"Let me in. My girlfriend's in there," Alex said desperately. The thought of Debbie sitting and eating with Darryl was unbearable.
The maître d' replied, "Girlfriend? Can you believe this loser thinks he has a girlfriend who can afford to eat here? Is your girlfriend really here?"
"Yes, she's probably only just gone in. She was with a Mr. Brennan," Alex said.
"You mean Darryl?" the man replied and sneered at him. "You're trying to tell me that the gorgeous girl with Darryl is your girlfriend? You're dreaming, aren't you? People will be put off their dinner if I let you in there."
"She is really my girlfriend," insisted Alex.
"Okay, okay, so she's your girlfriend. Could you please just get away from our restaurant to carry on your dream elsewhere. Stop blocking our doorway, you're affecting our business," the man said and tried to push Alex out of the way.
Leona, who was dining in the restaurant, saw what was happening and felt sorry for Alex, but she was still a little afraid of him. She was not the Debbie that he was looking for, and she couldn't think how she could help him.
Darryl, who was sitting opposite Leona, noticed that she was distracted by something going on at the door, and he called softly to her. She turned around, answered him, and continued to eat. He chatted to her, "The braised carp is a famous dish here. Try it, it's delicious."
"Okay," Leona said, nodding slightly. Since first stepping into his car, she had now spent nearly an hour with Darryl, and she didn't feel anything for him. After the meal, she would let him down gently.
"Aaah," she cried as a figure suddenly appeared in the window beside her, startling her. As she calmed down, she saw that it was Alex.
"Debbie, don't be afraid. It's me, Alex," he hollered, squashing his face to the window. He could see that he had frightened her and felt terrible.
"Leona, don't be scared. I'll ask the manager to get rid of him," Darryl said. He looked at Alex angrily through the window, stood up, and walked away from the table.
He found the restaurant manager and led him to the door, where he pointed at Alex and said, "Get rid of him. He's ruining my meal with Miss Marvel."
The manager nodded and directed several security guards over to Alex. They tried to move him, and it ended in a scuffle. Finally, one of them shocked him with a taser, and he fell to the ground. They grabbed him by the arms and legs and carried him over to the road.
"Let me go. Debbie, I'm Alex, I need to talk to you," he shouted. He was still trying to get Debbie to forgive him.
Darryl watched him being carried away by the security guards and sneered proudly. This loser had no right to pursue Leona. Only bachelors like him from wealthy families had that right. This loser from the street was dreaming.
Suddenly, he heard, "Let him go."
Leona had been watching everything that had happened to Alex. She had seen how crazy he looked, and she was still a little afraid of him, but she also knew that he still thought that she was his girlfriend. She felt sorry for him, particularly when she watched the security guards dealing with him so aggressively and even using a taser on him. He looked so pathetic when they picked him up and carried him to the road that she just couldn't bear it.
"Miss Marvel, but he—" Darryl started to persuade Leona that Alex wasn't worth worrying about, but then he saw how upset she was. He didn't want her to think he was rude or uncaring, so he stopped himself and said, "Well, I can see that you're worried about him. I guess he just wants to ask you for money. Of course, we can't give him money, but maybe we should invite him to dinner with us."
Darryl thought to himself, Leona is gentle and kindhearted. She must feel pity for this loser. Perhaps to impress her, I should demonstrate that I'm also caring and compassionate. If she thinks that I'm like her, she's bound to fall for me.
"You guys, put him down," Darryl yelled to the four security guards who were carrying Alex. They looked at him doubtfully but dropped Alex onto the ground. He got up and ran straight to Leona, shouting, "Debbie."
When Leona saw him running toward her, she subconsciously moved behind Darryl, which made him very happy. He thought it was a very good sign.
"Stop." He reached out to block Alex and said, "Let me explain to you once again that this lady is Leona Marvel, not Debbie. You have to stop dreaming. Do you understand?"
Alex looked at Leona hiding behind Darryl and was bitterly disappointed. He couldn't understand why she wouldn't admit who she was and that she did know him. For now, all he could do was accept what Darryl was saying before he was thrown onto the street again.
He looked at Leona and then nodded.
Darryl told him, "Okay, good. As long as you understand. However, Miss Marvel feels sorry for you, so I'm inviting you to come in and have dinner with us." He looked snootily at Alex and then walked back into the restaurant with Leona.
Alex watched Leona walk away and then followed them inside. The other guests were shocked to see him walk over and sit down at Leona and Darryl's table. Darryl called the waiter over and said to him, "Order whatever you want, don't worry about the cost. Today, you're our guest." He was very proud of himself for finding a way to use this annoying situation with Alex to make himself look good in front of Leona.
