Andrew's face turned red. He just realized the foolishness of what he had done earlier.
Until a moment ago, Andrew really felt like he was above the clouds. Now his world seemed to be turned upside down so quickly.
Earlier, when ordering the food, Andrew had deliberately ordered the cheapest menu for their dinner. It never crossed his mind that Oliver understood French.
Now he was embarrassed and angry at the same time. He repeatedly looked down at the floor of the restaurant. He silly hoped that the floor beneath his feet would open up and he could get in there.
Oliver noticed this change in Andrew. He smiled mockingly at his own victory!
Soon after, the waiter arrived with the dishes they had ordered. Oliver welcomed the order that the waiter brought.
"Thank you, man," Oliver said politely after the waiter had finished his job.
Oliver deliberately said it in France, satirizing Andrew. The mocking smile returned to Oliver's face.
Carla blinked her eyes, looking at Oliver with a look in her eyes that Oliver had only seen for the first time.
"What's wrong?" Oliver asked as he felt that his wife had something to say.
"How come I never knew you were good at French?" Carla said, her eyes never leaving Oliver's face.
"Now you know, right?" Oliver responded.
A wide grin spread across Oliver's face, revealing a face that looked both modest and handsome.
Carla again blinked her eyes.
"Where did you learn it?" asked Carla again without hiding her fascination.
"Nothing. Just for fun."
"On a whim?"
"Self-taught. I watched French movies, songs, and novels. I looked up the meaning in dictionaries and online translator apps. It's easy if you really want to learn...."
Hearing Oliver's explanation that he could speak French fluently just by learning through movies and songs really made Andrew feel ashamed of himself. He had been bragging about his French skills in front of Carla and Oliver, but Oliver had beaten him hands down.
And not only did he beat him, but Oliver also made Andrew's French skills meaningless.
The two of them were so far apart in class. Andrew was still in kindergarten, while Oliver was already in high school.
To cover his embarrassment and overcome the awkwardness of having Carla's attention focused entirely on Oliver, Andrew poured a drink into Carla's glass, which was already half full.
While continuing to chat casually with Carla, Oliver leered at Andrew from the corner of his eye.
For some reason, Oliver felt something strange about Andrew's hand movements as he poured the drink from the bottle into the glass. Oliver's instincts told him that something was wrong.
Oliver focused his attention on Andrew's two hands holding the glass and the bottle while still chatting casually with Carla and pretending not to care.
The blood in Oliver's body felt like boiling when he finally managed to figure out what Andrew was really doing.
"Have a drink, while it's cold."
Andrew thrust the glass he had just filled toward Carla.
"Oh yes, thank you."
Carla reached out to take the glass in front of him.
"Don't drink it!" Oliver interrupted in a strained voice.
"Why?"
Carla's hand holding the glass stopped in mid-air.
"I saw Andrew put some medicine in that glass," Oliver explained, reaching out to snatch the glass from Carla's hand.
"Heh, just because you're good at French, don't be a bully! Just go around slandering people. Do you think I'm crazy for poisoning Carla? Crazy!"
Andrew stood up from his chair, breathing heavily.
Sweat broke out on Andrew's face, even though the air in the room was cool.
"That's it! Enough of you two! Stop acting like kids!"
Carla looked annoyed at Andrew and Oliver for continuing to act silly.
"I saw Andrew put something in your drink," Oliver insisted.
"Lies! This rascal seems to be deliberately trying to ruin my reputation in front of you, Carla. Didn't you see how he kept trying to embarrass me?" Andrew looked fiercely at Oliver.
"Aren't you the one who embarrassed yourself?" challenged Oliver, who couldn't stand Andrew's arrogance anymore.
"That's it! Enough of you two!" Carla exclaimed irritably. "I just want a drink! I'm thirsty!"
Oliver was confident in his keen eyesight. He quickly swatted away the glass in Carla's hand that was so close to her lips.
The glass slipped out of Carla's hand and floated in the air. The liquid in the glass seemed to scatter in the air.
Oliver stepped forward to shield Carla with his body from being splashed by the drink and extended his hand before the glass hit the floor in the nick of time.
Seeing that Oliver had succeeded in foiling his foul plan, Andrew remained silent with a stony face. He was like someone wearing a mask.
Oliver straightened up again.
"You're okay, right?" he asked Carla.
"No!" Carla replied with an annoyed look on her face.
"Thank goodness."
Oliver returned to his chair and placed the empty glass on the table.
Suddenly Andrew clapped his hands with a sardonic look at Oliver.
"You're doing great. You're the hero of the night. You useless piece of trash! I'm leaving now! You are not at the level of sitting at the same table with a trashy human like you! Disgusted!"
After saying that, Andrew left them.
Carla came forward to restrain Andrew, but Oliver pulled her back.
"Let him go. We can have a romantic dinner together now," Oliver said, holding Carla's hand tightly.
"What romantic? You've really messed things up. Argghhhh!" Carla growled angrily and flopped into a chair.
"That Andrew guy was trying to hurt you. I saw him put drugs in your drink."
Hearing Oliver's explanation, Carla covered his face with both palms. And when she opened her palms, her eyes were red and a little teary.
Suddenly, Oliver felt a sting of guilt in his chest for making Carla sad.
"If there's anything wrong with you, don't interfere with my business...." Carla explained in a voice trembling with emotion.
"Sorry," was all Oliver said.
Actually, that night Carla invited Andrew to dinner, not for romance or any other silly reason. Her company was currently facing accusations of plagiarism regarding a product idea, and several important investors had revoked their cooperation agreements. Carla took Andrew to dinner with the intention of persuading Andrew to invest in her company.
Hearing Carla's explanation, the stab of guilt pierced Oliver's chest to the solar plexus.
Carla, his beloved wife, was now downcast.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know that...."
"That's why you shouldn't be reckless. You accused Andrew of wanting to poison me. He took offense. I've known Andrew longer than I've known you!"
"But I really saw Andrew put something in your drink," Oliver insisted about the spilt drink.
"That's it! I'm going home! I'm dizzy, you can take a taxi! I want to be alone first!"
Carla grabbed her handbag and left Oliver alone.
Oliver could do nothing but stare at Carla's back as she walked away from him. He couldn't possibly catch up with his wife now. It would only make things worse.
'It's all over,' Oliver whispered to himself, feeling sorry for himself.
He glanced at the dishes on the table, which did nothing to whet his appetite. Then he got up from his chair and walked out of the restaurant with shaky steps.
All he could think about now was Carla. Carla, Carla, and Carla.
He really felt guilty. He was sorry. But, on the other hand, he managed to save Carla from Andrew's evil plan. At least he had that one to be thankful for.
Oliver exited the restaurant and walked on the windy sidewalk under the star-studded night sky. Suddenly, a jeep pulled up next to Oliver.
The door opened.
Andrew got out of the car, followed by five men swinging baseball bats.
"Finish that bastard! Knock him out!" Andrew ordered, swinging his arm at Oliver.
Continued ....