Chapter 1589


    She served him a slice of roast beef, her silent apology hanging between them. Not voicing her


    regret was Hertha''sst stand of defiance. After speaking, Hertha lowered her head and continued


    with her meal. ric nced at the piece of beef Hertha had ced in his dish, pausing for a


    moment before a knowing smile broke across his face. This smile was a genuine one, stemming


    from deep inside. He got her message loud and clear. The pair resumed their dinner in a


    comfortable silence.


    As they were nearing the end of their meal, ric tilted his chin towards something behind Hertha,


    “Check out that poster behind you.” Turning, Hertha found herself staring at arge advertisement


    on the wall. It read: "Today''s Special: Celebrate our owner''s anniversary with a 60% discount for


    couples." Such a deal! Essentially, a meal worth a hundred bucks would only cost forty! The offer


    was indeed tempting.


    Hertha turned back to ric, saying, “That ad doesn’t apply to us.” “We could be a couple,” ric


    suggested casually, serving her more beef. Hertha paused mid-chew, “We’re not a couple.” “We


    could be, anytime you want,” ric replied, his eyes – narrow and gleaming – fixed on Hertha, his


    casual tone belying his earnest feelings.


    He had attempted a confession with flowers earlier that day, hoping not to be rejected again. Yet,


    ric wasn’t disheartened, seizing this moment to express his feelings once more. If his intentions


    weren’t clear enough in the morning, now ric wasying his heart bare, telling her he wanted to


    pursue her, to have her as his girlfriend.


    How could Hertha remain unaffected in the face of such adoration? Her heart raced, words of


    consent teetering on the edge of her lips. Her body, her heart, yearned for him – to be with him, to


    share passionate kisses, to be his. But reality forced her to rein in her desires fiercely. Once a


    rtionship is tarnished, it''s hard to cleanse. Moreover, she feared exposing her children to


    potential harm and dreaded the pain of a love without fruition.


    Hertha struggled to keep her emotions in check, feigning indifference, “It’s on thepany’s dime


    anyway, why bother saving?” Her words implied she wasn’t willing to pretend to be ric’s


    girlfriend, not even for the sake of a discount. She''d rather pay full price than y pretend with


    ric.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Seeing the hope in ric’s eyes fade was disheartening, but he didn’t give up, encouraging her,


    “Eat up, lean meat''s good for hair growth.” Hertha snapped her head up, ring at him through


    gritted teeth, “ric!” He had touched a nerve! Any lingering guilt she felt towards him evaporated


    with his words!


    ric''s mischievous grin was infectious, his teeth gleaming as he chuckled, “Never thought you’d


    be caught in a bind, huh?” “ric, keep it up and I’m cutting ties with you!” Hertha fumed. “Isn’t that


    the case already?” ric retorted. Realizing the implication of his words, Hertha''s face flushed with


    heat. Grabbing a piece of lettuce from her te, she tossed it at ric, “Here, eat some greens.


    Maybe it''ll purify your dirty mind!”