The sleek black luxury car reluctantly came to a stop by the roadside. The passenger window rolled down eagerly, and Eloise leaned halfway out of the car, waving forcefully to get Lysander's attention.
"Hey, Lysander! Over here, over here! Sorry to make you wait so long. Get in, let's head back together."
Lysander turned toward the sound, slightly bowing his head as he glanced at the person in the driver's seat. Isidore's hand rested on the steering wheel, his eyes lazily focused ahead, his noble and aloof profile visible from the side.
Lysander smiled silently, then turned his gaze to Eloise's face. "You've been inside for so long, I thought... I'm glad you're fine." A seemingly inexplicable yet profoundly meaningful phrase, when it fell upon the ears of different people, carried a different significance for each.
Eloise laughed awkwardly. "What could possibly happen to me…"
"Mm." Lysander seemed to realize who was driving, his voice surprised. "Isn't that..." Eloise turned and quickly introduced, "Oh right, this is Isidore."
She lowered her voice, signaling Lysander to lean in. "The wealthy guy from the dinner table, you said you wanted to meet him, right? Well, now's your chance. Let's chat in the car."
She was completely unaware that, in saying those words, it made Isidore sound like one of her "own people." Lysander's gaze shifted from Isidore to her, and finally settled in Eloise's large, bright eyes. "So, you two know each other."
It was an obviously redundant question. If they didn't know each other, would she have dared to splash wine in Isidore's face at the dinner table and still walk away unscathed?
Eloise didn't think too much about it and simply made a helpless expression. "Yeah, but I didn't know the person you were talking about was him." Had she known, she would have never come to dinner...
She paused, then added to cover up, "Ahem, I just happened to run into him when I went in, and he pulled me in to eat, so it took this long. I'm really sorry." She frowned and pouted, giving a little apologetic expression.
Isidore didn't expose her, instead, at the perfect moment, he turned his face, nodding politely with an air of grace and nobility: "Hello." After that, he turned away again, offering no explanation whatsoever for his behavior at the dinner table—smashing a toasting glass and forcing someone to pick up the shards.
Lysander nodded. "Hello." Eloise tapped the car window with her finger, urging, "It's late. Get in the car, let's go home."
However, he shook his head, politely stepping back. "No need. Elly, did you forget? I drove here." It just wasn't parked in the restaurant's underground garage but at a nearby surface parking lot.
Hearing his polite refusal, Eloise froze for a moment. Isidore furrowed his brow slightly, turning his body with a hint of impatience. His face remained smiling, but his fingers tapped rhythmically on the steering wheel. "I'll get someone to move it for you. You've had a drink, haven't you? You can't drive."
Lysander shrugged. "Unfortunately, I didn't get to drink." Isidore turned to Eloise. "It seems your friend doesn't want to get in. Can we go now?"
"Hey..." Eloise wanted to persuade him further, but before she could speak, Lysander said, "Elly, actually, I've been waiting here for you for three hours for a reason."
"?" Eloise looked at him with confusion.
Isidore rolled his eyes, a twitch of his lips betraying a subtle smile. After a distinctly audible snort, he spoke in a mocking tone, laced with sarcasm: "Sir, you're not planning on making an unexpected confession by the roadside, are you?"
Eloise turned back, annoyed, and slapped him. "What nonsense are you talking about!" He looked at her coldly. "Can't I even make a joke?" Lysander was the only one among the three who laughed. "Of course not."
As he spoke, he turned his gaze to Eloise. "I've been waiting because... actually, tonight after midnight is Octavius's twentieth birthday." "Ah?" Eloise looked genuinely surprised. "You never mentioned it before!"
Lysander sighed. "I shouldn't have troubled you, but turning twenty is a bit special. I wanted to help him celebrate, but..." He gave a wry smile. "You know, our parents passed away early, and Octavius doesn't have many people he's close to. And you're his 'Elly.' I thought if you could be there, it'd be a huge surprise for him."
"Hey, hey, hey," Isidore interrupted with an exasperated look. "Sir, do you even know what you're saying? Who celebrates a birthday in the middle of the night? At the very least, you wait till morning."
Lysander calmly said, "Mr. Isidore, my brother was born exactly at midnight. This time holds special meaning for him, so we've always celebrated at midnight."
"Huh?" Isidore raised an eyebrow, fully aware that he was talking nonsense, but the absurdity of it made it impossible to point out any flaws. He coldly turned to Eloise and asked with a mocking smile: "Do you believe this?" Eloise hesitated. "I..."
She turned towards the window. "Lysander, um... This is too sudden, I haven't prepared any gift."
"For Octavius, no gift is needed. The best gift is simply having his 'Elly' present," In Lysander's deep, soulful eyes, there was nothing but sincerity.
Eloise thought for a moment, then turned her head and lowered her voice to Isidore. "Octavius, you know him, the one with the six-pack abs at the hot spring hotel."
Isidore tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, his expression one of utter indifference. "I don't know him. I have eight."
Eloise pursed her lips. "Oh, that college man, the shooting champion!" Isidore sneered. "Oh, you mean the one who missed several times?" Eloise nodded. "He's from the South, came back over the summer and ran into me, what a coincidence!"
Without commenting on the coincidence, Isidore curled his lips in disdain. Eloise continued, "I ran into some trouble in the South before, and I'm grateful for his help..." Isidore exhaled sharply, a hint of irritation in his voice: "What do you mean by that? You're not really planning to follow him, are you?"
Eloise studied his face. "How about you come along too..." "Not really appropriate," Lysander said with a smile from outside the car. Isidore stopped tapping on the steering wheel, narrowing his eyes. "I think so too."
Lysander said politely, "Mr. Isidore is a busy man, mainly worried about wasting your time." Isidore nodded. "Yeah, I'm not that free."
"Then Elly," Lysander smoothly turned to Eloise. "I'll wait for you in the car over there." "Wait a minute," Isidore's expression darkened, "Did she say she wanted to go?" Two sharp, piercing gazes landed on Eloise simultaneously.
Under immense pressure, Eloise opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Isidore couldn't resist a reprimand: "Haven't you had enough of being played?" At his words, Eloise's face darkened, and she reached to unbuckle her seatbelt. Isidore was so exasperated that he laughed in disbelief. "You..."
Eloise lifted her head and said to Lysander, "You wait in the car for me. I'll be right back after I grab something." Lysander gave a smile of satisfaction, having achieved his goal, and walked away.
"Are you really going?" Isidore asked again, his face dark, repeating the same question for the second time—he was never this chatty. Eloise gripped the hem of her skirt, not looking at him. "He waited for three hours because of me, and I told you, his brother has helped me a lot."
Isidore pressed his lips together, his face cold and silent, knowing it was pointless to speak. Just before Eloise got out of the car, he finally spoke: "Is it because I'm always the one taking the initiative, that my worth means nothing in your eyes?"
Eloise angrily turned around, her stubborn lips straightened. "I don't know what you mean by that. I just want to help my friend celebrate his birthday. Hah, I've heard you used to be involved in some shady business, so where's your sense of morality? Where's your integrity?"
Isidore couldn't be bothered to reply. He leaned back in his seat, his face expressionless. "Eloise, if you get off this car today, I'll never lower myself to find you again." Eloise pressed her lips together, a surge of impulsiveness taking over. After getting out of the car, she slammed the door shut with a forceful swing.
As soon as her feet landed on the concrete path, the car behind her drove off without the slightest hesitation.
