The Toast of Rivals

She truly said that against her better conscience, starkly hungry to the point of nearly crying out in protest. But she would rather starve than eat and give him the pleasure of seeing her weakened—such was her resolve!

Derek Mason knew all too well what she was thinking. They had traveled together from Taiwan, and he had barely provided her any food. He was quite hungry himself now, and she must be even more so!

When Ethan Montgomery entered,Mr. Yamada immediately sensed the intricate web of relationships among these esteemed British guests, though they all pretended not to know each other. Consequently, he too acted as if he was unaware of any underlying connections.

Nevertheless, he had been contemplating why his two close friends from Britain, one a college buddy and the other his top business partner, had unexpectedly visited him together today.