About an hour later, Ivy Holden finally walked into the coffee shop, suitcase in tow.
As soon as June Grant saw Ivy, she put on a show of concern. "You finally got away for a vacation. Why didn't you stay a few more days?"
"I couldn't help it. There was a family emergency, so I had to come back early," Ivy Holden said, playing along with the lie. She then nodded at Ezekiel Aldrin by way of greeting.
"Since we're all friends here, let's have a drink together." Ezekiel Aldrin immediately waved a waiter over. "Could we get another cup, please?"
Mandy Yorke gave the waiter a look and personally brought a cup of coffee over to Ivy Holden. "Here you go. The usual."
"Thanks." Ivy Holden took the coffee cup and took a light sniff. "A long-missed Taste."
"Enjoy your chat, you three." Mandy Yorke gave a slight bow, nodded at Ezekiel Aldrin, and left.
Ezekiel Aldrin couldn't help but feel a little awkward. He rubbed his chin and smiled. "Hello, Miss Holden! My name is Ezekiel Aldrin."
"Ivy Holden," she stated calmly.
"Are you a coffee connoisseur, Miss Holden?" Ezekiel Aldrin asked, beaming as he gazed at Ivy Holden's delicate face. He realized this little beauty was even more captivating than the one next to her.
"I wouldn't say I'm an expert." Ivy Holden held her coffee cup, showing no intention of just grabbing her keys and leaving.
Ezekiel Aldrin glanced at his watch and said, "It's about time for dinner. Why don't I treat you two lovely ladies?"
Ivy Holden took a sip of her coffee and shook her head. "Thank you for the kind invitation, Mr. Aldrin, but I'm a bit tired from my flight. Perhaps we can reschedule dinner for another day."
Ezekiel Aldrin chuckled. "But you still have to eat." He glanced at his watch again, his smile growing wider. "It's already 5:30, the perfect time for dinner. It's my first time meeting Miss Grant, so things might be a bit awkward. If you join us, Miss Holden, it'll be more relaxed for everyone."
'Awkward? You two seemed to be getting along a little too well, don't you think?' Ivy Holden thought, glancing at June Grant with a smile.
"Miss Grant, what kind of food do you like? Personally, I find Cantonese cuisine to be the healthiest of them all," Ezekiel Aldrin asked June Grant.
June Grant raised an eyebrow. 'This guy really is a piece of work,' she cursed internally. 'A moment ago he was so familiar, but the second he saw Ivy, he switched to 'Miss Grant.' He's clearly a scumbag who falls for every new face he sees.' She deliberately played devil's advocate, saying, "But Ivy prefers Hunan cuisine."
"Mr. Aldrin." Ivy Holden was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Her mind was also occupied with her grandfather's upcoming birthday, and she had no desire to waste time on this scumbag. She cut June Grant off. "June has been on a diet recently. She's skipping dinner."
"A diet?" Ezekiel Aldrin looked at June Grant's round cheeks and chuckled. "You look great as you are. You beautiful women are always thinking about getting thinner and thinner, but you don't realize that being pleasantly plump is the most beautiful look of all."
'If you're determined to dig your own grave, then I'll be happy to help you!' Ivy Holden's lips curled into a seductive smile as she looked at Ezekiel Aldrin. "You really know your way around women, don't you, Mr. Aldrin?"
Ezekiel Aldrin felt a tingle run through him. "It's still early. Why are you two lovely ladies in such a rush? Besides, it's rush hour now, so the traffic is terrible. Why don't we find a place to eat first? By the time we're done, the traffic will have cleared up. I have a car, so I can give you a ride later."
Ivy Holden had already seen through Ezekiel Aldrin's intentions. She sighed lightly. "There's no need to find another place. Like you said, rush hour is starting. This café serves simple meals. Why don't we just eat something here?"
"Oh, come on. It's my first time treating you two beautiful ladies. I can't just have you eat a simple meal in a coffee shop. I know a great hot pot place, a really authentic one. If we leave now, we can get there before the traffic gets bad," Ezekiel Aldrin insisted, pressing his invitation.
Ivy Holden would absolutely not make the Choice to eat at a place Ezekiel Aldrin recommended. She wanted to lead him to her own turf and crush his filthy intentions to dust. So, she smiled and said, "Let's skip the hot pot. There's a small bar next door. How about we go for a drink there?"
'A bar?' Ezekiel Aldrin's eyes lit up, and he immediately nodded. "Sure!"
Ivy Holden watched Ezekiel Aldrin pay the bill, then grabbed her backpack and was the first to get up and head out the door.
June Grant quickly linked arms with her and followed, whispering, "What's gotten into you? You go away for a bit and come back like a completely different person."
"It's nothing." After leaving the coffee shop, Ivy Holden let out a long sigh of relief. She smiled at June Grant and said, "I was on the plane for too long. I have a headache."
"Then let's just go home. Don't get tangled up with a scumbag like him." As June Grant spoke, she was about to turn down Ezekiel Aldrin.
"You have to deal with problems when they come up. Dragging it out won't do any good." Ivy Holden squeezed June Grant's arm and quickly walked into the small bar next door.
It was a music bar, and since it was still early, there were hardly any customers inside.
Ivy Holden found a random booth and had just put her backpack down when her phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID, saw the word "Aunt," and immediately declined the call.
"That was your aunt calling, why didn't you answer?" June Grant had also seen the caller ID. She knew that Ivy Holden had broken ties with her family after her father remarried and that her aunt had been the one looking after her all these years.
Ivy Holden rejected her aunt's second call and forced a casual laugh. "It's probably because my 'dear' cousin can't find her personal ATM, so she's in a hurry to find me."
"Didn't your cousin come back with you?" June Grant asked, puzzled.
"No. I left in a hurry and didn't tell her." The thought of that moron Leila Lane stranded alone in a foreign country, unable to speak the language and with barely any money, instantly lifted Ivy Holden's spirits.
Seeing Ivy Holden's happy smile, Ezekiel Aldrin smiled along with her and asked, "What can I get for you two lovely ladies?"
"A glass of soda water," Ivy Holden said.
"Same for me," June Grant chimed in.
"Oh, come on. We agreed to have a drink. Beer? Red wine? Or some other kind of alcohol?"
"In such a hurry to get us drunk, Mr. Aldrin?" Ivy Holden looked at Ezekiel Aldrin with a smirk, her seductive gaze making his head spin until he didn't know which way was up.
"No, no, no... You're quite the kidder, Miss Holden." Ezekiel Aldrin laughed nervously and said to the nearby waiter, "How about a dozen beers?"
The waiter left, and Ivy Holden's phone rang again.
"Excuse me, I have to take this call." Ivy Holden secretly gave June Grant a squeeze before getting up and heading toward the restrooms.
"I'm just going to the restroom," June Grant said, getting up right after. She gave Ezekiel Aldrin a quick smile and followed.
"Hello, Aunt," Ivy Holden said, answering the call just before it went to voicemail.
"Ivy? Where are you? Your cousin can't find you and she can't get through to your phone. What's going on?" Ivy's aunt, Clara Zimmers, asked anxiously.
"Oh, I got a call from a friend about a very urgent matter, so I rushed back." Ivy Holden's voice was filled with profound apology, but a cold smile glinted in her eyes.
Standing beside her, June Grant felt a shiver run down her spine at the sight of that cold smile. 'This Ivy Holden... how could a two-day trip change her so much? Even when she smiles, her eyes are filled with shards of ice, making it impossible to look at her directly.'