"Join you? Well, if that's okay with Nathan, then why not?" Gray smiled as he glanced at the two girls.
Nathan's eyebrow twitched when he heard his name being called like that. It was disgusting to hear it from Gray. He wanted to throw a chair. He wanted to call Gray names and shove him out of his sight but he couldn't.
Not now, especially with Emily and Chloe sitting right here.
Emily and Chloe were sisters. They were the daughters of one of the richest families in the city—The Lancaster Family. Their father owned multiple businesses, and their name alone could make people bow in the business world.
Nathan knew this. All of this. That's why he was acting so sweet and careful. But inside, he was boiling.
The truth was Nathan's family's business was already crumbling. Soon enough, he wouldn't be able to keep his lifestyle and their finances, so he was trying to find a way out of it. A way to save them.
He had spent weeks trying to get close to the two. He invited them to fancy restaurants, gave them some gifts, acted nice, even pretending to be the perfect gentleman just to get one of them.
And now Gray, of all people, was trying to ruin his plan. Gray looked calm and confident and worse was that the girls didn't seem to mind it.
In fact… they even looked like they were interested in Gray.
"What do you say, Nathan?" Emily glanced at Nathan.
Nathan's smile twitched again, but he forced it to stay as natural as possible.
"Of course," he said through gritted teeth. "If Gray wants to join us… then sure, he's welcome."
"Great," Emily smiled, clearly pleased at it.
Gray pulled up a chair and sat down casually as if he belonged there all along.
Nathan's friends exchanged awkward glances but stayed quiet. They could sense how badly Nathan wanted to keep his cool, so they did not dare to do anything that might displease him.
"So, Gray," Chloe asked, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "do you come here often?"
"Not really. Today's kind of special. I brought my sister here for a treat." Gray chuckled lightly.
"Oh, that's sweet," Emily said, her expression softening. She was particularly fond of kids. "Where is she?"
"She's just over there." Gray pointed back to where Lily was still seated, happily munching away at her dessert.
Both girls looked and smiled at Gray.
"She's adorable," Chloe also agreed when she saw Gray's sister.
"So cute," Emily agreed. "You're a good brother."
Nathan wanted to gag and disrupt their talk. Every word coming from the girls made him feel like he was useless at this table. They were supposed to be praising him, not this guy.
"Well, Gray's always been a little... humble," Nathan cleared his throat, trying to join the conversation. "He's not the flashy type. He's poor, rather," he said with a half-smile.
"That's true," Gray didn't even flinch when he heard those words. "There's nothing wrong about being poor, you know. Sometimes not being flashy just means you're saving the surprise for later."
"That's clever." Emily chuckled.
"I like that." Chloe also grinned, as she let out a soft laugh.
"Of course, of course," Nathan nearly snapped his glass in half. His jaw tensed again. He was losing control of the conversation… and he knew it.
"So," Gray smiled at the two as they rested his one elbow on the table, "how do you all know Nathan?"
"We met through a charity event. He was very helpful." Emily chuckled.
"I see." Gray nodded. "Yeah, Nathan's always been... thoughtful. He even treated me and my sister to food."
"Woah! That's good of you, Nathan." Emily looked amused.
"Thanks," Nathan gave a tight smile.
"I know, right?" Gray replied cheerfully. "Thanks again for treating us. Actually, we ordered everything on the menu. It's such a big help."
"E-everything?" Nathan nearly choked on his drink. His eyes widened at the thought of it. He doesn't have that much money to spend!
Gray leaned forward slightly, his voice was calm but sharp. "Yup. Everything. We're planning to give the rest away. I thought that since you're in such a generous mood today then why not spread that around?"
Emily and Chloe blinked in surprise.
Chloe let out a soft laugh. "That's… kind of sweet."
"Wow," Emily said. "That's really kind of you."
Nathan froze for a second, trying to keep his composure. His face twitched, but he forced out a laugh.
"Haha… yeah, Gray and I always had a big heart."
"That's why we've been friends for so long, right?" Gray smiled before playfully nudging Nathan's shoulder.
'This stupid,' Nathan nodded slowly. "Of course…"
"Anyway," Gray stood up, "I'll go bring my sister now. I'm sure she'll enjoy chatting with you two."
"We'll wait!" Chloe smiled.
Gray gave them one last nod before he turned around to walk back to his table.
Nathan's jaw clenched as he watched him go.
"What the hell is going on?" His friend leaned closer to him and whispered.
Nathan's eyes narrowed. "I don't know… but he's pissing me off."
He picked up his wine glass and took a long sip, trying to cool down.
Meanwhile, Gray walked back with a small smirk on his face. Everything was going exactly as he planned.
"Lily," Gray reached his table and gently tapped Lily's shoulder. "Are you done? Do you want to meet some new people?"
Lily looked up at him. She nodded, already done with eating her dessert.
"I'm done! Are we leaving now, brother?"
"Yes. But I'll just introduce you to some people, alright?" Gray said with a smile as he wiped her mouth with a napkin and helped her down from the chair.
"Okay!" Lily happily took his hand.
As they walked back toward Nathan's table, Gray passed by the waitress who had been serving them earlier. He gave her a polite nod.
"Hello, excuse me," he said calmly, "could you prepare our bill now? And, um…" he smiled, "please send it over to that table." He pointed at Nathan's table.
"Yes, sir." The waitress blinked in surprise but quickly nodded.
Nathan's table was already filled with light laughter when Gray and Lily approached again.
"Hi guys, we're back," Gray said smoothly as he showed Lily.
"This is my sister, Lily."
"Hi…" Lily gave a shy wave.
"Oh my gosh, she's so cute!" Emily's eyes lit up.
"She really is," Chloe smiled. "Come sit with us, Lily."
Lily hesitated for a second, but Gray gave her a small encouraging smile. With it, Lily happily climbed up onto the chair.
Meanwhile, just a few feet away, the waitress returned to Nathan's table. She was holding a thin black folder.
"Excuse me, sir," she said politely to Nathan. "Here's your bill."
Nathan blinked, confused about it. "Huh? We didn't ask for it yet. We're still eating."
"Oh, It's for Mr. Gray's table," she said quietly. "You mentioned earlier that you would be covering it."
"Oh right…" Nathan pressed his lips together. He sighed and grabbed the bill and opened it.
"What the…" His eyes widened.
$7,618.45
Nathan's fingers stiffened. Everyone's gaze turned to him because of his reaction.
"Is there something wrong, Nathan?" one of his friends asked.
"Nothing," Nathan muttered, hiding the bill and trying to smile. "The bill is just… bigger than I thought." He uttered, trying to shrug it off.
He reached into his coat and pulled out his wallet. He took out his card and handed it to the waitress.
"Here."
"Wait a moment for the receipt, Sir." The woman nodded and walked off.
Nathan leaned back in his chair, trying to stay calm. But inside, he was fuming mad.
'That bastard. He actually ordered a lot. This motherfucker looked like he ordered the whole damn menu.'
However, it wasn't even a few minutes when the waitress came back/
"I'm very sorry, sir," she said politely, lowering her voice. "Your card was declined. Do you have another?"
Nathan froze in his sit.