The girl's voice snapped shut, her face flushing crimson. "Sorry for bothering you."
She scurried back to her friend, who immediately tried to console her. "It's okay, Gigi. You were brave. He just doesn't know how to appreciate a good thing."
Claire had sharp hearing, and the comment instantly annoyed her.
What did she mean, Dane didn't know how to appreciate a good thing?
"Seems like that face of yours attracts quite the crowd," Claire said with a half-smile.
It reminded her of Latonia, the woman they had run into back in Cabinda.
Latonia's every word had dripped with hostility toward Claire while simultaneously flaunting her closeness to the Green family.
It was as if she had been trying to intimidate the young girl into backing down.
And now some random girl off the street was hitting on him.
Not that Claire couldn't understand the appeal.
A gorgeous man like Dane wasn't just physically attractive; he exuded an aura of immense wealth and power.
And power was a massive magnet for women.
Catching the look on Claire's face, Dane said in deadpan, "You just missed a prime opportunity to mark your territory."
"She said you didn't know how to appreciate a good thing," Claire muttered.
Why should she have to mark her territory? Fending off other women was purely a test of a man's own loyalty.
Dane remained completely calm. "That's just what they tell themselves to feel better."
With a stunning woman sitting right in front of him, why on earth would he give a second glance to some random girl on the street?
"That's pretty ruthless of you," Claire said, though she couldn't stop the corners of her lips from tipping upward.
Dane could tell she was pleased.
"Why would I waste my chivalry on a stranger?"
Claire didn't dwell on it. It was just a meaningless little interruption.
When they finished eating, Claire took the initiative to pay the bill.
It was only a few dollars, so Dane didn't fight her for it.
As soon as they walked away, Gigi's friend nudged her. "See? He's a total deadbeat, He actually let the gif pay for something that cheap.
"That girl looks rich. I bet he's her sugar baby. No wonder he didn't dare talk to you."
Gigi frowned. "Lana, don't say that
don't think he's like that. Plus, the
watch he's wearing is the same one a huge celebrity wears. It's
ridiculously expensive."
"Which celebrity?" Lana looked skeptical.
"You know, Oakley."
"I heard watches from that brand cost hundreds of thousands of dollars."
Gigi clearly scouted often; she had a sharp eye for high fashion and luxury brands.
Hearing this, Lana instinctively glanced back at Claire and Dane's retreating figures.
"Wow. Then it really is a shame you didn't get his number."
"But honestly, you should have come up with a better excuse. If he's wearing a watch worth Hundreds of thousands of dollars, why would he ever agree to a modeling gig?"
For someone that rich, a job like that was beneath them.
"I just didn't expect to see a millionaire walking around this part of town! Honestly, I bet it's a knockoff."
"I mean, this is the Westside. It's a famous slum."
Hardly any white-collar workers ate out here; it was almost entirely construction workers and locals.
What kind of weird fetish would a rich guy have to eat at a dumpy street cart?
It didn't even qualify as a proper hole-in-the-wall diner.
Lana thought about it and nodded. "You're right. It was definitely a fake."
Was it?
Gigi wasn't so sure.
But they were already gone, and it wasn't like she could chase after them.
"The Westside is getting demolished soon. I just hope my family gets a decent relocation unit. I've been sick of this place for years."
"It's only my grandparents' generation who cling to this dump like it's a paradise." Gigi grumbled.