Leo parked the car and strolled up to the entrance, caught off guard by the charming exterior of the ce. “This spot’s got quite the vibe,” he mused.
It had an <b>old</b><b>–</b>world charm about it. With a name like “Herb & Hearth–it hinted at something
from a bygone era.
Mirabe raised an eyebrow, “They specialize in food therapy here, and it’s actually pretty
tasty<b>.</b><b>” </b>
“Food therapy? That’s a new <i>one </i>for me. Dishes made with herbs and such?” Leo asked, a <b>hint </b>of skepticism in his voice.
“Yeah, all kinds of nourishing dishes. Come on, let’s head inside,” Mirabe said, already making her way through the door.
Leo followed, his gaze sweeping the room while simultaneously keeping an eye out just in case someone recognized him. However, his worries were soon proven unnecessary as they stepped inside. The seating was arranged with privacy screens, and there weren’t too many patrons.
The waiter who came to greet Mirabe had already been tipped off by a call from Knox. He respectfully ushered them into a private dining room.
When the waiter presented the menu, Mirabe browsed it, and her expression turned into aical grimace. She dug into her purse and pulled out a VIP card, shing it at the waiter, “I’ve got this discount card. How much does it take off?”
Knox had insisted she take the cardst time. She was d she did. Otherwise, she’d be bleeding cash today–the prices were astronomical!
The waiter took a gander at the card and froze, mouth agape, at a loss for words. Someone was actually treating Knox’s token as a mere discount card… What would Knox think if he found out? Besides, with that card in hand, who needed to pay?
Standing just outside the private dining room, the restaurant manager witnessed Mirabe’s interaction with the waiter and shook his head in disbelief. He couldn’t fathom why Knox had given this youngdy the token–she clearly seemed out of her element in such an establishment.
This manager was the same person who had followed Knox thest time, deeming it ridiculous how Knox had treated a girl who had simply rattled off a couple of herb names like royalty. He’d been instructed to personally attend to Mirabe. Still, upon realizing it was the same youngdy from before, his enthusiasm waned, which is why he delegated the task to one of the waiters.
Now<b>, </b>watching Mirabe’s na?ve demeanor, he felt more convinced of Knox’spse in judgment. Shortly after, he left the vicinity of the private dining room<b>, </b>making his way to the
kitchen. Knox’s grandson wasing over for a cooking lesson today, and he figured he’d
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better spend his time teaching him instead.
The waiter regained hisposure at the table and exined, “This isn’t for discounts. With Knox’s token, you can dine at any of the Mendoza family’s Herb & Hearth establishments without a reservation, and it’s all on the house.”
Mirabe’s eyes lit up, “Really? No one mentioned that when they gave it to me<b>.</b>”
The waiter offered an awkward smile, thinking to himself that nobody needed to mention it–shing the card was usually enough.
Meanwhile, Leo, having overheard his sister’s inquiry about a discount, wanted <i>to </i>bury his face in his hands. Their family wasn’t exactly short on cash for dining out, and why on earth was she asking about discounts?
Could it be that their parents hadn’t given Mirabe spending money? Was that why she was being so frugal?
With these thoughts in mind, Leo quietly reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, ready to cover whatever costs were necessary.