A bottle of red wine had even been prepared, and its purpose needed no exnation.


    "Hmm... I don''t think your reaction is natural for someone afraid of ate-night power outage. You''ve even prepared a marvelous candlelight dinner. It seems to me you''re quite at ease in this dim atmosphere," Beatrice remarked. She could tell that Ste had spent a considerable amount of time and effort preparing food for just two people.


    "You''ve even spent all that effort in preparing dinner after the power went out," Beatrice continued sarcastically.


    Ste was beginning to feel a little guilty, but she defended herself and said, "I''lle back home to make a home-cooked meal if I''m not too busy on that day. I like trying out new recipes, and I think I''ve got a pretty good knack for cooking."


    She figured that she could leverage the situation to impress the old woman with her ability to cook.


    Beatrice then pressed further. "Who did you prepare all this for?"Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Ste''s expression turned a little awkward and she fiddled with her hair. "It''s... They''re all for me. As you know, I''m rarely home, so I do meal preps. They keep pretty well in the refrigerator, and I can reheat them whenever I need. I don''t have to worry about my food anymore."


    Beatrice nced at the small apartment and teased, "Well, aren''t you a romantic at heart? Can''t say I''ve ever seen someone having candlelight dinners on their own."


    Ste froze. "Uh... It''s only because of the power outage! By the way, why isn''t Lucas here yet? He knows about the power outage, and he said he''de check on me."


    Beatrice scoffed and said, "Power outages are under the jurisdiction of the property''s management, which you ought to have rung up to inform them of the situation. That way, they can send an electrician over. What business do you have in calling a married man for something like this? Do you expect him toe and keep youpany? I''ve always thought that girls are very particr about keeping up appearances and having some self-respect. That doesn''t seem to be the case for you, though."


    Ste''s expression soured. "You''ve misunderstood! I asked a friend for help because I was scared."


    Beatrice was not too pleased at Ste''s continued insistence on ying dumb. "What do you take me for? A fool? I''ve seen my fair share of tomfoolery in my life. Stop ying games."


    Ste continued to feign innocence. "I don''t know what you''re talking about! Why don''t you call Lucas over so he can exin?"


    Beatrice scoffed. "You don''t honestly think that Lucas answered your message, did you? No one knows about the outage except for me."


    "What? That can''t be... He was the one who replied to my message earlier..." Ste said in disbelief.


    "Melody is ovting today," Beatrice revealed. She nced at Ste as if thetter was a clown. "Lucas is busy getting it on with her. He doesn''t have the time to entertain your nonsense." Disbelief was etched across Ste''s face as she clenched her fists. She took a few steps back, and the candlelight dinner became even moreughable.


    Beatrice then warned her sternly, "You''ve seen how well Lucas and Melody are getting along. Nothing you do will be able to shake the bond they have with each other. I don''t mind reminding you again if you forgot what I told you thest time. Not every woman gets our approval, and we''re very happy with Melody. We won''t let you ruin what she has with Lucas right now. Keep your schemes to yourself if you want the best for your acting career."


    Ste was willing to forgo her career if that meant being able to get together with Lucas. She thought that perhaps Beatrice might look at her differently if that happened. However, she changed her tone as soon as she heard what Beatrice said. "You must''ve misunderstood. My rtionship with Lucas is untainted, and that is precisely why I called him over to help. I trust him, and I wouldn''t ask anyone else for help."