Chapter 98

Alice blinked, feeling all those concerned eyes on her. She cleared her throat and forced a smile. "I'm good, really. You all decide." She shot a quick, resentful glance at David, thinking about how she had planned to spend her birthday at the nursing home with Lucas to avoid his traveling.

David, sensing her frustration, gave her hand a gentle squeeze under the table, their fingers intertwining. He leaned in and whispered, "Alice, look how happy Lucas is."

Alice looked up and saw Lucas, despite his complaints, was beaming. He was in new clothes, eating and chatting with Gavin. His appetite was back, and he looked more lively than ever.

"Alright, let's dig in." David let go of her hand and started serving her some of her favorite dishes.

James, eyeing the salmon David had just served Alice, felt a pang of jealousy. "David, I love salmon too," he grumbled, his eyes narrowing.

David shot him a cool glance. "You should eat less. You won't look as good if you get fat."

James was taken aback, momentarily speechless. So Alice could eat all she wanted and not worry about gaining weight? He used to be the favorite at home, but now with Alice around, his status felt threatened!

Just then, Felix placed a piece of salmon on James's plate and sighed. "How old are you? Still acting like a kid?"

James had no comeback.

"You've got exams coming up. If you pass, you can keep running the bar," reminded Felix.

James was stunned. "Since when? Why didn't I know?" He had told Oliver to only contact him about exams and nothing else. Did they go straight to Felix?

Felix, unfazed, said, "No need to explain. Just make sure you pass." His gaze shifted to James, and he added, "Alice's grades are better than yours."

"Her?" James scoffed, doubting it. She skipped classes all the time. How could her grades be better than his? What a joke!

Alice overheard and was irked by James's sneer. "James, I'm not kidding. My grades are way better than yours."

James chuckled, "Keep dreaming. Just don't embarrass David later."

Alice clenched her teeth. "I'm serious."

"So am I." Neither backed down, their eyes locked, while the others remained oblivious to the brewing tension.

Celeste then chimed in, "Alice has always had great grades since she was a kid." Her words made the room go silent, the atmosphere turning awkward.

Juniper shot Celeste a glare and tugged at her arm, signaling her to stop. Celeste ignored her, smiling and shaking off her hand. "What's the big deal? It's true. Alice always had top grades and got into Ivywood University as the top student. Dad was so proud."

The mistress's daughter turned out to be so outstanding, getting into a prestigious university as the top student. Celeste, though not bad herself, had only ranked in the top fifty at Ivywood University, but not as the top student! She had thought she should be superior, while Alice should be humble as dust. Yet, in every critical moment, Alice had always outshone her.

"Celeste!" Marcus called out, giving Gavin an apologetic smile, "Mr. Tudor, please don't mind her."

"Why would I mind?" Gavin replied with a smile, "I'm well aware of Alice's intelligence! I'm envious that Lucas has such a granddaughter. Look at my family, three troublemakers. Only one is still in college, and even he's itching to start a business."

James pouted. "But my business isn't doing badly."

Everyone had their own thing; he liked making money. Sooner or later, he had to face it. What was the difference?

Gavin shot him a warning look.

James raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, I'll shut up."

The meal dragged on for nearly two hours. Marcus occasionally chatted with Caleb, while Juniper and Celeste mostly stayed quiet, except for a few words from Celeste.

Afterwards, Gavin called the nursing home to inform them that Lucas would return the next day, then took Lucas back to the Tudor Mansion.

Before leaving, Lucas rolled down the car window and said to Alice, "Alice, don't rush home. Go out on more dates with David to strengthen your relationship. Take it slow."

"Okay," David readily agreed.

Watching the car merge into traffic, David held Alice's hand and walked towards the parking lot, followed by a slightly reluctant James and a composed Felix.

"I really didn't expect David to be so sweet when he's in love," James said, shaking his arm and loosening his tie, letting it hang loosely on his chest as he played with the car keys.

Felix looked at James and said, "It's my first time seeing him like this too, completely unlike his old self." The old David stayed with Lila, who was more like a close friend who understood him, surpassing the usual friendship. He had witnessed their interactions several times and always felt that they didn't seem like a typical couple, but he thought it might be David's unique way of dating, so he didn't think much of it.

"If I ever get a girlfriend, I definitely won't choose someone like Alice," James said, raising his chin, implying something.

Just as they reached the parking area, Felix stopped and asked, "What exactly don't you like about Alice?"

James got angry just thinking about it and turned his head. "Everything! The most annoying thing is, she's two years younger than me, yet she's about to become my sister-in-law!" The thought of having to call Alice his sister-in-law in the future made him feel completely uncomfortable!

On the other side, Alice cautiously got into David's car, fastened her seatbelt, and instinctively leaned towards the car door, her eyes scrutinizing David. As soon as the car started, she couldn't help but ask, "Are you planning to take me to a hotel again?"

David cleared his throat after hearing her words, licked his lips, and locked his gaze on Alice. "Do I look like that kind of person?"

Alice was about to nod but then thought better of it and shook her head firmly. "No!" She was afraid that if she said yes, David would put the idea into action the next second.

David, feeling helpless, could only take Alice home.

When they got out of the car, Alice was still skeptical, but it turned out she had underestimated David's intentions.

Inside, Alice sat in the middle of the sofa, with David embracing her. His warm chest pressed against her back, and his gentle voice sounded in her ear, "Which one do you think looks better?"

Alice expressionlessly glanced at the phone, remained silent for a moment, then suddenly threw the phone away. She turned around, and started hitting David, her cheeks quickly turning red. "Are you crazy? Do you really want to buy this? It's too much! How can I wear such clothes!"

David blocked her punches with one hand, still teasing with a smile, "Why not? It's to strengthen our relationship. I think it's great; we're progressing too slowly."

Alice's eyes widened, "Slowly? Why?"