Chapter 96


    Chapter 96 On a Date


    Lately, Sylvia felt like her luck had turned south; she bumped into Cyril no matter where she went,


    and couldn’t shake him off, much like a stubborn bit of gum stuck to her shoe.


    “I thought we agreed to have lunch together today, and here you are, not paying any attention to


    me! That’s a bit much, don’t you think?” Duncan grumbled.


    It took Duncan nearly half a month to finally get Sylvia to agree to a date, and the hook was his


    family’s new restaurant opening. Since everyone else was busy, he wanted Sylvia to apany


    him to check it out, see if there was anything that needed improvement. Despite her packed


    schedule, Sylvia carved out a bit of her lunchtime to stroll with him, expecting an easy outing.


    Instead, the moment they entered, Sylvia seemed disconnected, critiquing the decor and the


    guests, giving judgment on every waiter that passed by. In short, she saw everyone except for the


    guy right in front of her.


    Duncan felt like a failure. He had this rare chance to spend time alone with Sylvia, and it was


    fizzling out before his eyes.


    Finally, Sylvia’s gazended on him. “Didn’t you ask for my advice? That’s exactly what I’m doing,”


    she said, resigned. If it wasn’t for Duncan making a big fuss that even her family found out


    about, she wouldn’t be here.


    “Hey… can you at least show some respect for the meal in front of us?” Though Duncan was aware


    that the tactics he used to get her out weren’t exactly honorable, it felt necessary. Besides, he had


    paid for this lunch with a good pummeling from Sylvia’s older brother, Balk.


    Balk could be extreme, aiming his punches where clothes would hide the bruises. Thinking about


    how much he hurt even when he twitched, Duncan sighed.


    “I am being respectful,” Sylvia retorted with a blink.


    Duncan opened his mouth to respond but found himself wordless.


    “Fine, you can’t sit still, can you? What is it, seeing Cyril here makes you not want to dine with me


    that


    urgency. He wasn’t badly? Don’t tell me you still have feelings for him!” Duncan’s voice carried a


    note of urgency. He wasn’t usually worried aboutpeting with others, but when it came to Sylvia,


    his nerves frayed easily.


    They’d grown up together, but Sylvia had only ever had eyes for one man–Cyril. Duncan couldn’t


    help but regret–if only he had met her earlier, maybe they could have avoided all this drama.


    The question made Sylvia pause, pressing her lips together tightly.


    “We’re divorced,” she reminded him.


    た


    “Divorce doesn’t mean feelings are gone. You haven’t denied it; do you, still carry a torch for him?”


    Duncan pushed, his anxiety evident. When Sylvia started to show signs of standing up to leave, he


    let out a sigh of


    resignation.


    “Duncan, I’ve had feelings for him for many years. Those feelings don’t just vanish; they’re not


    something I can just pretend never existed. Even if it was just a dog, affection develops, and letting


    go takes time,”


    Chapie 96 On a date


    Sylvia exined earnestly.


    She wasn’t kidding. She didn’t deny still having feelings for Cyril. Years of umted


    disappointments had slowly eroded her love, and she knew moving on entirely would require time


    too.


    Duncan fell quiet, realizing his impatience.


    “I understand. Should we go say hello?” he suggested tentatively.


    His question caught Sylvia by surprise, but before she could reply, he was pulling her along to greet


    Cyril and hispany.


    Cyril, Jonathan, and Louis had arrived at the restaurant earlier than Sylvia and Duncan and were


    already deep in conversation when the pair walked in. It was in to see that the three men knew


    each other well.


    Sylvia had her own agenda today and hadn’t nned on acknowledging Cyril, so after a nce his


    way, she turned her attention to earnestly giving Duncan her opinions on the restaurant. She hadn’t


    expected Duncan to boldly approach Cyril’s table. What was he thinking?


    “We’re dining here today. The food’s pretty good, right? But don’t you think just the three of you is a


    bit dull?” Duncan began with a taunt. “Unlike me, I’m out here openly on a date with the girl I like.


    That’s something you can’t match.”


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Cyril’s face darkened at Duncan’s words, and seeing this gave Duncan a surge of satisfaction. After


    all, Cyril hadn’t cherished Sylvia during their marriage and had even mistreated her. Now, it was


    Duncan’s turn to take a jab.


    Sylvia understood that Duncan’s real reason foring over was to provoke Cyril, but it still put her


    in an awkward spot. She didn’t want any ties to Cyril, yet Duncan’s actions had just made things


    ufortable.


    “Unlike you who’s always hitting on married women!” Jonathan rebutted as he stood up Cyril. But as


    he spoke, everyone could sense Cyril’s mood growing even more sour.


    defensively for


    Duncan couldn’t help but feel triumphant that ‘Cyril’s own friend had identally turned on him.


    “See? It’s not just me who’s saying it; even your buddy here thinks you two are still an em,” Duncan


    taunted. “Also, if you were so against marrying Sylvia in the first ce, why can’t you let go now that


    you’re divorced?”


    Duncan had managed to turn the tables on but instead gave Jonathan a sharp re.


    who was so taken aback he couldn’t utter a single word


    Louis was so shocked by this revtion that his utensils ttered onto the table. He had known


    about Cyril’s marriage and divorce, but not that the woman was none other than Sylvia. Had he


    known, he would never have spoken so carelessly that day.


    And now, it all clicked for Louis. No wonder Cyril had been speaking favorably about Sylvia–it was


    for this


    reason.


    “No one’s holding on to anything. This is a restaurant; am I not allowed to have a meal here?” Cyril


    finally spoke up, feeling cornered by the trio andpelled to defend himself against Jonathan’s


    mishap.


    “Of course you can have a meal, but why are you staring so intently at the person I’m with? She’s


    got


    3/3


    nothing to do with you now,” Duncan retorted, relishing the moment. He couldn’t understand why


    Cyril refused to even look Sylvia’s way when they were married, yet now he seemed so fixated on


    her after


    their divorce.


    Sylvia gave a light tug on Duncan’s shirt, signaling that enough was enough; the spectacle was


    drawing


    too much attention, and she had never felt so embarrassed. However, this subtle gesture was


    misinterpreted by Cyril and Duncan, furtherplicating the matter.