Katarina stood beside the table, smiling broadly, her alluring blue eyes studying Lorne with interest.
A flicker of unease crossed Lorne's face, impossible to hide completely.
Why had he run into her again?!
He glanced at the empty tables around them, then forced his face into a poker-faced mask and said tonelessly, "Ma'am, there are plenty of empty seats nearby."
The waiter stepped forward at just the right moment, ready to politely offer this beautiful lady a better table.
In response, Katarina merely turned her head slightly and gave the waiter a dazzling smile.
That single smile instantly left the waiter flushed crimson. Whatever he had been about to say vanished, and he stood rooted to the spot like an idiot, his mouth slightly open but unable to utter a word.
At the sight, Lorne's heart tightened.
Something wasn't right...
Wasn't she a little too charming?!
"Can't we eat together?" Katarina ignored the waiter and turned her gaze back to Lorne, her voice taking on a slightly wheedling tone. "Look at the gentlemen around us. They all have ladies with them~ We're the only two here on our own."
As she spoke, she cast a seemingly casual glance toward the men at the other tables whose attention she had drawn.
The expressions of the women beside those men darkened in unison.
Lorne sighed heavily inwardly. He knew that refusing again would probably cause an even bigger commotion. All he could do was nod without expression.
"Wonderful!" Katarina immediately broke into a radiant smile and sat down opposite him without the slightest hesitation. She picked up the menu, gave it a cursory glance, and ordered a lavish set meal costing several dozen pounds.
She's that rich, huh... Lorne marveled inwardly.
Katarina handed the menu back to the still-besotted waiter, then propped