Chapter 55

Alice nodded, "Yeah, I get it, but I still wanna save it, just in case."

Felix knew he couldn't change her mind, so he let it go. After the salesperson packed up the sportswear, Felix swiped his card and looked at Alice. "Anywhere else you wanna hit up?"

Alice checked the time. They'd been shopping for almost two hours, and if they kept going, she might not allowed to get home. So she shook her head and said, "I'll swing by the bakery and grab a cake for David."

Felix raised an eyebrow. 'David actually asked Alice to buy a cake to make him feel better? Seriously? How old does he think he is? A three-year-old?'

What a baby.

Felix dropped Alice off at the villa entrance and only drove away after watching her go inside.

As soon as Alice stepped into the living room, she caught a whiff of something. She flicked on the light and saw that the food on the table hadn't been touched.

Alice headed straight upstairs and knocked on David's door.

After knocking for a bit with no answer, Alice pulled out her phone and called David. Hearing the ringtone inside the room, she stood at the door waiting for him to pick up.

When the cold mechanical voice said, "The number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later," Alice knew David was really pissed.

"David, I got you a cake."

Her voice drifted through the door, but David didn't budge. He sat in a single chair by the window, a thin blanket over his legs, a book on his lap, and glasses on as he read.

Her voice kept coming through.

"David, I know you're not asleep. Open the door!"

Alice kept going, "Why are you mad? When you used to leave me alone at home to eat, did you ever think about my feelings? You even made me order takeout. Think about it now, don't you feel guilty for me?"

David thought about it and realized he didn't feel guilty at all.

Sure, he left Alice alone at home to eat, but he never ate out with other women; it was always for business. Today's situation was totally different.

After saying so much without any response, Alice was fuming. She banged on the door and shouted, "David, you're so childish!"

‘You're almost thirty years old. Can't you be a bit more mature?' Alice thought.

She had already explained, why was he still mad?

Alice hung the cake on the doorknob and turned to go back to her room.

Hearing the door close outside, David was stunned for a moment. He closed his book, lifted the thin blanket, walked to the door, and opened it a crack.

Peeking through the crack, he saw the empty hallway but noticed a bag hanging on his door.

David opened the door and brought the bag inside.

There was a piece of cake inside, and someone had thoughtfully stuck a sticky note on the cake box with just a smiley face drawn on it.

David chuckled softly, and the frustration in his chest suddenly melted away.

David closed the door, took the cake out of the box, and was about to pick up a fork to eat when he suddenly remembered that his friend Garrett often took photos and posted them on social media. He had once asked Garrett about it, and Garrett said it was to capture moments of enjoyment, something to look back on occasionally.

David looked down at the triangular piece of cake, took out his phone, snapped a photo, and posted it without any text, not caring how many likes or comments it would get. He then picked up the fork and began to savor it slowly.

He wasn't really into sweets, but girls? They loved 'em—cakes, cookies, all that sugary stuff. But not Lila.

Lila was all about that bitter coffee life and didn't care much for cooking. Sometimes she'd whip up a fruit salad or a sandwich. Thinking back, she lived a super disciplined life. No sweets to keep that figure, and no cooking 'cause she had "more important" things to do.

After polishing off the cake, David set the fork aside, leaned back in his chair, and stared out the window at the sky.

He used to think Lila was his dream girl—quiet, disciplined, didn't need much from him. He could focus on work and then take care of Lila. She was even more disciplined than him; rarely needed his help. Weekends were chill—no crowded places like amusement parks or zoos. They'd set up a tent on a sunny lawn, one of them making lunch, the other bringing books, eating and reading in the sun.

But Alice? She was a whole different story. They had nothing in common.

Alice was a troublemaker, always causing chaos. He had to constantly worry about her and clean up her messes. She was unpredictable and needed his care and comfort. Where his heart used to be three-quarters work, now it was three-quarters Alice.

David closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He was starting to get why he was drawn to Alice.

David left his room and walked to Alice's door. After a few seconds of hesitation, he knocked.

Alice had just finished her shower, her hair still wet and wrapped in a towel. Hearing the knock, she knew who it was and rolled her eyes, refusing to open the door out of spite.

David waited outside for a bit, not hearing any footsteps. He couldn't help but smile bitterly, turned around, and went downstairs. After a while, he came back with a key. He opened Alice's door and walked in.

The sound of a hairdryer came from the bathroom.

David turned his head to look. The bathroom door was ajar, warm light spilling through the crack onto the floor.

David didn't push the door open. He put the key in his pocket, sat on the bed, and noticed a few bags on it. He curiously looked inside and found they were all new clothes.

His eyes narrowed slightly, guessing that Felix had probably paid for these clothes, feeling a bit annoyed but not thinking too much about it.

Felix treated Alice like a sister, so it was normal to buy her some clothes. Overthinking it would be unfair to Felix.

Alice finished drying her hair and walked out of the bathroom. She was surprised to see someone sitting on her bed, which startled her.

Once she calmed down and looked closely, she realized it was David. Her eyes widened, and she stood there stiffly.

"How did you get in?" Alice asked.

David, with his hands between his legs, lazily looked at Alice and said, "This is my villa. I have the keys to every room."

Alice was speechless.

Alice wondered, 'Can't I have any privacy?'

"Then why did you come in?" Alice was still upset about David pretending to be asleep and not answering her calls. She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe, looking at David.

As Alice finished speaking, David stood up, walked towards her, and before she could react, he bent down and hugged her.