Chapter 351

Derek was genuinely happy that Fryderyk chose to stay . When called out , he immediately nodded enthusiastically and grinned , “ Yeah , yeah , Fryderyk and I are way closer than Lennox . Right , Fryderyk ? ”
Compared to Lennox , Fryderyk did prefer Derek . He gave a slight nod , and Derek instantly beamed ,
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As the dishes arrived , the naturally reticent foursome lapsed into an even deeper silence . Only Derek made earnest attempts to spark conversation , occasionally drawing terse responses from the others .
Once he started digging into Amour Bistro’s new dishes , he didn’t even have time to talk .
mouths .
When Caleb and Owen simultaneously placed the peeled shrimp and crab in front of Aria , Fryderyk and Derek froze mid – bite , their forks halfway to their
Caleb shelled the shrimp while Owen prepared the crab .
Derek glanced at the table and quipped , “ Can’t let you two hog all the spotlight . Let me see what other shellfish we’ve got here .”
Aria flicked Derek on the head with her finger . “ Just eat and stop fooling around .”
“ Sure thing ! ” Derek chuckled with a goofy grin .
Halfway through the meal , a knock sounded on the private room door .
Assuming it was the waiter , Caleb casually called out , “ Come in . ”
The door swung open , revealing a stylishly dressed woman .
“ Hello , everyone . I’m Amanda Ward , ” she said with a smile .
After introducing herself , her gaze went straight to Fryderyk , her eyes softening noticeably .
“ Me too ! ” A little girl peeked out and chirped.
A soft , sweet voice chirped as Avery peeked out from behind Amanda , her wide , sparkling eyes fixed on Aria . “ Hello , can I eat here with you ? Please ? ”
Aria nodded , the corners of her eyes crinkling with a gentle smile . “ Of course you can , ” she said warmly .
Avery beamed and scampered over . Derek lifted her onto the chair , teasing , “ You little foodie , does your mom know you sneaked over here ? ”
Avery nodded enthusiastically . “ Mom knows ! This nice lady brought me here . ”
At first , Alice was against it . Fortunately , Lexie intervened , and she finally relented .
Amanda smiled and glanced at Aria , who was sitting beside Fryderyk . “ She was so insistent on coming ,” Amanda said , “ and since I needed to discuss something with Fryderyk anyway , we came together . ”
Amanda looked around and asked politely , “ Would it be alright if I stayed too ? ”
Aria glanced at Derek , and their eyes met .
Aria arched an eyebrow . “ Aren’t you the host ? Why are you looking at me ? ”
Derek offered to treat , only to find the bill had already been waived .
With Aria here , everything was on the house .
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Actually , she was the one treating .
Now that everyone was here , it would be awkward to ask them to leave .
Derek nodded . “ No problem . ”
Amanda took the seat beside Avery .
The waiter , who had been waiting by the door , promptly brought over a set of utensils .
Amanda thanked the waiter , then turned to Fryderyk with a smile in her eyes . “ My mom said I was supposed to meet you today – as a date – but I didn’t see you at Lexie’s . ”
Silence fell .
Derek was a little taken aback – this young lady certainly didn’t beat around the bush .
Fryderyk set down his fork and said , “ I didn’t know this was
supposed to be a blind date . I thought it was just a family gathering . ”
Truth was , he had already figured it out – which was exactly why he chose to stay with Aria instead of joining the family gathering .
Amanda nodded understandingly . “ I’ve heard you’re not really looking to date anyone – it’s just that Lexie is getting anxious .
Fryderyk nodded . “ Right , I’m not looking to date anyone at the moment . ”
Amanda asked , “ How about we have a marriage of convenience to get our families off our backs? ”
The sudden remark made Derek , who was drinking water , choke on it .
Derek thought , ‘ Is this really the kind of topic to discuss in front of
everyone ? ‘
But Amanda had no choice . After all , this was her only chance to see Fryderyk .
Amanda cleared her throat and said , “ Actually , we went to middle school together , but I’m guessing you probably don’t remember me . ”
Derek studied Amanda . Though she was doing her best to conceal it now , the look she gave Fryderyk the moment she entered the room was undeniable .
Derek assumed she must have a crush on Fryderyk .
Fryderyk shook his head and said , “ I’m afraid that won’t work . ”
Amanda wasn’t surprised by his refusal . “ Why not ? ”
“ I’m already in love with someone , ” Fryderyk said .
Would you mind telling us who it is ? asked Amanda .
Fryderyk’s head snapped toward Aria . “ Her . ”
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