The Billionaire's Secret Quartet

Ethan was seriously ticked off, not in the mood for wordplay. "I don't give a damn how I phrase it! All I'm saying is, your advice sucks, man. It's not practical at all!" "All I wanna know is, did you guys go grab a bite or not?" Alaric was unfazed by Ethan's bad mood.

After all, he and Hertha had cleared up their misunderstandings, tied the knot, and were blissfully together now.

He was on cloud nine every day, nothing and no one could dampen his spirits.

"We did, but she was still all guarded around me, didn't even crack a smile," Ethan lamented.

"Did you guys hit up the Rose Garden booth?" Alaric probed further.

"Yeah!" Ethan couldn't deny it.

"And was there a moment, just a moment, when you locked eyes and felt the temperature in the room go up?" Alaric pressed on.

Ethan fell silent, replaying the scene in his head.

that fleeting moment when he and Lydia locked eyes, the air thick with tension, his blood boiling with the urge to kiss

was shattered by the waiter coming to

Ethan was

atmosphere, he and Lydia might have held hands, lingered over dinner a bit longer, and wouldn't have bumped into David and Rosalind as they were leaving. That encounter had set him and Lydia back to square one. With that thought, Ethan blamed everything

Don't worry, you still have a

pro at this game,

spark

Alaric's words, Ethan's frown finally eased. "I'll take your word for

Walk her to work," Alaric added just before Ethan could

lives a stone's throw from the clinic. It's just a few minutes' walk," Ethan felt it was

You think I'm telling you to walk her just for the sake of it? Walking her to work is even

it, I

Lydia was up

the clinic before eight,