Chapter 62
Alice rubbed her cheek, lost in thought about the past few days' meals, staying quiet.
"Let's go," David said, noticing her mood. He felt a mix of annoyance and regret for having used such childish tactics to deal with her. She was straightforward and easily hurt, while he, always scheming, had foolishly set a trap for her.
David grabbed Alice's arm and led her out of the campus. Just as they reached the school gate, a sudden shout broke the silence.
"David!" Clara called out, spotting someone who looked like him from a distance. She walked closer, delighted to find it was indeed him. She was about to run excitedly towards him when she saw Alice. Even worse, David was holding Alice's arm!
Clara's smile vanished. She pushed Alice aside and clung to David's arm, her eyes sparkling. "David, are you here for something? I can help!"
Alice's mouth twitched in annoyance, and she did something mischievous. She pushed Clara aside, wrapped her arms around David's arm, and shot a defiant look at Clara. However, she felt deeply ashamed of her actions; this wasn't how she should behave!
Just as Alice hesitated about letting go, David took the initiative to pull his arm away. Her body stiffened, and she felt a sudden wave of embarrassment in front of Clara. David's action felt like a rejection. But how could she explain?
Clara saw this and her anger from being pushed aside vanished, replaced by a mocking glance at Alice. She had long suspected that Alice was pestering David. Even when Alice hugged David, he pushed her away, but he didn't push Clara away! In Clara's mind, her status was clearly different from Alice's. Her position was undoubtedly higher than the insignificant Alice!
Clara's smile didn't last long, as she was stunned by David's next move. David withdrew his arm from Alice's grasp, then wrapped it around her back and held her shoulder.
Both Alice and Clara were astonished. Alice instinctively looked up at David. David lowered his head, his eyes reflecting her shocked expression.
David asked, "Got something to say?"
Alice gently shook her head.
"Then let's go eat." David held Alice and turned towards the school gate.
Clara, unwilling to be left behind, quickly caught up. "David!"
David stopped and looked back at Clara.
A look of joy flashed across Clara's face.
David's expression turned cold. "Clara, I'm your cousin," he said, the revelation leaving Clara momentarily speechless."And what about her?" Clara's eyes reddened as she pointed at Alice. "What is she to you? Why are you so good to her? You're so affectionate with her in public; don't you care about what others think?"
David's gaze shifted to Alice, his lips tightening. He had never publicly declared her as his fiancée, only saying that he was her guardian. Consequently, Clara was unaware of their engagement.
Even if he told her, Clara probably wouldn't believe that he was engaged to a nineteen-year-old college student. If Clara thought this way, wouldn't others as well? How would they view their relationship? Would they also think Alice had used some trick? At this thought, David felt displeased.
"This has nothing to do with you," David told Clara. "Do you really think I care about other people's opinions?"
Clara opened her mouth but had no response. David didn't say another word and led Alice out of the school gate, driving away.
About twenty minutes later, they pulled up to this quirky little restaurant. It wasn't new, but it had a great rep and some pretty classy decor.
They had planned to enjoy a nice dinner in this cozy spot, but Clara's interruption had soured the mood, especially for Alice.
Since sitting down, they hadn't spoken except to order. David looked serious, and Alice kept her head down, creating a tense vibe.
When the waiter brought out a big plate of roast meat, David put down his phone, reached out to rub Alice's head, and spoke gently, "Stop worrying. Eat some meat. You haven't been eating well these past few days and have lost weight."
Alice had just picked up her fork when David had already served her some meat. His meticulous care left Alice feeling a bit overwhelmed. She ate the meat slowly, but her thoughts were miles away. How much longer would they have to keep their engagement a secret? When would this life come to an end?
David looked at Alice, who was eating absentmindedly, and asked gently, "Does it not taste good?"
Alice snapped back to reality and quickly shook her head. "No, it's very good."
David stared at her for a moment, then sighed softly, "What are you worried about? Is it about Clara?"
Alice pressed her lips together and stayed silent. 'Worried about Clara? What I'm really worried about is myself.'
If by her senior year she still couldn't make David fall for her, given his personality, he would likely insist on breaking off the engagement. At that point, no amount of persuasion would help.
Though she had feelings for David, she didn't want him to be stuck in an engagement that made him unhappy. Maybe she would quietly choose to leave, giving David his freedom, and return to the Bailey Family, where Marcus would arrange for her to marry some stranger beneficial to his company. Spending the rest of her life in such a loveless marriage was suffocating.
With such thoughts, even the tastiest food lost its flavor. Dining with David, any delicacy lost its original taste.
Throughout the meal, the atmosphere stayed tense. David couldn't find the right words and kept serving her food, watching her eat bit by bit. Most of the dishes on the table were eaten by her until she was full and feeling uncomfortable.
"I'll go pay the bill and then take you to buy some digestive medicine," David said with a helpless smile.
Alice nodded, leaning lazily against the chair and gently rubbing her stomach. Before David returned, a waiter came over with a cart to clear the table.
Alice took the initiative to stack the empty plates to make it easier for the waiter to load the cart.
"Alice?" The waiter asked in surprise.
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