As soon as Vincent gets off the bus, Vincent crosses across and walks past several stores on his right.
Various kinds of stores were in the line that passed. Most of them were boutique shops and bags for school and office supplies.
This district was the perfect place for the middle class to find cheap yet fine quality goods.
Even though Vincent and Felicia belonged to the upper class, they did not feel disgusted or rethink eating in a simple restaurant. What mattered was not the prestige or the extravagant place, but the distinctive taste and warm atmosphere.
If the two of them walked individually in a crowd, no one would have thought that each of them was the successor of a large company.
Therefore, Vincent found it most comfortable whenever Felicia around him and vice versa.
Vincent walked the next block, and then he saw a row of simple suburban restaurants.
Vincent entered one of them, which had become one of his favorite places. Luckily it wasn't too crowded, so he could find the person he was looking for.
"Hey, black hedgehog, what took you so long?"
Vincent answered it with a giggle while sitting opposite his best friend.
"You haven't ordered food yet?"
"Of course not. I want to make a bet with you." replied the girl with sparkling eyes.
"Again? I'll pass this time." Vincent waved his hands to reject the bet he could never win.
"Are you sure? Don't be regret later."
"Why should I be regret?"
"I heard you are coming to the businessmen's gala this weekend."
"Who told you?"
Everyone already knew Vincent's nature. Vincent was the most passive when he got an invitation to formal parties. He preferred to attend festivals or parades that sometimes performed on the streets.
No one would have thought that he would come to the event this weekend. If the tigress found out about it, it was sure that one of his family members had told her.
"Who else? Sister Vanvan did. Your mother also called me to ask a favor."
"What kind of favor?"
"She asked me to leave you alone for this event."
Whaaaat?
"Are you going to do it?"
"Of course. Why would I sacrifice myself for the black hedgehog? I'd better be with my Benben."
"Will he come too?"
"Duh, why do you even ask? I only willing to come if he comes."
Ah, right. Vincent had forgotten the reality that was expected of them.
"That's why I'm offering this bet. If I lose, I won't obey your mother and keep you company until the end of the show."
"Really? What if I lose? Aren't you going to obey my mother?"
"If you lose, I want you to help me keep Benben away from his new secretary."
"What's wrong with the secretary?"
"The new secretary is a young girl. I don't like her at all."
Young girl? To Vincent's knowledge, Benjamin Paxton never employed female secretaries.
"Maybe just a rumor?"
"I saw her with my own two eyes. What pissed me off, she wasn't intimidated by me at all."
"What a pain, you want me to waste my time to prevent her from following your idol during the event later?"
"Precisely!"
Vincent snorted at this.
"What's the difference with you leaving me alone there?"
"The difference is you only need to face one woman rather than dozens of women there. How is it? Isn't my offer better?"
What she said made sense. It was better for him to handle one girl rather than who knew for how many women had made on his mother's list of candidates for her daughter-in-law.
"Besides, Benben would have let you take his secretary away. You are his favorite cousin."
Vincent sighed in resignation at this. "Very well. This time I won't yield in." he determined to win the bet this time. He still preferred the tigress's company to other unknown girls.
Felicia smiled happily and got up to order something.
Vincent already knew what she ordered, even without asking. Four fat turkey soups in large portions. Whoever finishes the soup first is the winner.
If he only needed to finish one portion, Vincent was confident he could win. Alas, the requirement was to spend two portions, which make Vincent lose every time.
While waiting for their orders, Vincent wondered to find out about Benjamin's new secretary. And his best friend's answer didn't help him at all.
"I don't know. I'm too lazy to deal with her."
"Control your jealousy. What if the new girl took advantage of using your jealousy?"
Felicia stuck out her tongue, not caring about her nickname.
Not long after, their order arrived. Instead of four, there were two on their table.
Vincent should have jumped for joy because this time, he was going to win. His speed in consuming a large bowl was faster than Felicia. Unfortunately, once he ate the second bowl, his speed decreased drastically, and he could not match his friend's pace.
Because of that, seeing the girl only ordered two portions where each one had to spend one portion, he should be more excited because he was sure he would win the bet this time.
But the thick red soup and the pungent smell made him horrified.
"Hey, you play dirty. You didn't tell me to order super spicy food."
"Whose fault did not want to ask first before accepting my challenge?"
Vincent sighed resignedly. For the umpteenth time, he entered his best friend's trap.
He took a spoon and brought some of the broth towards his mouth. It was then that the strong smell entered his throat, causing him to cough.
Felicia, who saw his attitude laughed as she continued to enjoy her meal. "I won again," she exclaimed happily.
"I wonder why I can't get rid of you."
Responding to her friend's sarcasm, Felicia just shook her head happily while chewing the soup in her mouth as if spicy food was the most delicious food in this world. She even humming a sweet melody as if she was the star in the middle of the spotlight.
Seeing the girl's mood and a satisfied smile on her face, Vincent could not be angry any longer.
Vincent put his soup aside to give it to the girl while ordering another meal. When the order arrived, Felicia had finished her soup and pound on Vincent's supposed to be soup.
"Did Benjamin know you could finish two large portions quickly?"
"Are you crazy? Of course, I won't let him see me eat like this."
"That's why he never glanced at you. Do you know, all the men in this world do not like the attitude of women who are made up or filled with pretense."
"Women also shouldn't give a bad impression to attract the attention of the opposite sex. Otherwise, it is tantamount to suicide."
"But you showed me all your true nature."
"You're different. I don't see you as a man at all."
"What a coincidence. I don't see you as a woman either."
"Isn't that right? That's why we can freely discuss anything and don't need to be afraid of being hated. It's different from my ideal man. I don't want him to hate me. How can I show him my true nature?"
"Sooner or later, he will find out your true nature."
"I will think about it later. For now, I want to give my best impression in front of him. One more thing... you are strictly forbidden to call me a tigress there."
"Yes, madame." came the firm answer while raising his hand like a soldier saluting his superior.
The truth is, his cousin already knew the girl's tomboyish nature and did not mind at all. He knew his cousin had the same feelings as the woman who was sitting opposite him.
It's just that something fishy is going on, but he couldn't point his finger. He felt like Benjamin Paxton was hiding something and preventing himself from having a relationship with Felicia.
No... not only Felicia but with any woman.
Vincent just sighed, and he did not reveal this to his friend. He didn't want to give false hopes and let the man handle his personal love life on his own.