The meal

The silence conquered.

L's eyes widened over the unanticipated compliment. The manager and others could only grin in delight to hear the praise. Now, Adelio's ears flushed in realization. He turned his head promptly; showing the panic he was enduring. How could he say that to her?!

How imprudent of him?! "I mean the dress is pretty" Clearing his throat, Adelio rearranged his words. Causing others to chuckle while L tucked hair behind her ear to express the embarrassment. "I am going to change into suit" Adelio stood up, avoiding the situation.

"You look pretty as he disclosed, Miss" The manager beamed once they went behind the curtains again to take the dress off. L remained silent. But a grin tugged on lips to portray the delightful expression without any words. Adelio promptly rushed out of suit after.

He only checked for some seconds and changed quickly to make sure he did not make Risa wait for too long. When he headed out, his eyes met the woman looking around the shop. Her eyes were glowing with admiration. "Here" Adelio handed his black card to manager.

"Get that purse for her as well"

He instructed as he noticed how much the woman seemed to like the purse on the shelf. "Oh, yes, Sir. We will get them ready in a few minutes" Along with dress, suit and the purse, the two stepped out of the shop. L still had no clue Adelio had bought the purse for her.

He decided to stay quiet for now since he could tell she would refuse to accept. "Thank you for the dress, Boss. I will make sure to repay you once I manage to save the salary" L looked up at the man who was holding the bags. "You don't have to. Take it as my present" He replied.

Eyeing to the front due to the fact that his heart might go crazy if he made eye contact with Risa. "But still, I feel bad. The dress is really pricey" Whispering, L pouted. This time, Adelio could not neglect. His eyes swayed. Peering down at her expression that grasped his heart.

"Maybe rather than the money, you can fulfill the task I give you" Suddenly, Adelio seemed to have gotten an idea. Arousing the woman's curiosity. L's brows raised. How come he was quick witted in this matter? "Sure, I will do anything, Boss. I don't want to owe you"

L agreed to the condition.

Bliss bloomed within the man's chest. She concurred! "I have nothing in need of help at the moment since most have been accomplished by Luke" he reasoned. "Then, tell me when you have one, Boss" L grinned. Earning a nod. "You may drop the Boss" Adelio frowned.

"Oh, it is like a habit" Scratching head, L sheepishly smiled. Shaking the man's heart with her expressions. He could not even find fault if she reacted like this. "Try to get used to it" He looked to front. "Yes, Bos... I mean Sir" L nodded along. They wandered around.

"I wonder where Luke went. I am already starving" Muttering to herself, L furrowed brows. Was that man purposely avoiding them to give space? Question crossed the woman's mind. "We can try the restaurant here if you are hungry" Adelio voiced from the side when he heard.

The amount of attention he put in the woman was sufficient to hear what she just mumbled to herself. "Oh, well..." Tilting her head, L pressed her lips. From afar, she could see the crowded restaurants only. Maybe because it was lunch time, most people were present here.

Adelio turned.

He scowled. The crowd. He kind of regretted the words he said. Blending in that kind of noisy crowd could expose his secret to the whole world. What should he do? He couldn't say 'I take my words back'. He must endure and let her enjoy- "Never mind. I am not that hungry"

Howbeit, L took her words back before he could say anything. She better swallow this hunger and pretend to be thoughtful. After all, her mission was to conquer this man's heart. Adelio's stare rested upon Risa. There were stars gleaming in her eyes as she smiled up at him.

She realized the situation and quickly changed her mind just because she knew he was afraid of crowd. Adelio's heart began to pound in delight. His ears reddened. "Let's return then. We can wait for Luke in the car" The man responded. Earning a nod from the woman. "Yes"

But of course, Adelio was not that selfish. As L stepped inside the car, he stood still outside. Making a call to someone which caught L's attention. Was he on business call so that he refused to let others eavesdrop? A few minutes after, Adelio ended the call and headed in.

"Is everything okay, Sir?"

Perplexed, L threw a query. "Yes" The man nodded. No further questions continued. They sat in silence. Adelio found the quiet atmosphere, serene while L felt irritated by the awkwardness. Thankfully, Luke arrived with two cups of coffee in grasp. "Sorry, it was long queue"

He apologized, but his eyes were speaking the other as if he enjoyed how he left the two alone. "I thought you almost forgot about us" L retorted beneath a frown. "How could I forget my two friends?" Luke chuckled as Adelio shot a slight glare at his friend. The two friends?

The way the words permeated into his ears annoyed Adelio. The friendship between Luke and Risa did not sound right to him. "Sir, is he really our friend when he left us alone for nearly an hour?" L tried to include Adelio into the conversation as well. "He is not"

The man hissed. Causing Luke to pout. "You guys are so heartless" The car drove off. But the location they arrived after some minutes turned out to be a restaurant instead of the company. "Are you hungry, Sir?" L turned; shock glinting in her gaze. There was no way!

Did he actually arrange this for her?!

"Not that much" Adelio's ears started to redden. He could not admit he booked the restaurant for her. He believed it was not the right thing to disclose. "Risa, aren't you hungry though?" Luke's eyes focused on the woman through rear mirror. "A bit..." L beamed. "Adelio knew it"

Since his friend was denying to tell the truth, Luke spoke up for him. Stunning the two in the backseat. "Pardon?" "Luke!" Adelio panicked. "He thought the crowd might make the atmosphere stiff. So, he asked me to book one for you since you were starving" Luke grinned.

Being the best wingman as always. "Seriously..." Driven by the embarrassment, Adelio pressed his temples; squeezing his eyes. "That's so sweet of you, Sir. I really appreciate your thought" L did not hesitate to thank the man. "It's okay" Adelio could not even lift his head.

Tickling the woman somehow. "Shall we go then?" To drag him out of there, L had to step forward. "Yeah, we should" The two headed inside while Luke decided to stay behind with an excuse of work. "How did you know I like the Italian food, Sir?" L asked in curiosity.

She, indeed liked Italian food.

However, there was no information written about her likes and dislikes. So, how come he was aware? "It was a simple guess" Adelio shrugged the matter off when in fact he dug information from Mian and Cherry with the help of Luke. "What a big coincidence" L chuckled.

He must have asked someone, she thought. " Welcome, Sir Vincent. We have prepared the dining table on the second floor" They were welcomed without having to talk a word about reservation. L's eyes explored the place, following the man in tranquility.

It was full of eye-catching decoration with dark vibes. The atmosphere was perfect for evening date. They settled down as menus laid across them on table. As L read the menu, she quieted down in disbelief. 300 dollars for a pizza, 800 dollars for red prawn pasta.

"What would you like to have?" Adelio's voice pulled the woman back to reality. She blinked; staring at him. How rich could he be so that he booked the entire restaurant like this?! The prices of dishes could tell alone how expensive this would be! "Risa?" Adelio frowned.

Why was she spacing out?

Did she not like the restaurant's menu? "I can't decide what to get" L softly chuckled. "Shall I order for you?" The man offered. Earning a nod from L. It's better than making expensive order by herself. In that case, he wouldn't see her as gold digger when in fact she was.

"Let's go with simple one. Red prawn pasta for both of us. And some old wine" Shutting the menu book, Adelio acted as if they did not cost that much. "Understood, Sir" The waiter flashed a beam; carrying the two menus back with him. Now, the hall fell into a huge silence.

Adelio stared at the woman as L gulped. Awkward. "I did not bring enough money, Sir. Why did you have to choose such pricey place?" Like a desperate woman who was about to cry, L complained. But of course, she knew he was paying as he should. "I do though"

Adelio tilted his head. "Pardon?"

"I have enough money for you"