Suppressing her frustration, Luisa nodded with a smile.
Sonny scanned the table, then selected a crab and expertly dismantled it.
He extracted a piece of succulent crab meat and offered it to Luisa.
âWould you like to try it?â
Luisa was delighted by his gesture.
âThank you, Sonny.
â
She licked her lips and opened her mouth to accept the crab meat from his hand, but her attempt to eat it gracefully faltered.
Sonny quickly withdrew his hand and fed himself the crab meat.
âIf you want to eat, you can peel it yourself.
Weâre not like those couples; itâs not appropriate for us to feed each other, so thereâs no need to mimic them.
â
Tears welled up in Luisaâs eyes.
She felt hurt and hissed, âWhy are we different from them? Tonightâs atmosphere is so nice.
Canât we just go along with it?â
Sonny shook his head.
âWeâre not a couple.
Iâm your guardian.
If you want, you can call me Dad, and Iâll peel shrimp for you.
â
Luisa exploded in anger.
âSonny! Are you trying to take advantage of me?â
Sonny was taken aback by her accusation.
âHow is letting you call me Dad taking advantage of you? If I pretended to be your boyfriend and asked you to call me that, then wouldnât I be taking advantage of you?â
He thought he was making a valid point until Nathan intervened with a punch, âLucinda mentioned that youâre too blunt.
Your emotional intelligence is lacking.
As the new deputy director of the National Security Bureau, how can you be so dull?â
Sonny listened quietly and refrained from arguing.
Soon, everyone at the table caught on to the key points in Nathanâs words.
Cyrus exclaimed, âSonny is going to be promoted to deputy director? Congratulations!â
Lucinda nodded in agreement, praising, âThatâs quite a swift promotion.
Well-deserved.
â
Basking in the praise, Sonny chuckled modestly.
âThank you for your kind words.
Itâs all thanks to Nathanâs support.
â
Lucinda then shifted the conversation.
âBut Nathan is right with his words.
A deputy director needs to be diplomatic.
Sonny, letâs be honest-do you have feelings for Luisa?â
Lucinda could sense the affection and admiration Luisa held for Sonny.
It was evident that Sonny cared for Luisa, but his affection was expressed in a reserved manner.
Luisa, unsure of Sonnyâs feelings towards her, hesitated to confess her own love, fearing rejection.
Lucinda, seizing the opportunity, wanted to play matchmaker and assist them in resolving their feelings.
Seeing Sonny directly questioned by Lucinda, Luisa nervously lowered her head, her palms pinching together anxiously.
She yearned for a response that would bring her joy, yet she dreaded disappointment.