The Queen Back From Hell - Chapter 111: Chapter 111

"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.