Page 53

He straightened immediately, his eyes locking onto a familiar figure entering the bar. Krystal—wearing a slip dress that hugged her curves just right, one shoulder exposed with the fabric slipping off delicately, and her hair cascading down her back.

She never wore revealing clothes like this before. Always covered up, cautious. Seeing her like this caught him off guard. But she didn’t glance his way. She walked confidently over to a couch a few tables away from his.

Lorenzo’s sharp gaze followed her every step. Larry and Michael caught on, turning their heads to see what had caught Lorenzo’s full attention.

Larry straightened on the couch, nudging Michael’s shoulder and nodding toward Krystal, eyes bright. “Looks like God’s on my side this time,” Larry said, grinning. “That’s the girl. The one from the parking lot. She’s the one I’m gonna marry!”

Lorenzo’s eyes snapped to Larry and darkened. His hand clenched around his whiskey glass so tightly his knuckles whitened. Larry, oblivious to the sharp glare, kept talking eagerly.

“So... should I go over and try to win her? You think she’ll say yes?”

Lorenzo, already simmering, answered icily, “You can try.”

Larry shot up, already moving toward Krystal with that eager grin. Michael almost winced. Lorenzo’s ‘you can try’ was like a warning from the depths of hell.

“Dude, sit the hell down!” Michael hissed, having already recognized Krystal.”

But Larry was already straightening his jacket and walking confidently over to her.

As he reached her table, Krystal turned her face toward him.

“Hey, beautiful. Remember me?” Larry grinned, leaning casually on the table with his hip. “We met in the parking lot.”

Krystal turned her chair fully to face him, a slight smile playing at the corner of her lips. She nodded. “Yeah, I remember.”

Larry’s grin widened. “Now we’ve met twice. That’s gotta be fate, right? I’ve never met anyone twice in one day. You mustbe something special. How about we follow each other on Instagram?”

Krystal’s smile didn’t fade, almost teasing. “Wanna be friends? I have to ask my boyfriend first.”

Larry’s face fell, the smile dying instantly, replaced by a sudden disappointment.

“Weren’t you saying in the car you are happy being single?” he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

“I was… until two minutes ago,” she said sweetly. “We just made up.”

Before Larry could say anything else, Damion appeared behind him and slid onto the couch next to Krystal. Having overheard the conversation, he looked at Larry coolly.

“Sorry, I don’t like my girlfriend adding strangers to her friend list.”

Krystal sighed with relief, still smiling.

“Ah... nice,” Larry said, forcing a dry laugh that didn’t reach his eyes. Devastated, he muttered, “Yeah... uh, have fun.” Then he turned and shuffled back to his table.

Damion smirked at Krystal. “Had fun turning guys down while waiting for me?

Krystal rolled her eyes, muttering, “Don’t ask.”

Just then, a waiter brought cocktails and whiskey. As they started drinking, Damion told her about Esther’s sudden seizures at the hospital.

Finally, Krystal nodded.

“I want to be a doctor at your hospital for a few weeks.”

“That’s great news,” Damion said immediately, fingers curling around his whiskey glass as he took a sip. “You coming to Bristen is probably the best thing the hospital will experience this year. Your work’s phenomenal.”

Krystal smiled at the compliment.

Damion sipped his whiskey and asked, “But why Bristen? You seem to be doing pretty well on your own.”