hotmtlnovel Chapter 183 Katarina: My competitive spirit has been piqued!
Chapter 183 Katarina: My competitive spirit has been piqued!
Chapter 183 Katarina: My competitive spirit has been piqued!
Katarina stood by the table with a broad smile, her alluring blue eyes watching Lorne with great interest.
A strange look, hard to hide, flashed across Lorne's face.
How did I run into her again?!
He glanced at the empty tables around him, then forced a poker face and said in an emotionless tone, "Miss, there are plenty of empty seats around here."
A waiter stepped forward at the opportune moment, about to speak, intending to politely offer to arrange a better seat for this beautiful lady.
In response, Katarina simply turned her head slightly and smiled at the waiter.
With just a smile, the waiter, who was about to say something, instantly turned red in the face, stood there dumbfounded like a fool, his mouth slightly open, but he couldn't utter a single word.
Seeing this, Lorne's heart tightened.
Something's not right.
Her charm is almost too much!
"Can't we eat together?" Katarina ignored the waiter and turned her gaze back to Lorne, saying in a slightly coquettish tone, "Look at all those gentlemen around us, they all have female companions~ Only the two of us are alone."
As she spoke, she subtly glanced at the men at the other tables who were drawn to her.
The female companions of those men all turned pale at the same time.
Lorne sighed heavily inwardly. He knew that if he refused again, it would likely cause an even bigger commotion. He could only nod expressionlessly.
"Great!" Katarina immediately flashed a bright smile and sat down opposite him without any hesitation. She picked up the menu, glanced at it casually, and ordered a deluxe set meal worth several tens of pounds.
"Wow, so rich!" Lorne thought to himself.
Katarina handed the menu back to the still-obsessed waiter, then rested her chin on her hand and smiled at Lorne.
As a high-ranking witch, she already owned many lucrative businesses. Moreover, when she helped little Tracy hand over that ship of extraordinary materials, she "reasonably" withheld a considerable amount as her "handling fee."
So, she's not short of cash at all. In a way, this is all thanks to the little guy in front of her.
"Should I treat you?" Katarina suddenly asked. "Consider it a thank you for helping me out the other day."
Her reason sounded perfectly reasonable, leaving no room for doubt.
However, Lorne forcefully suppressed the slight temptation that arose in his heart at the prospect of getting a free meal, and refused in a cold tone, "No need, ma'am. It's nothing at all."
Lorne had a premonition that if he agreed, this meal would likely turn out to be very troublesome.
"Oh?" Katarina leaned forward slightly, her captivating fragrance growing even stronger. "Do you think this simple repayment isn't enough? Then—do you need me to do anything else?"
Her voice was full of implications, and Lorne felt his heart beat faster uncontrollably. Fortunately, his powerful spiritual intuition, a monstrous trait, kicked in. A cold rationality forcefully suppressed his somewhat agitated emotions.
"Monster" is something that is different from others.
He leaned back in his chair, creating some distance between himself and the other person, and said in an almost rigid, gentlemanly tone, "As a gentleman, it is only natural to help a lady when she is in danger. Therefore, I do not need any form of reward."
Hearing this distant, almost heartless tone, Katarina was slightly taken aback, and then the smile on her face became even more playful.
"You are truly a gentleman."
Soon, all the dishes for the two of them were served.
Lorne cut off a sizzling piece of short rib and put it in his mouth to take a bite.
The taste—it was alright, he thought to himself. Much better than the steaks in ordinary pubs. But—it was definitely not good enough for me to willingly spend ten pounds to eat there.
The ice cream next to it was pretty good, with a strong milky flavor.
Across from him, Katarina behaved with exceptional elegance. She skillfully cut a small piece of tender fish with her knife and fork, gently placing it in her mouth and chewing it slowly. Every movement seemed meticulously designed, possessing a pleasing and unique beauty.
Dining with a stunningly beautiful woman should have been a wonderful experience. But Lorne felt a constant, uneasy unease, as if something was sticking out of his back.
He quickly finished the food on his plate, drank the last sip of champagne, and then immediately called the waiter to pay his bill.
He stood up, ready to leave.
However, at that moment, Katarina spoke up and stopped him.
"Wait a minute," she said with a playful smile, "gentleman, have you—forgotten something?"
"Forgot what?" Lorne was a little confused.
Seeing Lorne's utterly bewildered expression, Katarina sighed softly, as if she were teaching a clueless child.
“Normally,” she said, “as a gentleman, shouldn’t you ask my name after such a pleasant meal?”
"Did you know—at some balls, a true gentleman will take a lady's hand, give her a graceful kiss, then introduce himself and politely ask her name."
As she spoke, she slowly extended her fair, slender, and flawless hand, which was like a work of art, towards Lorne.
Lorne instinctively reached out to raise his hand in response.
But just as he raised his hand halfway, he suddenly clenched it into a fist in mid-air.
The cold, gentlemanly poker face on his face vanished in that instant. In its place was a slightly mocking, cold smile.
"Excuse me, ma'am," he said in a clear and cold tone.
"I'm the kind of gentleman who's not normal."
He didn't even bother to say "goodbye," and under Katarina's slightly bewildered gaze, he simply turned around and strode away from the restaurant.
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As Katarina watched the departing figure leave without a backward glance, the bewilderment on her face slowly transformed into a deeper, more amused smile.
It seems that some anomalies have been discovered, but the full picture has not yet been seen.
And she was indeed influenced by my charm, but in the end, she forcibly broke free through her own willpower.
"Interesting! Very interesting!"
Katarina picked up the wine glass on the table and drank the expensive red wine in one gulp.
"It's been a long time since I've encountered such an interesting 'target'."
"My competitive spirit has been stirred up too!"
"Huff...huff..."
Lorne walked down the street, panting heavily.
His heart was pounding, and his thoughts seemed somewhat—
To be honest, he really wanted to drink a bottle of ice water to calm his agitation.
No, we can't! We can't just go back like this.
Too dangerous!
Lorne stopped and looked around at his current location.
After a brief moment of thought, he changed course and headed towards "Wiz Antique Shop".
Exchanges have at least an obligation to protect their customers.
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