Chapter 37: The Magic Word That Never Came
When I heard his last words, my mind immediately exploded like a volcano. I was screaming inside my head, so loud that I almost believed I had shouted it out loud.
"T-That’s good. I’m glad to hear it," I stammered.
Without thinking twice, I grabbed the wine glass the waiter had filled earlier, and of course, I choked on it again, this time even worse than before.
Damn it! Why can’t I ever learn from my mistakes?!
I coughed so hard my eyes watered, and I had to hide behind my napkin. Lando leaned forward right away, offering me his water like the gentleman he was.
"Alright, I think that’s your last glass of wine." Lando signaled the waiter to take the wine bottle away, but I quickly reached out and grabbed it.
Still coughing between words, I protested, "No, no. I’m fine. I promise I’ll drink it slowly this time."
This wine was my last line of defense! Without it, I’d have no courage left to sit here across from this dangerously handsome man, who just so happened to be my husband!
Lando arched a brow, watching me cling to the glass like it was my lifeline. "If you insist," he said calmly. "But please, don’t drink too much. Your face is already turning red."
On reflex, I touched my cheeks. They were burning hot, like my whole body was on fire.
I couldn’t tell if it was because of the wine or because Lando kept making me flutter and fluster at every little thing he did. Honestly, he wasn’t even trying that hard to impress me, but somehow my heart was just too weak against him.
Get it together, woman!
I needed to calm down before I completely lost the battle against this invisible army of cupids shooting arrows straight at me.
I quickly reached for my water glass and took a big sip, hoping to cool both my face and my nerves.
"H-how about you?" I asked. "You haven’t touched your wine."
Lando glanced at the glass sitting near him, still completely full. "I’m not that good with alcohol," he admitted. "I usually avoid it."
Oh, I hadn’t expected that.
He looked like the type who could drink two bottles of wine and still negotiate a business deal without blinking. But maybe he avoided it because it clashed with his medication.
"I didn’t know that ...," I muttered. "I should have given the waiter a note to bring you something else, maybe soda would do."
Lando shook his head. "That’s alright. You’ve already done so much for me tonight."
If I was being honest, I didn’t feel like I had done that much for him, at least not compared to everything he had done for me.
But that wasn’t the main problem right now. There was something far more urgent: Lando still hadn’t called me beautiful or pretty!
I straightened my back, determination burning in my chest. ’Alright, Helcia, think. How do you get a man like Lando to say the magic word?’
Compliment him first? I already told him he was handsome earlier, and he didn’t even bother to return it. Pretend to be upset? Too risky. Fake a sneeze? ... Nope, that didn’t even make sense.
In the end, from the very beginning to the final course of dinner, I still didn’t have a single plan that could trick Lando into saying those magic words.
At this point, I was hopeless. Sure, I technically still had five hours left before the quest ended, but really, what was the point? Once we left the restaurant, we’d go back to our separate rooms, and knowing Lando, he might even leave town tomorrow morning for his business trip.
Was I really going to kiss my ten grand goodbye?
I tried to do the math in my head. How much had I already spent today? Over two thousand? Maybe close to three?
Ugh. What a waste.
It wasn’t that I regretted spending money on dinner with Lando. After all, I had promised myself I wanted to celebrate our marriage properly at least once.
I didn’t regret looking pretty tonight either, and I definitely didn’t regret buying him a gift. But what I would regret was letting ten thousand dollars slip through my fingers!
As if the night wasn’t cruel enough, eating was another battle. I had to chew painfully slow or my stomach would turn on me.
No, that wasn’t even the worst part. There was a chance I wouldn’t be able to eat dessert at all, because this cursed body might treat it like I was trying to swallow trash.
But that cake ... that glorious red velvet cake dripping with vanilla syrup ... it was calling my name. Still, I couldn’t let Lando see how messed up my body really was.
Oh, please. I just want to eat my cake!
"You don’t like that dessert?" Lando asked when he noticed I hadn’t touched my fork.
I rested my chin on my hand, staring longingly at the cake. "I’m full," I muttered bitterly. "I don’t think I can eat anymore."
Why? Why couldn’t I eat my damn dessert?!
"I think you drank too much." Lando reached out, stopping me just as I grabbed my wine glass again.
Actually, it was strange.
This body would gag if I ate too fast or ate anything too sweet, but when it came to alcohol, there was no dramatic reaction.
On the contrary, this body craved wine so badly that I couldn’t stop sipping it after I got used to its taste.
"Really? I don’t think so." I looked at him lazily. "I still feel sober."
"You don’t look sober enough to me." Lando caught my head gently when it slipped from my hand. His voice softened. "I can’t carry you if you’re too drunk."
I laughed softly. "I know that."
I looked at him for a while, but then I noticed something strange.
Lando wasn’t sitting in his wheelchair tonight. Instead, he had brought crutches and placed them behind his chair.
I had been sitting across from him for more than an hour, so why was I only realizing this now?!
I pointed at the crutches. "You can walk?! Since when?!"
All this time, I thought he was completely paralyzed and would never be able to stand from his wheelchair!
Lando followed my gaze toward the crutches. "I can, but not for long," he said calmly. "I still need help if I want to move around, like ... climbing stairs."