They attempted to compare the appearances of those idols with the man before them, yet they found it astonishing that he was even more handsome than a celebrity.
Feeling overwhelmed, the girl with glasses responded in a flustered tone.
"Yes, we would like to eat," she said, her eyes flitting from side to side.
Alexander's smile widened, captivating the three girls completely. He then proceeded to take their order.
"What would you like to order? Here's the menu," he said, handing a menu to each of the three.
As they looked at the menu, their eyes occasionally glanced back to Alexander.
Once they had decided, they placed their orders, with the girl wearing glasses speaking up first.
"I'd like to order Adobo with rice, please," she stated.
Her glasses caught the light, accentuating her sharp eyes lending her an intelligent, almost genius-like aura. Typically, she appeared distant and reserved, yet in that moment, her demeanor softened.
"I'll have the Bicol Express with rice, please," declared the girl with black hair with bangs, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing slightly at the edges, exuding warmth and friendliness.
"Please, I'd like the Kaldereta with rice," chimed in the other girl with black hair also.
Her delicate features, large round eyes, prominent nose, and elegant visage added to her charm.
Alexander concentrated on his task, which was to take the order, indifferent to whether he was serving a beauty or not.
After all, gazing upon a beautiful woman wouldn't make him wealthy. Having calculated the cost, he responded.
"The Adobo is 70 pesos per serving, while the Bicol Express and Kaldereta are 50 pesos each per serving. Rice is only 10 pesos. Your total comes to 200 pesos," he stated as he jotted down the order on a small note.
The three nodded, and Alexander asked, "Before I go, would you like any drinks or just service water?"
"I'll have a bottled Coke," said the girl with glasses.
"Same for me," added the girl with almond-shaped eyes.
"And for me as well," the third girl chimed in.
Alexander nodded, writing down notes, "That will be around 260 pesos. Please excuse me while I get your order," he said, then proceeded to the counter.
He handed the note through an open square trapdoor, where a delicate hand, Sophia's received it. She then passed the note to her father to prepare the order.
Observing Alexander's interaction with the customer, Claire couldn't help but mentally give him a thumbs up.
Meanwhile, the three left to themselves, the girl with almond-shaped eyes discreetly captured a photo of Alexander's smile on her phone.
It was the perfect shot, taken from just the right angle without his knowledge. Upon seeing the image, the other two expressed their surprise.
"Yumi what did you do! What if you get caught and implicate us, it will be embarrassing" The girl with the glasses said.
"Don't worry, Faith. He won't know a thing. It's not a crime to take a picture," Yumi said with a sly smile.
Her eyes were slightly obscured, and she had a distinctly Asian look that made her a classic example of a 'Chinita'.
"Can you share me the image" The girl with round eyes said in a low voice.
"Sure Althea, I'll send it to you in messenger" Yumi said in reply.
Faith could not help but want to find some words to argue but he found nothing, she could only look at the two of them on how shameless they are.
"You two are unbelievable" Faith said with a sigh.
Shortly, the order was prepared, and Alexander delivered their meals and drinks. The trio dined with gusto, but as the cafe filled with more customers, Alexander found himself swamped with work. Claire's assistance helped him to lighten the burden somewhat.
Meanwhile, Claire attended to a table at the rear by the wall. Seated there were five men wearing some rugged, gangster-like looks and hair tinted in various color.
"Sir, could you please place your order? I'm in a hurry," Claire said, clearly annoyed. She was frustrated with the five guys who had kept her waiting for quite some time.
The 5 thugs just look at her with a lewd face, the one guy who had a red hair with a tall and muscular build. His hair was style in a Buzzcut and was dressed in a leather jacket the same with the others.
"Beautiful lady why don't you sit and chat with us for a while, we will order after we are satisfied" The thug in red hair said with smile, as his eyes darted towards Claire body.
Claire seeing this felt disgusted she put on a strong front and said, "You perverts if you don't want to eat then leave this place, or I'll throw you out"
Hearing her threats, the five of them couldn't help but laugh, finding it the biggest joke they had ever heard. They laughed so hard that tears even formed in their eyes.
"Lady, that's enough joking. Sit beside me, and we'll leave this place alone. If you don't, we'll wreck it until it's nothing but scrap," he said with a laugh at the end. His buddies joined in, adding to the mockery.
Claire was furious. She glanced back, ready to ignore the five thugs looking for trouble. But before she could walk away, a strong hand grabbed her wrist. Turning to see the guy with red hair smiling slyly, her anger soared to new heights.
"If you don't let go, I will call the police" Claire threatened.
The red hair was amused and said, "Do you think we'll be afraid of a mere cop? We are from the Black Serpent Gang now tell me do you think we'll be afraid?"
Hearing the gang's name, Claire recognized them immediately. They were known for using violence and extortion to extract money from innocent civilians, controlling much of Iloilo City's underworld. She also knew this was just a branch, with their main base located in Manila.
Undeterred, Claire tried to pull her wrist free from the guy's tight grip. His hold was firm, making it difficult for her to break free.
"Are you really not going to let go?" She said with her brows furrowed.
"No, why what are you going to do about it" the thug said looking at Claire's face, having fun on making her angry.
"So be it then" Claire last voiced trailed off, as her palm came flying off towards the guy in red hair.
With a smack the sound reverberated throughout the restaurant, and a red handprint was formed on his face from the impact. The guy in the red hair was stunned, as he touched the place on where he was slap.
His buddies were also flabbergasted from the sudden slap, not thinking that this beautiful lady will put on a strong retaliation. Claire seeing him holding his cheeks, smirk in disgust.
"Don't bother me anymore or I'm going to slap till it turns purple." Claire said as she looked back and was about to leave.
The guy in red hair who came back to his senses when he heard her insulting words became angry, from getting slapped in the face and also being humiliated from tons of people. He never felt something like this in all his life.
"Where do you think you're going, you bitch?" the guy with red hair sneered, reaching to grab Claire's hair.
Claire looked back, noticing his hand nearing her head, and fear started to take hold. Abruptly, before his hand could touch her forehead, she found herself against a solid wall, as the smell of a strong man enveloping her.
She saw that the red-haired thug's arm was restrained by a smaller one, gripping his wrist tightly, stopping him in his tracks.
A young man voice resonated behind him, "Hey, you thugs—trying to hit a woman in broad daylight? Don't you have any shame?" Alexander's voice echoed through the restaurant as he glared sharply at the thug.