Quintessa's grip on the wine bottle tightened slowly. Aside from her childhood, it had been years since anyone had fed her.
Those memories, although warm, were also like a scar that throbbed whenever it was touched.
Her cheeks flushed warmer, and Tyrone watched her with a smile playing on his lips.
Quintessa wanted to refuse.
Before she could articulate her refusal, a piece of shrimp found its way into her mouth.
Tyrone peeled another for himself, his nose wrinkling slightly as he tasted it. "Meh, the taste is mediocre. But in a dive like this, we'll just have to make do."
Tyrone, who used to never dine in places like this, always preferring five-star luxury hotels, was now, alas eating at roadside stalls and small taverns.
His blatant display of affection was making Jonathan and Snow visibly uncomfortable.
Neither of them could match Tyrone's audacity, and his shameless determination to win over Quintessa regardless of her response.
Especially Jonathan, whose gaze at Tyrone was indescribably complex, understood Tyrone better than anyone. Tyrone had always been the golden boy, too proud to give anyone the time of day. And yet, here he was, throwing all his pride away for Quintessa. One might have thought Tyrone was merely playing around, but if that were the case, he was indeed betting too big.
Tyrone, while peeling another shrimp, said, "Uncle, Snow, when are you guys planning to drink? We've got plenty of beer here. I don't expect you to finish it all at once, take your time. Don't worry, I'm not a merciless person, but we have placed our bets, it wouldn't be good to welch on it, right? If you can't handle a few beers, how are you going to keep promises to a woman, huh?"
He stuffed Quintessa another peeled shrimp, adding, "A man's gotta have some responsibility, right? What woman would dare to be with you?"
The two men were speechless, realizing Tyrone's cunning way of questioning their reliability in front of Quintessa.
With a sideways glance, Tyrone continued, "You know, they say you can tell a lot about a man by his drinking habits. When I lose, I drink up, no fuss. But you guys, hesitating dilly-dallying. Doesn't say much good about your character, does it?" Jonathan and Snow were fuming. Tyrone had skillfully turned the conversation to question their integrity, making them seem cowardly.
Tyrone then turned his attention to Quintessa, piling her plate with her favorites like grilled mushrooms and scallops. "You're too thin. Eat more. In the future, better to stick with someone honest and straightforward like me, not them." Quintessa couldn't help but laugh. Tyrone was shameless, but not with charm. Claiming to be honest and straightforward seemed quite ironic, yet she didn't expose him.
Yet, he didn't call him out.
Suddenly, she found this side of Tyrone rather endearing.
Snow replied, trying to regain some dignity, "I just wanted to eat something before drinking, Mr. York. You're quick to judge, aren't you? We've barely sat down. The night is still young."
Tyrone chuckled, "Exactly, take your time."
"Uncle, I'm rooting for you. You got this."
If you replace any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report