Chapter 56 Invited to Be a Dance Partner

Seraphina's POV:

Even though the dude was grinning, I could totally feel the danger lurking behind that smile.

His vibe was intense. Only Silas had ever made me feel this threatened before.

But this guy? He was different from Silas.

Silas was all about that in-your-face pressure, showing off his power and strength.

This guy, though, hid his danger under a smooth exterior, like a snake in a flower bed.

"Are you the owner of this place?" I asked, trying to figure out what his deal was.

"Oops, my bad. Got distracted by a pretty face and forgot to introduce myself." He stepped back, gave a little bow, and kissed the back of my hand like some old-school gentleman.

"I'm Wesley Rodriguez, the owner. Nice to meet you, gorgeous. What's your name?" he asked.

"Stella." I pulled my hand back, not really wanting to get too chummy with this flirty Wesley.

"Sorry about the mess today. I'll cover all the damages, no problem." I gave him an apologetic smile.

Wesley didn't say anything about that. Instead, he asked, "Shopping for a dress for the banquet in a few days?"

Everyone in the werewolf aristocracy knew about the banquet, so I wasn't surprised he knew. No point in hiding it.

"Just looking around," I shrugged. "Can't really afford that fancy dress."

"But you did mess it up," Wesley pointed to the dress in my arms and smirked.

"It was an accident, but don't worry. Even though it's out of my budget, I'll pay you back," I said, trying to sound sincere.

"You said it's out of your budget, so making you pay would be kinda harsh, right?" He gave a faint smile.

"Paying for damages is the right thing to do. I'll find the money and pay you back," I said, ready to leave the cramped storage room.

"I've got another way you can make it up," Wesley suddenly said.

I shot him a glare.

If his "other way" involved anything cross the line, I'd knock his teeth out.

"What are you thinking?" Wesley laughed, realizing I misunderstood. "I'm not a bad guy."

"Really?" I pouted, not buying it.

"I'm going to the banquet too, but I need a dance partner. Since you're going, why not be my date? In return, I'll forget about the damages," he said.

Just a dance partner? That easy?

I was a bit skeptical.

Could there be some other unspeakable conditions?

"Don't worry. There are no other requirements." Wesley saw my concern and smiled helplessly at me.

Hearing this, I felt a bit embarrassed. Having my thoughts exposed made me seem a bit petty.

However, if the losses today were really pursued, I indeed couldn't afford them, and I didn't want to ask Silas for help.

So if just being his dance partner could settle everything, it wasn't a bad deal. But...

He didn't know I had two kids to bring along. If he knew, he might not want to invite me as his dance partner anymore.

After all, most male wolves wouldn't want that.

Thinking of this, I told him honestly, "I have two kids who will be attending the banquet with me."

Hearing that I had kids, Wesley was visibly stunned and hesitated.

Just when I thought he would refuse, he suddenly smiled cheerfully. "Don't worry. I'll prepare everything for them and arrange for their protection. You just need to be my dance partner."

"Okay!" Since he agreed so readily, I should accept the invitation graciously.

After all, this wouldn't harm me. As for Silas finding out...

He shouldn't mind his fiancée in name only being someone else's dance partner, right?

Wait!

I was startled by my own thoughts.

What did this have to do with Silas? Why would I think of him? We were not really engaged.

And clearly, he was still entangled with Cecilia. Why couldn't I be someone else's dance partner to pay off a debt?

"Mom, why are you so slow?" Lucas and Saki, who had been waiting outside, ran in to find me.

The two kids were momentarily stunned when they saw Wesley, tilting their heads curiously.

Just as I was wondering how to introduce the kids, Wesley squatted down and greeted them friendly. "Hello there."

"I'm a friend of your mom's. We'll be attending a banquet together in a few days." Wesley said, patting Saki's head and smiling gently at her. "You haven't picked out your dresses yet, have you?

"You can choose anything you like here. Consider it my first gift to you."

"Really?" Saki's eyes widened in surprise. "You can't lie. Can I really pick anything?"

"Of course," Wesley confirmed.

"Thank you!" Saki jumped up in joy.

I stood aside, feeling somewhat helpless.

Saki was too easy to deceive. If someone tried to kidnap her, she might naively believe them.

Thinking this, I turned to look at Lucas. He hadn't been swayed and instead stood with his arms crossed, scrutinizing Wesley like an adult.