Casper noticed that there was a distinct pallor on her face. However, the radiant smile that had suffused her face distracted him from her otherwise sickly appearance.

The woman was Candace, the wife of the owner of the restaurant. Candace was familiar with Elena, including the fact that Elena always came to eat supper alone. Despite Candace’s prodding, Elena had never hinted at being in a relationship or even displaying interest in any male.

Today, however, Elena’s bearing, along with the way she looked at Casper, was different than usual.

Having once been a young woman in love, Candace had a keen eye for the budding of young romance.

“He’s my boss,” Elena mumbled shyly as her face turned pink.

“Your boss? You look very young indeed,” Candace said, appraising Casper with a look of surprise and respect. Then, a twinkle appeared in Candace’s eye, and she gave Elena a conspiratorial wink. “Remember to seize every opportunity you get!”

I’m not buying your silly excuse! That wink declared.

The moment Candace left Casper and Elena alone to browse the menu, Elena said earnestly, “Mr. Simpson, please don’t take Candace seriously! She was only joking.”

She was terrified that Casper would have mistaken Candace’s words as Elena’s own feelings.

“Only joking? I thought she made quite a bit of sense. Is she sick, though? She looked rather pale,” Casper remarked casually.

He turned and fixed his dark gaze on Elena, deciding to put her at ease by steering the conversation away towards a less awkward topic. Besides, Casper had already set his heart on Giselle. He was determined not to be distracted.

than enough for Casper. If Elena, too, developed

up his mind to pursue Giselle wholeheartedly and win her over as

breezily glided over it and changed the subject, Elena

this restaurant is Larry, but everyone calls him Mr. Langston. His wife’s name is Candace,” Elena informed Casper. “She indeed has an illness of some sort, but the Langstons aren’t too well-off. They’ve also got two

their food to arrive, Elena quickly outlined the

Larry and Candace worked as laborers on a construction site. The site chief turned out to be

off several pints of her blood to

that construction work was tiring and paid poorly. They thus slogged hard for a few years, earning barely enough to

weakened. Visiting the clinic or the hospital cost too much, and Candace insisted on reserving money for their children’s education. She’d thus never received any

Larry and Candace had come to recognize Elena as a familiar face. Upon discovering that she was also from the village, an immediate kinship had blossomed between Elena

felt more comfortable discussing matters

brought here for supper! You must be flattered,” Candace exclaimed as she came over to Elena and Casper’s

from the kitchen both out of curiosity and to give Casper a nod of acknowledgment. He now set the beer bottles down gleefully onto the table, as if he was presiding over

fare went delightfully well with the

beer was not just a gift. The Langstons had

himself wondering how he

fend off their questions about your dating life?” Casper joked. He gave a polite nod to the Langstons, then raised a slice of chicken to his mouth. Even before he could taste

stared down at her plate in embarrassment. The Langstons’ eager matchmaking attempts had entirely confounded her original intention to enjoy a simple supper treat from

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