Alex was about to order when he noticed Leona gazing at him in confusion. He stopped for a second and said, "Debbie, do you really not recognize me?"
"Do you not want to eat here or something?" Darryl said angrily as he glared at Alex. The audacity of this boy was unbelievable.
Leona looked harshly at Darryl, and he was quiet.
Then, she looked at Alex and said with a small smile, "It's not that I don't remember you, but that I've never met you before. My name is Leona, not Debbie."
What she didn't tell him was that she had lost her memory. She was convinced that Alex was a stranger, and didn't want to share such intimate information with strangers.
Alex was completely at a loss. He couldn't see any sign of deception in Leona's eyes. Was she really not Debbie? For the first time, Alex considered that this might be a possibility.
He thought, but they were as alike as two peas in a pod. I don't believe that two strangers can look so identical. Debbie must be testing me. That must be what's going on.
"Aren't you going to order? If you're not hungry, please leave now and don't ruin my date with Miss Marvel," Darryl said to him with some hostility.
"She won't date you. She's just having dinner with you because she had to," Alex said.
"How dare you talk to me like that?" Darryl was furious. He was from a wealthy family while Alex was a loser from the streets.
"I'm telling the truth because you don't deserve her at all. She's way too good for you," Alex said.
"I dare you to say one more word," Darryl roared. Alex was provoking him, but Leona was scared by his temper. He immediately apologized to her. "Miss Marvel, I'm sorry, I scared you."
"Are you okay?" Alex also asked her with concern.
"What do you care?" Darryl looked at Alex and sneered. Then he said to Leona, "Oh, I see. Miss Marvel, I heard from the security guard of your community that this man has been waiting at the gate to see you. He wants to be your boyfriend. It's ridiculous."
By that time, many of the guests were looking at Darryl's table to see what the uproar was about. The manager and waiter were looking over nervously too.
"Yes, I'm in love with her. What's wrong with that?" Alex said confidently.
There was a burst of laughter around him.
Someone from a nearby table said, "What, this loser wants to date Miss Marvel. Is he crazy?"
Another said, "He's a homeless loser. The Marvel family is one of the top five families in Washington, D.C. He's got no chance with her."
His friend told him, "I heard that her father wants to find her a husband really quickly. All the young men in the city want to date her, but most don't dare even ask because they know they're not good enough. She's already dated five or six rich young men and hasn't accepted any of them. What makes this loser think he has a chance?"
Darryl looked at Alex with a sneer and said, "You're clearly delusional." Then he turned to the manager and said, "Take him out. Miss Marvel and I thought he was a poor man and wanted to treat him to a decent meal, but he's actually a complete lunatic."
The manager took out his walkie-talkie to call the security guards in to remove Alex from the restaurant.
He stopped when Alex suddenly said to Darryl in a loud voice, "I came here to talk with Miss Marvel, not with you. She hasn't spoken yet. Why don't we give her a chance to say what she wants?" Then he looked at Leona and said, "Miss Marvel, would it be okay if I ask you out?"
"Oh, I've heard it all now. You have to be joking," Darryl said with a cough. He looked at Leona and added, "Miss Marvel, please get rid of this loser."
Everyone's eyes were focused on her. They were laughing and sneering at Alex. How could someone so lowly ask for a date with someone from the Marvel family? They already knew what her answer would be.
"Okay," she said softly. She had seen the perseverance in Alex's eyes, and even more, she just couldn't bear to let this poor man be laughed at by everyone anymore. Also, he had saved Lindsey in New York. In the end, she simply followed what her heart was telling her.
The other diners were stunned and looked at Leona with shock. Their smiles froze on their faces.
"What? Miss Marvel, you—" Darryl stuttered as he looked at her in amazement.
She looked around at everyone staring at her and said, "I'm allowed to choose my own boyfriend. He's a man, so of course, he can ask me out. Whether I accept or not is another matter entirely."
Darryl relaxed as he felt he understood what she was saying. She just felt sorry for him because everyone was laughing at him. He felt relieved as he looked at Alex and said, "Well, since Miss Marvel said you can ask her out, I have nothing more to say. As she said, any man can ask her. Don't feel that you're anything special."
"We all know that she'll turn him down," he said to the other diners, who all nodded in approval.
Looking back at Alex, he continued with a sneer, "What you don't understand is that you need resources if you want to date someone like Miss Marvel. She's accustomed to a certain standard of living, and you need to be able to treat her to fine meals and gifts. A loser like you will never make her happy."
"I have much more money than you, and I will take very good care of her," Alex replied calmly.
"More money than me? If you can take out five hundred dollars right now, I will admit that I'm wrong. Go on, prove me wrong," Darryl challenged him.
"No problem," Alex replied, and then froze as he remembered that his bank card had been frozen again by his family.