CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

OLIVER


I saw ‘little monkey’ dragged a big suitcase out of her house. I chuckled slightly. She said she was only going to get a few necessities. But she returned with a big suitcase as if she was going on a long vacation.

I got down from the car and walked up to her to help her with the bag. I wanted to tease her about it but stopped as I saw her expression. Her eyes were red and swollen as if she just cried. My countenance changed immediately. I hastened my steps towards her.

“Don't ask me, please.” She said before I could even say a word.

My brows knitted in confusion.
“Why not?”

She sighed.
“I don't want to talk about it. Is that okay?"

I nodded. I already figured out what the matter was from her mood and heavy suitcase. Either she moved out, or she was sent out of the house. The latter seem more probable.

I softened my voice. My body was alienated from human emotions so I had no idea what to say. I did the first thing that came to my mind.

“Do you want me to go talk to them?” I asked calmly.

I could try to cut a deal with Lucien in return for Dallas moving back to the house. I knew how important the house was to Dallas. It was the only reason she put up with her stepfather's shenanigans for this long.

“No.” She hesitated before adding.
“I’ll get it back soon.”

I understood what she meant. It wouldn't be of any use who the current owner of the house is when Dallas wins the case against her stepfather. She was going to get all of her mother's properties back, and I was going to make sure of it.

“Are my eyes really puffy?” She asked.

I stared into her eyes, losing myself in the abyss of green. I realized how much I had missed looking into them the last few days she was absent. She looked so beautiful even in distress.

I suddenly want to do more than what we were doing in the car. I didn't want to hold her hand, I wanted to hold her.

I blinked repeatedly, pushing the thoughts to the back of my mind. Dallas was going to be the death of me.

I cleared my throat, averting my gaze from her.

“You look so ugly and miserable.”

“You didn't have to be a jerk about it.” She muttered.

“You asked and I'm an honest person.”

She scoffed.

I made to help her with the suitcase but she refused saying she could do it herself. She dragged the suitcase to the back of the car. I watched as she tried to lift it in the trunk by herself, but continuously struggled with it. I chuckled slightly and walked towards her. I helped her carry it earning a grunt from her.

As we drove away from the house, Dallas stared at it with longing in her eyes till the house was out of view. She stared out of the sighing repeatedly. The silence in the car was so tense that it was ndifficult to breathe. I was thinking of different ways to break the silence when Dallas suddenly screamed.

"Stop the car!"

I hit the brakes so fast that I almost hit my head on the wheel.

"Is something wrong? Are you okay?" I asked, my tone laced with worry.

"Yes, I'm fine."

She jumped out of the car. I went after her worried that something might happen to her. Little monkey graciously walked to a hotdog shop by the side of the road.

"Really? You almost got us into an accident because of hotdog?" I cocked an eyebrow.

"If I had died because of Mia's hotdog, it would have been worth it. It's the best hotdog spot in New York."

A smile tilted at the corner of my lips as I watched her happily place her orders. She handed me a hotdog. My eyes twitched as I stared it strangely.

"Come on, eat it. You will understand why it's called 'the best in New York'." She giggled.

I had no idea how an ordinary hotdog made her this excited. A while ago, she was as grumpy as a woman who just lost her husband. Now, she was acting like a ten year old who got the doll she wanted for Christmas. I wanted to remind her that I didn't eat junk food, but her smile looked so beautiful at the moment that I wanted to preserve it. I made up my mind to only take a tiny bite of it, pretend to chew it, and then spit it out when she wasn't looking.

Dallas turned to the vendor to pay for our orders. She raised her head as if suddenly remembering something and turned swiftly to face me.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I got so carried away that I forgot you don't eat that. Here, give it to me."

She made to collect it from me but I stopped her. I took a large bite and chewed gently. My eyebrow knitted in confusion.

"Why does it taste like this?" I asked, taking another bite. It melted in my mouth so effortlessly, sending a sweet sensation to my tongue.

"What, sir? Does it taste bad?" The vendor asked, his tone laced with fear.

My eyes darted between the man and Dallas. She stared at me, her brows furrowed in confusion. I turned to the vendor,

"Give me all the hotdogs you have." I brought out my wallet and placed a thousand dollars on the counter.

The vendor stared at the money with his eyes widened.
"Sir, the hotdogs are just ten dollars each, and I only have thirty of them at the moment. That's just three hundred dollars. This is way too much."

"Keep the change. Quit talking and pack the hotdogs." I said sharply.

Dallas stared at me undecipherable expression on her face. The man packed all the hotdogs into a two big bags and handed them to us. I put it in the backseat of my car.

"You love it." Little monkey said as we settled in the carr.

"What?" I asked, pretending I didn't know what she was referring to. I put the car key in the ignition and roared the engine to life.

"The hotdogs. You love them so much that you bought the entire cart for three times the actual price. What are you going to do with that much hotdogs?"

"I don't like it." I said, ignoring her question. I had no idea what I was going to do with the hotdogs, I just know I wanted it.

"So why did you buy so many?"

"For observation. You seem to like it very much. I wanted to know what the fuss was about." I blurted out, earning a chuckle from her.

I didn't want to agree that I liked the taste of it. I still couldn't believe it. It was the first time in decades that I ate junk food and actually liked it. It seems I can do anything when little monkey is with me.

"Why do you like it so much?" I stirred the converation towards a different path.

"Aside the fact that Mia's hotdog is the best, it was my mum's favorite snack. I'd run to get the hotdog for her anytime she was having a bad day to cheer her up. Works every time." She let out a sad smile.

"Is the it your comfort food as well?" I found myself asking. I liked the idea of learning new things about her.

"Nah, my comfort food is ice-cream. Mint chocolate chip."

"So toothpaste?"

Her head snapped to my direction.
"Have you ever had ice cream before?"

"Not that I remember. But I've heard mint chocolate chip tastes like toothpaste."

I've heard Ethan complain about it alot growing up. Suzy loved the flavor and likes forcing everyone around her to eat it.

"Well, it's not toothpaste. They taste nothing alike. You should try it before judging."

I chuckled. Hotdogs are one thing, but I would never take ice cream even if the world was ending. Dallas chatted about her life through the rest of the ride. She told me more about her life in Seoul, her mother, and her best friend. She left out the incident that happened at her last fencing tournament, and I didn't push it.

We were approaching the mansion but I didn't want to cut her yet. I drove around the house three times before she noticed.

"You're driving past your house."

''Oh really?!. I pretended to be surprised .
''Must be because you were distracting me.''

"How was i a distraction? You seem interested in what i was saying.''

I was more than interested . I had never listen to someone talk this long about themselves . Or even have an intimate conversation with anyone .

''I wasn't . You just wouldn't stop talking .'' I argued.

"You were."

We argued back and forth as I drove into the gates and pulled up in front of the mansion. I signaled to one of the guards to take the big bags of hotdogs in the backseat. I strolled into the mansion with little monkey still nagging behind.

"Oliver!" A feminine voice called, followed by the clacking of heels. I recognized the voice immediately. I inhaled sharply before turning to the direction of the voice.