Riches in Disguise

Isabelle suddenly became nervous. She whispered, "Who's going to pay for breakfast? There is no way Lucas would pick up the tab, right?"

After everything about him was exposed last night, he went back to his room and hadn't been out since. No one knew if he had already left or was still hiding out in his room.

Charlotte scoffed. "Don't mention him. Just thinking about him makes me sick!"

The conflicted Isabelle muttered, "I didn't want to bring him up either, but he did say he'd pay."

Matthew gave a peck on Isabelle's cheek. "Don't worry, my dear. I could always pay. We rarely get to go out, so don't stress about money."

"That won't do. We came together, so why should you foot the bill alone? If Lucas doesn't pay for us, we'll just have to split the bill among ourselves."noveldrama

Upon hearing this, I glanced at Isabelle. It would seem that she was rather good to Matthew since she was willing to speak up for him and cover for him. That must have been why Matthew was so devoted to her.

Charlotte stabbed at her omelet with a grumpy face. "I'm fine with splitting the bill for the room cost, but I'm not the one who ordered breakfast. I'm not paying for this."

"Exactly!" Isabelle instantly turned to me. "William, you were the one who ordered breakfast, weren't you? Will you be the one paying for it?"

I found them amusing. They were usually so high and mighty, looking down on anyone who was poor. Yet, when it came to money, they were stingier than anyone, even more so than the people they looked down on.

I genuinely wondered what went through their heads.

"All of this is free, so just eat up."

That one sentence was enough to put their minds at ease.

"You should have said so earlier!"

"Free? Really? I'd better eat a lot then. These sausages are amazing! They have to be imported."

"The omelet is so good!"

"Darn! I forgot to take pictures. Hey! Stop eating, everyone! I need to take some pictures. Quick, rearrange the plates."

Excitement took over the two women as they spent the next ten minutes carefully arranging and photographing the food before allowing Matthew and me to continue our meal.

After breakfast, Charlotte seemed much more relaxed, no longer looking grumpy. She smiled as she and Isabelle walked together, exchanging photos.

Matthew and I followed behind them, looking like two lackeys.

Matthew winked at me. "So, what do you think? Charlotte isn't that bad, right?"

I scoffed. "Compared to people like Lina, of course, she's a little better. But, dude, there are so many great women out there. Why limit yourself to such a small pool?"

Why should I compare her to someone worse and not someone better? Any woman would seem great compared to Lina.

Matthew burst out laughing. "But we don't know other good women, right? Plus, Charlotte and Isabelle are best friends. If you and Charlotte got together, the four of us could hang out all the time."

Going on double dates with a friend would be fun. However, Charlotte was out of the question. Even if she wanted me, I wouldn't want her. Compared to her, I liked Felicia much more.

Right then, I couldn't help but picture Felicia blankly looking at me in her loose black T-shirt, her long hair down, and her black-framed glasses perched on her nose. The thought of her made me smile.

I wondered what she was up to now.

On the way back, Isabelle laughed excitedly the whole time. "We didn't have to pay a single cent! I bet when Lucas leaves, he'll be dumbfounded!

"Not only did he fail to impress any women, but he also ended up covering all the room charges for nothing. He's going to be so pissed!"