The air at the table was thick with unspoken tension as the waiter stepped forward, setting down the sleek, leather-bound menu in front of Daniel.
Daniel, still shaken, quickly snatched it up—desperate to regain even a shred of his composure.
If he couldn't talk his way out of this humiliation, perhaps money could.
He cleared his throat, feigning confidence as he casually flipped through the pages.
"Dinner's on me," he announced again, forcing a smirk.
"Let's call it a… celebration."
Valentina didn't respond, simply watching him with an unreadable expression.
Serenity, still struggling to mask her disbelief, nodded quickly.
"Yes, of course! It's the least we can do," she added, her voice lacking its usual sharpness.
Daniel, eager to shift the focus away from his earlier blunder, skimmed the menu until his eyes landed on the most expensive dish available.