too late for a second chance novel (Lila and Dorian)

Lila stopped in her tracks. It didn't feel right to keep spying on them like this. Besides, she had no place trying to uncover the truth. She then casually walked ahead with her stuff.

Suddenly, she was startled as someone approached from the side. She stepped back, pressing her temple to calm her nerves.

"Mr. Mason," Lila spoke first.

Cole clearly hadn't expected to run into her here. He saw her struggling with the load and quickly moved to take them.

"Ms. Hart, what brings you here?"

"I noticed we were low on snacks at home, so I thought I'd grab a few," Lila said, not offering him the bags. "They're not heavy."

"I'll take them for you."

Cole insisted on carrying the items. When he noticed what was in the transparent bag, he smiled.

"Looks like you've got that drink Mr. Morgan likes."

Lila casually followed up on his comment and asked, "How did you end up here? Where's Uncle Kieran?"

She noticed Cole hesitate for a moment before smiling.

"Mr. Morgan was about to head home, but a client requested a meeting here, so we stopped by briefly."

Lila nodded, her gaze drifting toward the coffee shop, but she found that Cole had completely blocked her view. She smiled and stopped by the car. "Thank you."

"This car?" Cole looked a bit confused.

Wasn't Lila only supposed to have the car Kieran gave her? Where did this one come from? Could it be that some man was trying to get close to her?

Cole's mind raced. This was major news, and he needed to clarify things quickly to report to Kieran.

"It's Amelia's car. I'm just borrowing it for a bit," Lila explained as she slid into the driver's seat. "That's all. I'm leaving now."noveldrama

Cole nodded and watched as she drove off. He turned back toward Kieran, only to see that he had already stood up and left while the girl in the white dress remained seated.

Cole approached Kieran and briefly mentioned that he had just run into Lila. "But I didn't let her see you with that girl."

Kieran rolled up his sleeves without saying much and returned to Evergreen Heights.

Lila wasn't there when he arrived. He thought about sending her a message to ask where she was, but he stopped after hesitating-he didn't want her to feel like he was restricting her freedom.

Lila felt inexplicably irritable. It was probably a result of the recent string of unfortunate events affecting her mood. For the first time, she found herself thinking about drinking to forget her troubles.

Lila then drove to the Azure Bar, where the loud music from the main hall blasted into her ears. She chose a quieter spot by the bar and glanced at the crowd on the dance floor, swaying to the rhythm.

The bartender slid her drink toward her, and Lila took a sip. The taste was still quite good.

The bar wasn't very crowded, so the bartender wasn't busy. Lila asked, "Are you new here?"

She didn't come often, but her good memory told her she should remember a young, handsome bartender like him.

The bartender nodded. "It's my third day on the job."

"Why work here?" Lila leaned her head on her hand, watching him.

He furrowed his brows without saying anything.

Lila paused, then continued, "Need money? Our company is hiring. You've got a good look. You could try it out."

"Sorry, I don't do PR."

"Mm?"

Lila paused, and then a light chuckle escaped her lips. She fumbled through her bag and slid a business card toward him.

"We don't do anything illegal, either. You're still young, and places like this can get chaotic."

She took out her phone and paid for the drink.