Yvonne's abrupt action caught him off guard. Regaining his bearings, he cast a helpless look at Scarlett. "Leroy, are you still mad at me and Lettie? I understand you dislike me because Lettie loves me, but I truly didn't have it in myself to give up our bond of many years. "I thought you'd forgiven me and Lettie after accepting the compensation, but I guess… not." The more he spoke, the more grim Scarlett looked. "Hey, Leroy. Cedric is being generous enough to you. Are you going to keep this up?" Truth be told, she was confused by her own emotions. For some reason, her chest felt stuffy when she saw the intimate interactions between Leroy and Yvonne. In fact, it felt awful. She believed it was because of Leroy's deliberate attempt to inconvenience Cedric that made her feel that way. Sensing the tension at the lunch table, Yvonne furrowed her brows and withdrew her hand. Subsequently, Leroy gripped the wine glass and stared fixedly at Scarlett. "Does it mean we'll be even as soon as I finish this glass?" Scarlett was stunned. Leroy's stare made her heart pound, yet she feigned calmness and replied, "Of course." With a smirk, Leroy took the glass of white wine that was filled to the brim. Sitting beside him, Yvonne quickly tugged at his sleeve. "You can't take it on an empty stomach. You have gastric disease." He shot her a glance, signaling her to relax, and then downed the wine glass. "Here, I did it. From now on, you don't have to feel sorry for me anymore. Now, I wish you guys happiness." Soon after, an array of spicy and oily food was served. Suppressing the pain in his stomach, Leroy quietly finished the meal and eventually bid farewell to Scarlett and Cedric. When he exited the shopping mall, the pain in his stomach intensified. His back had been drenched in cold sweat by then. As he began to feel weak in his knees, a pair of arms suddenly encircled his waist from the back. "Is it bad? Here, you can lean on me for a while. I'll send you to the hospital now."