Mysterious Little Wife

Meanwhile, Lacey and "Cloud" boarded a taxi.

"Why don't you give Alina a call? My cell phone ran out of battery. Tell her I picked you up." Lacey, sitting in the passenger seat, looked back at the man. "I'm sorry, but my phone went dead as well." Cloud lifted an apologetic look.

What a coincidence? Lacey frowned slightly. "Oh, that's okay. let's find you a place to settle down, after which I'll bring you to Alina."

"But I'm hungry," he said abruptly.

Lacey took a pause. Hungry?

She checked time, only to find out that it was already past eleven o'clock. It made sense that he got hungry.

Still, she hadn't yet contacted Alina!

"Would you mind taking me out to breakfast?" His charming features gleamed even more as his lips curled slightly.

"Well, sure, let's fill up our bellies. I'll contact Alina only after that. What would you like to eat? It's on me!" Lacey beamed.

"Well, I do miss the taste of a particular restaurant in South City!" Cloud's face showed a look of anticipation.

Lacey did not respond but continued to raise her smile. The man's words revealed that this was not his first visit to South City. Little did she know that her smile would be gone in 40 minutes.

"The food here is amazing!" Cloud took a seat and handed Lacey the menu.

Lacey frowned and bit her lower lip. She was astonished when she found out that a dish here would cost over three hundred dollars!

"Hmm? What's the matter?" Noticing her hesitation, Cloud couldn't help but ask, "Is there a problem?"

"No, all is fine. Feel free to order whatever you like." Lacey returned him the menu with an uneasy smile.

This guy was a scammer, wasn't he?

How did he manage to find such a remote restaurant?

Furthermore, everything here was ridiculously expensive!

"Don't mind if I do." Cloud took the menu and swiftly placed orders for some of the restaurant's most well-known dishes.

Soon, a bill was sent over.

Lacey's heart skipped a beat when she saw the figures. One thousand and eight hundred dollars!

This guy sure did take her words literally!

"It's delicious. Try some." Cloud smiled as he suggested.

"Oh, okay." Lacey's mouth twitched at the corners. She then took a small bite of the dish, which was so sour that it brought tears to her eyes.

Her usual meals with Alina cost barely one hundred and fifty dollars total. However, for the love of God, she was now spending thousands on such lousy food! "Are you all right?" Cloud asked as he sensed Lacey's oddness.

"I'm perfectly alright. You're right. The food's delicious." Lacey forced a grin on her face.

Honestly, she wasn't stingy at all.

It was just that she had gotten used to living on a tight budget with her mother.

She knew better what was necessary and what was not.

Shortly after, Cloud wiped his mouth and asked Lacey, "What's your name?" with a slight smile.

"Me? My name's Lacey Carter!" Lacey replied, still depressed on the inside.

"Lacey Carter." He added, "That's a good name."

"Well, are you going to keep eating?" Lacey stared at him and asked. She couldn't help but frown when he set down his cutlery.

"I'm done." Cloud flashed a satisfied grin.

"What?" Lacey was taken aback.

"I'm already stuffed. What about you?" Cloud asked.

In awe, Lacey looked at the man, then at the table full of dishes. The food had barely been touched, yet he said he was full.

"It's best if you leave Alina alone." Lacey's expression changed the moment she raised her head.

"Huh?" Cloud got puzzled.

"I'd have thought you were a beggar if you weren't the person I was supposed to pick up! The meal was worth a total of one thousand and eight hundred dollars! And yet, you barely touched them. Alina can't possibly afford to feed someone like you. You'd better stay away from her!" Lacey grabbed the cutlery after the warning. She added, "If you're not going to finish it, I will! These are expensive, for God's sake!" Cloud was amused by her behavior.

"It's not okay to be a spoilt brat just because you're attractive. How can you order such a pricey meal without much consideration? You have no idea how tough it is to make money these days!" Lacey was irritated. She shoved the food into her mouth while waving at the waiter. "Is my phone done charging?"

"Yes, Miss." The waiter immediately brought Lacey's phone over.

"I warn you, don't look for Alina. She's cash-strapped," Lacey muttered as she switched on her phone. "Also, go ask the waiter for plastic bags. I'd want to take away the food." "Take away?" Cloud seemed particularly surprised.

"Yes, of course! I won't be able to finish it all by myself. What am I going to do if I don't take it away? Should I toss it out?" She rolled her eyes. "After all, money doesn't grow on trees!" Cloud's grin deepened as he heard what she had to say.

Ignoring the man's presence, Lacey proceeded to phone Alina.

"Hey, Alina-" Just as she was about to complain, a howl of sorrow broke out.

"Lacey, I've been lied to! He's a liar!" Alina wailed.

"Well, indeed, he's quite a scammer—" Lacey couldn't agree more.

"He isn't 5'10, but merely 5'5! Not only is he a dwarf, but he's also quite ugly! F*ck! I should've known better than to trust strangers online. Nonetheless, he's my first love-" Alina sniffled between words. "What do you mean by that? Isn't your online friend with me right now?" Lacey was startled.

"He could neither find you nor could he contact you through your phone. As a result, he got in a taxi and came over to my house. He was not at all what I had expected! What did I do wrong to deserve this!" Tears of pain ran down Alina's cheeks.

Lacey frowned and put down her phone. A cold glint in her eyes as she asked the man before her, "Who are you?"

With an elegant smile, the man stood up and extended his hand.

"Hi, my name is Theo Henderson. It's a pleasure to meet you!"☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