Chapter 105: Chapter 105

Chapter 105 The Fish Takes the Bait

Jenny waited anxiously under a street lamp; her figure illuminated by the dull yellow light shining from above her. The cool evening breeze of early autumn wind blew at the hem of her skirt sending a chill throughout her body.

She wrapped her arms around herself as her eyes shifted left and right, looking at the cars that zoomed past her. She lost count of the number of cars that passed by her but still, Fernando did not show up.

'Fool, your appointment with him is at eight. It's only seven thirty,' she laughed at herself.

From the moment she unintentionally saw his business card on Bella's desk, her heartbeat had never returned to its normal speed. She had secretly written down his number and agonized over whether to call him countless times. And when she had finally dialed his number, her hands couldn't stop shaking. She was as nervous as a young girl asking a boy out for her first date.

A couple walked past her, their fingers intertwined and their faces beaming with happiness. Jenny's gaze followed their distant figures and she couldn't help but sigh.

'How I wish I could have a sweet love affair too!'

Suddenly, a black BMW X5 stopped in front of her, and Fernando, who was sitting in the car, observed the girl standing by the roadside in a short skirt.

'Is she my date for tonight?' he mused.

Slowly, without any urgency, he rolled down the window and poked his head out. Then with a charming smile, he asked, "Hi! Are you Jenny?"

The woman jerked her head around and stared straight at him, freezing for a second or two before coming back to her senses. She nodded heavily and flashed him a goofy grin. "Yes, I am."

She was cute.

"Nice to meet you, Jenny." Fernando got out of the car, greeted her with a smile, shook her hand gently and then opened the door for her, "Please get in, my lady."

Jenny was flattered by his gentlemanly gesture. His smile was so warm, his hand was so strong. The moment she made physical contact with him, she couldn't help but tremble slightly and her mouth fell wide open, almost breathless with excitement.

For a moment, she thought she was going to faint.

"Thank you, thank you," she thanked him repeatedly and quickly got into the, not daring to look him in the eye.

But the moment the car door closed, the smile on Fernando's face immediately disappeared and was replaced by a cold look. He drove Jenny to a nearby Spanish restaurant.

At the entrance of the restaurant, a waiter greeted him warmly, "Welcome, Mr. Garcia, we have reserved an exclusive room for you. The dishes for your reservation are also ready."

Fernando nodded, turned to Jenny and said, "This is the most authentic Spanish restaurant in Los Angeles, very famous for its Catalan cuisine. I like the Illyrian ham this one sells."

"Well, I think I would like it too," Jenny said shyly.

She followed Fernando into the restaurant. It had a total of two floors. The lobby on the first floor was filled with diners, who were talking and laughing and the place was bustling with activity.

The waiter brought them to the second floor, which was generally decorated like the first floor, but there was only one long dining table with two chairs placed in the middle of the dining area. There was no one else here but them.

"Sir, madam, please enjoy your dinner." The waiter bowed slightly

"Thank you," Jenny said in a rush of thanks before a tiny frown formed on her face. "But may I ask what we will be eating later? There's nothing on the table."

"Please wait a moment, our chef will bring the dishes over soon." The waiter replied with a smile, and he bowed, "Please excuse me for a moment."

The waiter's reply made Jenny blush. She looked down at her dress from the thrift store and couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. She had a feeling that it was probably Fernando's first date with an ordinary girl like her.

Ugh, she should have put more effort into dressing herself.

"What are you thinking about?" Fernando's voice snapped Jenny out of her thoughts and she squeezed out an uncomfortable smile, all the while wishing that she had worn something nicer.

"Nothing."

In no time, the chef came up to them pushing a cart loaded with the strip of ham. "Sir, madam, I will be serving your meal tonight."

Jenny watched as the chef used a knife to slice the ham into thin pieces and she suddenly remembered that she had once read in a magazine about how this particular dish was eaten.

"Hello, may I ask if this is served with cantaloupe? But I don't see any cantaloupe here," she commented.

Faced with Jenny's question, the chef froze for a long time, not knowing how to answer.

Fernando nodded at the chef and said, "Please send someone to fetch a cantaloupe."

Looking at Jenny's contented smile, the corner of Fernando's mouth rose into a tiny smile of his own. He watched her quietly, observing her amber eyes, which twinkled with delight. Her warm and genuine smile caused his heart to skip a beat.

'What's wrong with me?' he muttered inwardly. He shook his head, shaking off the unusual feeling. He had come with a mission; he wasn't here on a date.

"Jenny, I'm curious how you got in touch with me. Did Bella give you my number?"

"No, Bella didn't know about this, I chose to contact you when I saw your card. I hope you don't mind," she said with an apologetic face.

"It's okay, it's an honor to have dinner with a beautiful lady like you," Fernando said gently, "How are you and Bella getting along?"

"What?" Jenny was confused.

"Sorry, it's just some small talk. I wanted to find something in common and maybe this isn't quite right."

"No, no, I understand," Jenny replied hastily, afraid of making a bad impression on him. "Bella and I are good friends, we're very close. She's nice, she has a happy family, and she deserves it."

Seeing that the fish had taken the bait, he rode his luck, "You deserve happiness too, don't you? You're good and so beautiful, Jenny."

Fernando's tender words made Jenny's heart beat faster and she became filled with excitement, "I'm glad you think so. But actually, I'm a failure. My parents and friends have set me up on many dates, but they have all failed. I long to have a relationship, very much so, but things never worked out. I even wondered if I wasn't good enough."

Fernando took her hand, stared into her eyes with the deepest emotion he could muster, and pretended to be sincere, "Please don't think that way, you just haven't met the right person."

Jenny was so moved that she was on the verge of tears. She leaned on his shoulder, confessed her heart to him, and answered all his questions.

And THAT was how Fernando got a key piece of information; Bella was Edward's current wife.

Later that night, he dropped Jenny off at the entrance of her apartment building, watched her walk upstairs, and remained where he was after seeing the lights come on in her room.

He studied his hands, his palms, still hot and tingling where they had touched Jenny, like the feeling after an electric shock. He closed his eyes and pondered for a long time. An obvious truth had been laid out in front of him, but he couldn't accept it.

Shit. He slammed the steering wheel of his car. That stupid woman was his mate.