"Ladies, I hate to interrupt this happy reunion, but I have some unfortunate news," Samuel said, his expression grim as he stared past them.


    Frowning, he continued, "Lionel is here. Three o''clock. He''s looking right at us."


    Hannah and Tess froze, then immediately turned to where he was indicating. Across the crowded terminal, they saw the familiar figure.


    When Lionel noticed Hannah looking at him, he offered a faint smile before turning and disappearing into the crowd.


    "What was that smile about?" Samuel muttered, annoyed. "That shameless jerk followed us all the way here and then smiles at us? It felt like he was mocking us!"


    Hannah''s cheerful mood evaporated the moment she saw Lionel, reced by a simmering anger.


    She agreed that his smile had felt wrong.


    "Is he trying to tell me that he''ll follow me wherever I go?" Hannah''s eyes narrowed as she pulled her gaze away with a cold smirk.


    "He''s like a shadow I can''t shake. How did I never realize he was this kind of person before?"


    Lionel''s current behavior was beyond anything she could have imagined. She never knew he had this side to him.


    But whatever he was nning, it wouldn''t work on her.


    "Men are so good at making grand gestures that only impress themselves," Tess said with disdain.


    She rolled her eyes in the direction Lionel had been. "Forget about him. Come on, let''s get some food. I''ve already booked a private room. I have a really interesting story to tell you guys."


    They arrived at the restaurant, and since they had a reservation, the server began bringing out their food right away.


    "So, what''s this funny story you were going to tell us?" Samuel asked.


    "Well, there was this guy pursuing me recently, but I wasn''t interested. Guess what he did when I turned him down?"


    Hannah thought for a moment. "He started spreading rumors about you?"


    Tess nodded. "Exactly."


    She sighed, a look of disgust on her face. “While he was trying to win me over, it was nonstop ''good morning ''good night," "good afternoon. Every mealtime, he''d ask if I''d eaten yet, if ? was hungry. ''Remember to eat,'' remember to drink water."


    “When it rained a while back, he sent all these messages about how the


    temperature was dropping, to remember to wear moreyers, not to catch a cold,


    and to bring an umbre. He talked to me like I was a three-year-old."


    Hannah and Samuel exchanged nces.


    While a bit of concern was normal, just hearing about it was nauseating.


    "And just as you''re probably thinking, besides those empty words, he never did anything else. No real


    action, just an endless stream om et


    genero greetings. After rejected him, he had the nerve to say he had put in so much effort for me..." Cóntent


    Just talking about it made Tess feel like she was reliving a nightmare.


    “He gave you a bunch of things you never wanted,” Hannah said with contempt.


    "The worst kind of man," Samuel added.


    "After I turned him down, he went


    around the office telling everyone I was just Stringing him along while seeing other people. He imed dumped him as soon as someone With more money came along. He. just kept making things up one lie after another."