Reborn To Ruin Her Rivals - Chapter 71: Chapter 71

"Arielle Bradford," Arielle said flatly.
"Arielle, it's a pleasure to meet you. You must be tired from standing outside. If you don't mind, come in and have a seat." Lucas was striking and charismatic, with sharp, deep-set features.
He was a quintessential mixed-race heartthrob, his features lending him a unique allure.
There was a roguish glint in his eyes, quite different from when she had seen him before.
Arielle didn't hesitate and followed him inside to take a seat.
The Walter family and the Boone family had partership. To understand her enemy, she had to know them inside out.
The Lucas she knew was definitely not this approachable.
He was only being so polite because he was interested in her gambling skills.
The Walter family outshone even the Boone family, a dominant force in Scoratein's aristocratic circles, wielding immense wealth and influence.
Lucas had already been named the family's future leader, despite his youth.
Rumor had it he was someone people wouldn't want to cross, yet he was nothing like that while in front of Arielle.
Lucas's mother was the heiress of a top-tier Riverian chaebol family, with an incredibly impressive background.
Unlike other aristocrats, her maternal clan controlled the core of Riveria's military and financial power, a family whose wealth could rival that of an entire nation.
Arielle couldn't help but think, 'Who would've thought someone like him would actually eat at a random restaurant in the alley like this?'
After they were seated, Arielle ordered some food.
To keep her company, Lucas ordered the same, though he rarely ate here, only coming by occasionally when the craving struck.
"Didn't expect you'd like this place," he remarked, sounding genuinely surprised.
Lucas smiled, picked up the pot, filled a disposable cup with water, and slid it over to Arielle.
"Thanks," Arielle said politely.
She remained completely calm, showing no reaction to him at all. Even though they were sitting so close, she didn't even spare him a second glance.
Lucas couldn't help but question his own image again.
'Am I really losing my charm?' he wondered.
The food arrived quickly at the table. The ingredients were ready-made, just needing to be scooped into bowls. The steaming dish gave off an enticing aroma.
Arielle took delicate bites of her food.
Throughout the meal, Lucas was the one keeping the conversation going.
Lucas said warmly, "You're Sandolorian? So am I. Since we've met, let's call ourselves friends. If you ever need anything I can help with, just say the word.
"Hey, how old are you? I'm twenty, definitely older. You look younger.
"I've seen your videos, those fight moves are seriously badass. You gotta teach me sometime."
"You..." Lucas began, but the words caught in his throat.
Arielle only sat down for the food, though Lucas could prove to be a useful ally.
In her world, people fell into two categories, those she had to deal with, and those worth connecting with. Everyone else simply didn't matter.
'I never expected him to be such a chatterbox,' Arielle thought to herself.
He just kept rambling on, even cracking some corny dad jokes.
"You're quite the eloquent speaker," Arielle remarked pointedly, her tone laced with irony.
Lucas grinned at her comment.
He said, "Damn right! My friends always say I've got the gift of gab, they even want me on talk shows. So, you're into gambling, right? How about we hit up Cloud Nine and test our skills?"
Arielle froze as realization dawned, so that was his game.
Arielle shook her head. "No, I need to get home on time. Besides, I'm not really into gambling."
Lucas was left speechless.
Lucas thought to himself, 'Her skills are insane, yet she claims she doesn't like gambling? Come on.'
After staring at her for a few moments, Lucas said, "I don't buy it. You just don't want to go a few rounds with me, do you?"
"If that's how you want to see it, fine." Arielle set down her fork. She'd enjoyed tonight's meal, but the guy across from her was just a bit too much of a chatterbox.
Lucas thought, 'Ouch. Did she really have to be that blunt?'
He said, "Hey, cut me some slack, will you? We're practically friends now. Next time you hit up Cloud Nine, just drop my name, you'll get the full VIP treatment."
Lucas exuded confidence and flamboyance, his passion for gambling was unmistakable.
She said, "Forget it. Your name is way too flashy, and you seem a bit..."
She almost wanted to say he was a bit childish, nothing like someone from aristocratic circles.
Lucas immediately bristled when he caught Arielle sizing him up with that odd look and heard what she said.
"Arielle, what do you mean by that? I'm not flashy at all!" Lucas protested.
Arielle just waved him off, making it clear she was simply stating the truth.
Glancing at the burly bodyguards nearby, Lucas had to admit to himself, 'Maybe I am being a little flashy after all.'
As Arielle stood up, Lucas immediately rose to his feet, eager to keep the conversation going.
Questions swirled in his mind, 'Has she really beaten Georgie in that bet? Was she actually the one who got into that fight at school?'
Before Lucas could get a word in, Arielle was already at the door.
"Mr. Walter, I'll be going now," Arielle said before turning to leave.
"Wait, let me give you a ride," Lucas offered. He couldn't come up with a proper excuse to ask her to stay, after all, they were just two people who'd shared a meal.
Arielle shook her head. "No, thanks." Vanna had already arranged a ride for her. Just a call to the driver, and he'd pick her up.
Lucas felt a pang of disappointment, but still stepped forward politely to ask for her number.
He said with a light grin, "It's fine if you don't want to give it to me. I can always find another way to get in touch with you."
He kept rambling on, jumping from the food they'd just eaten to whatever else popped into his head.
Arielle called her driver three times, but no one answered.
She considered calling Vanna, then thought better of it, her shop was busy enough without Arielle adding to the trouble.
Luckily, taxis were easy to find here.
She opened a ride-hailing app to book a car.
Lucas reached out and blocked her phone with a smirk. "Seriously? You'd rather book a ride when my luxury car is right here? That's a bit harsh, don't you think? Come on, get in, I'll drive you."
His bossy tone was totally at odds with that flamboyant personality from earlier.
Honestly, it was downright childish.
She thought, 'Hard to believe a twenty-year-old could act so immature.
'Guess the rumors about him were all wrong.'
If Arielle kept hesitating, she'd just come across as overly affected.
She said, "Alright, thanks."
Arielle got into the car, and she and Lucas settled into the back seat.
Lucas was a total chatterbox, his mouth just wouldn't stop.
From the moment they got in the car, he'd been talking nonstop. Fifteen minutes later, Arielle's ears still hadn't gotten a break. he was basically carrying on a monologue.
She answered a few of his questions at first, but soon fell silent. Not being much of a talker herself, running into a human megaphone like him left her feeling helpless.
For example, which family was about to name a new heir.
Then he moved on to overseas trade, and how other families were scheming to cozy up to the Walter family.
Arielle couldn't help but wonder, 'He is like a completely different person from the one at the gambling table that night. Does he have multiple personalities or something?'
Lucas glanced over and asked, "So, word is that plot in the Golden District is yours now?"
He'd picked up the news online. Arielle had a poker showdown with Georgie, with the Golden District on the line.
"Yeah, technically it's not mine yet, but it should be by tomorrow. Why do you ask?" Arielle replied.
According to the agreement, tomorrow was the final deadline. If all went well, she'd have the land transfer agreement in hand.