"Mind if I walk you ho?" Fitch offered, extending his arm for her to lean on rather than his hand, ensuring that their fingers wouldn’t touch. It was a gentlemanly gesture.
After a mont’s hesitation, Diana accepted, looping her arm through his. She tried to stand, but the pain in her ankle was unbearable.
Seeing her wince, Fitch crouched down and suggested, "How about I give you a piggyback ride?"
"Should I expect a little kid like you to carry ?"
"Out here in the middle of nowhere, you don’t have much choice. Besides, I’m a grown man, not so little brat. I bet I can carry you all the way to your place without even breaking a sweat!" Fitch maintained his crouched position, ready for her.
Diana couldn’t help but laugh, climbing onto his back. "Just don’t complain about my weight, okay?"
"As light as a kitten, why would I complain?" Fitch effortlessly lifted her up. "You ladies are always fussing about losing weight, slim as you are, and then you go and ruin your health over it."
"Isn’t it because you n say one thing but an another? You prefer skinny over plump, right?"
"Hey, for the record, I don’t care about size. If I’m into a woman, it doesn’t matter if she’s tall, short, heavy, or thin!"
"Yeah, right. As if! You guys are all about looks. Tell honestly, would you give soone a second glance if she was on the heavier side?"
"If you were a bit chubby, I’d still find you cute."
"You’re the chubby one!" Diana playfully smacked him.
After a while, Fitch managed to get Diana into the car, making sure she was comfortably seated in the passenger seat and buckled in.
The wind was picking up, and Fitch was still holding onto a kite. "Should I just let this kite go?"
It was no use keeping it.
Before Diana could object, the kite took to the sky with the wind, soaring effortlessly.
"Isn’t that big red heart too cheesy? Was this your corny idea, or did my goofball brother co up with it?" Diana grimaced.
"It must be his drama queen girlfriend’s idea," Fitch guessed as he watched the kite.
After all, Martin wouldn’t co up with such a romantic gesture on his own. It had to be his girlfriend making demands, complaining, or even throwing a fit that pushed Martin to such lengths to send a kite as a peace offering.
"Did you talk to him or not?"
"I did—almost put my life on the line." Fitch stood by the car door, his tone laced with frustration. "You have no idea how annoyed I get with that drama queen. I can’t fathom what your brother sees in her."
Diana knew it wouldn’t be easy to get her brother to give up on Serena. "Let’s just head back."
She didn’t want to see that heart-shaped kite anymore.
anwhile...
When Martin and Serena arrived at The Erald Tower, they were inford that the top floor had been reserved by soone else.
"Who reserved it?" Serena dreaded another encounter like the one with Roo and Rosemary.
The staff mber replied politely, "I’m sorry, but we cannot disclose our guest’s identity."
"How long have they reserved it for?" Serena couldn’t help but inquire. "Is it off-limits all day?"
"Nobody can go up until they leave."
A nearby tourist expressed envy. "Must be nice to have money—just reserving that whole top floor on a whim."
"We’re the unlucky ones, waiting for them to enjoy the view before we can go up."
"Not so unlucky, though. Even though they booked it last minute, they gave each of us a thousand-dollar voucher. We get to dine at the first and second-floor restaurants for free. It’s pretty generous!"
The tower was divided into three levels. The first and second floors offered views of the city and had restaurants for dining, while the top floor provided a panoramic 360-degree view.
Even though the penthouse suite was booked, the first and second floors were still open to everyone.
"That’s pretty generous already."
"Yeah, I’ve never had a al that pricey in my life."
" neither."
Serena glanced back to see a throng of tourists—at least a few dozen—all halted in their tracks, barred from ascending to the penthouse, hoping to linger and try their luck once the party upstairs had dispersed.
She noticed their simple and plain attire and couldn’t help but approach the staff. "What kind of requirents does one need to et to book the whole place?"
Her question drew the curious gaze of many bystanders.
"Is she here to book it? Judging by her clothes, her family must be loaded."
"Her boyfriend looks like he’s made of money too. Booking the place should be a breeze for him."
"If she’s asking that, money must be no object to her."
"Talk about loaded. Why are the rich and beautiful everywhere nowadays?"
Serena’s vanity soared, and she looked confidently at the staff mber.
The employee hesitated, then diplomatically responded, "It’s about status. Average rich folks just wouldn’t cut it."
"What about Bard then?" Serena continued.
The staff mber’s face twitched, half-convinced Serena knew Bard, and his tone beca more respectful.
"Mr. Bard could, of course."
Serena understood that whoever had booked the penthouse was of considerable stature—at least of her uncle’s caliber.
"Martin, let’s book the place for ourselves," Serena said, taking Martin’s hand.
Although Martin’s business had been thriving back ho, his clout in Dawnstar wasn’t quite as formidable. Booking the entire top floor of the Erald Tower wasn’t sothing money alone could achieve.
Seeing the firm grip Serena had on his hand and the smile on her face, Martin finally said, "Okay, wait for ."
He reached out to his buddy Fitch, who retorted, "Has that drama queen ever had enough? It’s just a view, what’s the big deal?"
"Mind your language."
"I really can’t help you with this one, bro. Only my dad could pull it off, but why would he waste his connections on your drama queen?"
Before Fitch could finish, Diana snatched the phone.
"Martin! She’s being ridiculous and you’re indulging her? Did you get kicked in the head by a mule?"
"Why are you with him?" Martin was surprised—his sister and Fitch, how did that happen?
"It’s because of you! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have sprained my ankle! Anyway, co ho for dinner tonight, and don’t say I didn’t remind you. It’s Grandpa’s birthday!" Diana said and hung up in a huff.
Martin saw the hopeful look in Serena’s eyes and added, "Just a bit longer."
After much thought, he still ssaged his father.
He had never sought his father’s help with his business. Even in the face of the biggest challenges, he had always toughed it out on his own.
This was the first ti he wanted to use his father’s influence to fulfill Serena’s wish.
The Cooper family owned nurous departnt stores worldwide, with a workforce exceeding two million. If his father stepped in, booking the venue would be no issue.
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