L stopped in her tracks. It didn''t feel right to keep spying on them like this. Besides, she had no ce trying to uncover the truth. She then casually walked ahead with her stuff.


    Suddenly, she was startled as someone approached from the side. She stepped back, pressing her temple to calm her nerves.


    "Mr. Mason," L spoke first.


    Cole clearly hadn''t expected to run into her here. He saw her struggling with the load and quickly moved to take them.


    "Ms. Hart, what brings you here?"


    "I noticed we were low on snacks at home, so I thought I''d grab a few," L said, not offering him the bags. "They''re not heavy."


    "I''ll take them for you."


    Cole insisted on carrying the items. When he noticed what was in the transparent bag, he smiled.


    "Looks like you''ve got that drink Mr. Morgan likes."


    L casually followed up on hisment and asked, "How did you end up here? Where''s Uncle Kieran?"


    She noticed Cole hesitate for a moment before smiling.


    "Mr. Morgan was about to head home, but a client requested a meeting here, so we stopped by briefly."


    L nodded, her gaze drifting toward the coffee shop, but she found that Cole hadpletely blocked her view. She smiled and stopped by the car. "Thank you."


    "This car?" Cole looked a bit confused.


    Wasn''t L only supposed to have the car Kieran gave her? Where did this onee from? Could it be that some man was trying to get close to her?


    Cole''s mind raced. This was major news, and he needed to rify things quickly to report to Kieran.


    "It''s Amelia''s car. I''m just borrowing it for a bit," L exined as she slid into the driver''s seat. "That''s all. I''m leaving now."


    Cole nodded and watched as she drove off. He turned back toward Kieran, only to see that he had already stood up and left while the girl in the white dress remained seated.


    Cole approached Kieran and briefly mentioned that he had just run into L. "But I didn''t let her see you with that girl."


    Kieran rolled up his sleeves without saying much and returned to Evergreen Heights.


    L wasn''t there when he arrived. He thought about sending her a message to ask where she was, but he stopped after hesitating-he didn''t want her to feel like he was restricting her freedom.


    L felt inexplicably irritable. It was probably a result of the recent string of unfortunate events affecting her mood. For the first time, she found herself thinking about drinking to forget her troubles.


    L then drove to the Azure Bar, where the loud music from the main hall sted into her ears. She chose a quieter spot by the bar and nced at the crowd on the dance floor, swaying to the rhythm.


    The bartender slid her drink toward her, and L took a sip. The taste was still quite good.


    The bar wasn''t very crowded, so the bartender wasn''t busy. L asked, "Are you new here?"


    She didn''te often, but her good memory told her she should remember a young, handsome bartender like him.


    The bartender nodded. "It''s my third day on the job."


    "Why work here?" L leaned her head on her hand, watching him.


    He furrowed his brows without saying anything.


    L paused, then continued, "Need money? Ourpany is hiring. You''ve got a good look. You could try it out."


    "Sorry, I don''t do PR."


    "Mm?"


    L paused, and then a light chuckle escaped her lips. She fumbled through her bag and slid a business card toward him.


    "We don''t do anything illegal, either. You''re still young, and ces like this can get chaotic."


    She took out her phone and paid for the drink.