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.

he and Lydia locked eyes, the air thick with tension, his

the moment was shattered by the waiter coming to

back, Ethan was both thrilled and

wasn't for the waiter interrupting that warm 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

there's hope, buddy. Don't worry, you still have a shot!" Alaric said confidently,

a pro at this game, a champ

knew once a woman had felt a spark for a man, if the guy kept at it, she was almost definitely

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

tomorrow morning, will ya? Walk her

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

for the sake of it? Walking her to work is even better. It's perfect

"Got it, I know

next day, Lydia was

before eight, leaving her house at