Chapter 174: Being Late

"Hey, Miss Rodríguez, you're a bit late today. Aren't you always the first one to arrive?" The speaker was a man wearing a floral shirt and floral pants, exuding a somewhat flamboyant vibe, resembling a bit of resemblance to Adam. His name was Daniel Cooper. "Oh, are you commending me?" Elena retorted without hesitation. "I haven't said anything about all the times you've been late before. Today, I was just a bit late, and you're taking it so seriously. Are you secretly in love with me or something?" Daniel was suddenly left speechless by Elena's comeback. No matter how he answered, it seemed like it wouldn't work. It was a lose-lose situation, leaving him with a flushed face and unsure of how to change the situation. Finally, he could only said, "I was just joking with you. Why are you so angry? By the way, who's this beautiful lady next to you? I've never seen her before. Is she some new girl from somewhere?" As it turned out, Daniel's attention had been on Martina from the beginning, and his previous remarks were just a lead-up to this question. Who knew that Elena would totally disregard conventional norms, which left Daniel's words blocked. Despite this, Daniel instantly had thoughts about the woman he was interested in, even if it meant being a bit shameless. As long as he could succeed in the end, it didn't matter. There were quite a few people like him, but most didn't have Daniel's audacity. Elena immediately proudly put her arm around Martina's waist, making them look incredibly close. Apart from envy, no one said anything, as it was normal for girls to be intimate with each other. "Of course, you better know who she is. She is my bestie. Today, she is accompanying me for dinner. You better not have any improper thoughts, or don't blame me for not warning you in advance!" Elena said confidently. It's unclear if those people heard her warning or not, but Elena pulled Martina to the empty table next to them. Soon, a few more people arrived. When two women who looked like socialites came and saw that only Martina and Elena's table had vacant seats, they were stunned for a moment. Martina found these two women familiar, likely from some bar videos. They were the ones who appeared with Amy. These two women didn't seem to be good at disguising their emotions. They stood still for a good while, seemingly lost in thought upon arriving. Amy, who came in behind them, urged, "What are you two doing standing there? Why don't you find a seat?" There were certainly seats available, but it depended on whether these people dared to sit down. The two women remained silent and stood to the side, allowing Amy to stand out. Amy frowned, wondering if these two women were out of their minds. She didn't say anything and looked ahead. However, when she looked, she was quite startled, especially after seeing Martina's enigmatic expression. She also stayed frozen in place for quite a while. Then, Elena deliberately greeted Amy and the others, "Hey, why are you all arriving so late? It seems that you have been really busy. Come, sit here. Other places are all full." Feeling Elena's friendly greeting, Amy's expression became even more peculiar, almost showing a hint of fear. She must be worried if her previous actions were exposed. After careful consideration, Amy realized that if her actions had truly been exposed, how could Martina and Elena continue to act normally? So, Martina must not have been detected yet, and Amy could continue to act as if nothing had occurred! With this thought in mind, Amy approached Martina and Elena's table, pretending to have a close relationship with them. "I didn't expect to see Miss Martinez here too. We agreed to attend this gathering of our circle, right? How come even Miss Martinez is here?" Amy pretended to be innocent, and others seemed to buy into it, thinking that was just how Amy was. Daniel started gossiping, "What do you mean, Miss Rodríguez? Are you saying this woman named Martina isn't part of our circle?" As they were all part of the same school reunion and belonged to the same social circle, they were naturally close to each other, and that's why they often had such gatherings. However, it was indeed Martina's first time attending, which naturally drew a lot of attention. Amy pretended to be surprised and glanced at the crowd. "Don't you all know? Actually, Miss Martinez isn't from our circle, but she might be in the future." Daniel was even more confused, "What do you mean by 'in the future' and 'might be'? Don't you think that's contradictory?" Amy looked even more embarrassed as she glanced at Martina and then at everyone else. "Forget it, forget it. Some things are better left unsaid. Anyway, it's a good thing that Miss Martinez is here." "It's just one more person, and I can cover her share," she continued. Indeed, whenever they dined together, they usually split the bill equally. It was not that they couldn't afford it, but rather everyone was used to this unwritten rule. The bill would be quite substantial each time, at least several tens of thousands. If they made a single individual cover the expenses for everyone every time, it wouldn't be suitable, so they eventually established such a norm. Elena immediately became dissatisfied, wanting to take action right away, but it wasn't the right time yet. "Paloma, who do you think you are? Is it your place to speak? My bestie doesn't need your money; I'll cover her expenses!" Elena retorted. This made Amy blink her eyes with a hint of grievance, as if she might burst into tears the next moment. "Miss Rodríguez is right. If she really wants to cover the expenses, then let her do it. I won't fight over it." Many people felt that Elena was going too far. Among them, Daniel seemed to be the most considerate of others' feelings. "What are you doing, Elena? Even if you don't like Miss Rodríguez, you shouldn't speak like that. Look, you scared her!" Elena rolled her eyes, not bothering to explain. "What's wrong with you? Why are you still standing there? Hurry up and order the food!"