Yoda walked up to the remaining bodyguard, who was scratching his body non-stop, and whispered, âDo you want to know how to stop the itch?â
The bodyguard looked up at him in amazement. âYou know how? Tell me!â
Yoda smiled and brought his palm down on the guardâs head, knocking the latter unconscious. Itâs easy. You wonât feel the itch if youâre out cold.
The man then pushed the door open and turned to nod at Nina.
The two little girls beamed and ran into the room, with Yoda following closely behind them. What they saw made their jaws drop.
âMs. Lane, please accept these roses from me. They represent my undivided attention to you,â Levant said affectionately as he handed the bouquet to Nicole.
Before the latter could open her mouth to refuse, the two girls came rushing to her side.
âMommy! There you are!â
âMommy, you forgot your debit card. We brought it here for you!â
The mother looked at the card, her expression darkening. I didnât forget it; I just donât plan on using it anymoreâ¦
However, since her children came all the way here to give her the card, she forced herself to smile and patted their heads.
Maya quickly scanned the room, and she soon spotted all the food on the table. She couldnât help but gulp at the sight.
âAre you hungry?â Nicole turned to Levant. âWill it okay for my daughters to join us?â
âOf course. Iâll treat them like theyâre my own.â
His words irritated both Maya and Nina. We donât need you to do that! We only need one daddy!
Nina pouted and fixed her gaze set on the roses. âMister, what are you doing with all the flowers?â the little girl questioned as she crossed her arms.
âYoda, what are all these?â the girl asked while staring at Levant with a look of suspicion.
âMister, Mommy already has Daddy. You can take her away from him,â Maya stated blatantly.
Things had turned awkward for Levant because of the little girlsâ statements. Your daddy is dead, and your mommy needs someone to take care of her.
He was about to say that when Nicole interrupted, âYou girls have got it all wrong. Mr. Levant is just treating me to dinner.â
âReally?â Nina rolled her eyes back.
The mother nodded while Levant smiled faintly. Looks like Iâll have to think of a way to handle the children. I have to take it slow and leave a good impression first.
With that in mind, he noted what Nicole had said. He was simply buying her dinner â as a friend.
Seeing how sincere he was, Maya decided to believe him and shifted her attention to the food instead. Nina, on the other hand, didnât believe him at all. But the girl decided to keep her mouth shut because, at the very least, the man seemed to have a good attitude.
âCome on. These are some snacks I brought from Levant Winery. Try them,â Levant offered.
After taking a bite, Maya beamed happily. âMister, everything tastes really good!â
âIs that so? Youâre welcome to come to my winery anytime you want. You can enjoy all sorts of delicacies there.â
Being the foodie Maya was, she was immediately attracted by the offer and nodded excitedly.
Levant then poured another glass of wine for Nicole. âIâm confident that the product from my winery can leave a lasting impression.â
Nicole only returned him a smile and turned to her daughter. âMaya, slow down. Youâll choke yourself.â
After filling the womanâs glass, Levant was about to pour some into his when Yoda approached him and offered to pour it for him.
âThe waiter here sure is well-educated,â Levant stated after scanning the waiter.
Yodaâs heart skipped a beat. He quickly filled Levantâs glass and took a step back.
âMs. Lane, shall we have a toast?â
Nicole hesitated before picking her glass up. As she took a small sip, she heard the man sitting across her spit his drink out.
Upon seeing his pained expression, Nicole hurriedly asked if he was okay.
âI-Iâm fineâ¦â Levant quickly shook his head and turned to glare at Yoda.
The wine has turned oddly bitter. Only the waiter and I touched the bottle, so did that man add something to the wine?