"..."
Amanda Fuller felt like she'd been stabbed in the side again, wiped her tears quietly, and asked in confusion, "Didn't Mr. Nightshade order food for us? Why are you ordering so much more? We won't be able to finish it."
Amanda adhered to the principle of preferring to eat less than to waste food.
Aurelia Shaw, after telling the waiter her order, turned back to Amanda Fuller and said, "I don't like spicy food."
Amanda Fuller was stunned for a moment, turned her gaze to Mason Nightshade, and noticed his face stiffen. She felt awkward and asked Aurelia Shaw in a low voice, "But Mr. Nightshade said..."
"People's tastes change." Aurelia Shaw raised her eyes and looked at Mason Nightshade calmly, "I told you, my taste has changed. What I liked before, I don't necessarily like now. The Aurelia Shaw you knew before is different from the one now."
Mason Nightshade felt a pang in his heart, but his expression remained unchanged. His deep, dark eyes fixed on her, "Then I'll get to know you all over again, understand your preferences anew."
Aurelia Shaw lowered her eyes, avoiding his intense gaze, the corner of her lips curving into a faint mocking smile, "Why bother with futile efforts."
Mason Nightshade's hand holding the chopsticks stiffened, his fingers trembled slightly but imperceptibly, hiding any sign of his anomaly. He placed the unwrapped chopsticks in front of Aurelia Shaw.
"Whether it's futile or not, I'll judge for myself. If I think it's not, then it's not."
Aurelia Shaw lifted her bright eyes to look at him, the corners of her eyes slightly raised, and she said with a half-smile, "Mason Nightshade, has anyone ever told you that you're really a masochist?"
Amanda Fuller's hand shook upon hearing this, and the chopsticks almost dropped to the ground.
Why did she feel the atmosphere was so tense?
Should she just retreat?
She quietly took up her glass to drink water, trying to minimize her presence.
She thought Mason Nightshade would get angry, but he unexpectedly curved his lips into a roguish smile, "Missus, you're right. But let's not air our dirty linen in public. At home, you can do whatever you like, and I'll definitely cooperate."
"Pfft!"
Amanda Fuller spewed out her water.
Was she overthinking? Or was Mr. Nightshade openly flirting?
The waiter who had just entered heard this and blushed, awkwardly avoiding looking at them, and asked in an uneasy voice.
"Sorry guests, we have a lot of customers today, so there's no juice left, only fruit wine. Would that be okay with you?"
Aurelia Shaw didn't expect Mason Nightshade to flirt publicly and, noticing the waiter's embarrassed expression, nodded, "That'll be fine."
The waiter quickly left.
After the waiter left, Aurelia Shaw raised her eyes, glaring at Mason Nightshade, "Mason Nightshade, have you really thrown away your dignity!"
Mason Nightshade leaned back in his chair, looking down at Aurelia Shaw's beautiful face, his eyes filled with deep affection that was hard to discern if genuine or not, and his lips curled in a faint smile.
Aurelia Shaw turned her gaze away, refusing to look at the man's handsome face. She couldn't fathom his heart and didn't have the energy to test whether he was sincere or not.
Whether he was sincere or merely using her, she wouldn't allow herself to get hurt a second time.
Nor would she let herself make the same mistake twice!
Aurelia Shaw opened her phone and sent a message to Grayson Quinn, "That man is acting up again."
The response was almost immediate, filled with a strong curiosity for gossip, "Tell me, tell me quickly! What silly thing has Nightshade done this time? You guys were auditioning today, right? Did he mess it up? Or did he offer to help you breakthrough with unspoken rules?"