The Alchemists

Nicolae suspected that his guess was right. His two children really wanted to find him a new woman and they wouldn't stop until their goals were achieved.

'All right, let's see how far you'll go,' Nicolae said to himself.

Finally, he no longer protested about Marie's presence at their table. Somehow, the girl was also really shameless. She didn't hesitate to order so many dishes that she liked. Whether accidentally or intentionally, the price of the dishes she ordered was all fantastic. Nicolae widened his eyes seeing that the girl had ordered up to four main dishes for herself.

"Are you sure you can eat all that?" Nicolae asked in a doubtful voice.

Marie narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"Remember, I waited for you all night," she snorted.

Nicolae finally relented and said nothing more. As a man who liked cooking, he most disliked seeing food thrown away because he knew how much effort was needed to make dishes out of a variety of ingredients from scratch.

Seeing Marie's slim body, especially her tiny waist, he absolutely couldn't believe that Marie ate that much. He was sure the girl had deliberately ordered a lot of expensive food just to make Nicolae lose money, in her revenge for his deed when he kept her waiting.

Altair and Vega didn't seem to care at the slightest that this uninvited girl intended to make their father lose a lot of money. For them, materialistic girls like Marie were better than AuntieLouisa. They smiled at her and answered Marie's questions kindly.

"Do you live around here?" Marie asked attentively while waiting for their food to arrive. After they finished ordering food, Marie and the twins looked engrossed in a conversation about trivial things, as if they had known each other for a long time.

Altair and Vega both nodded vigorously.

"That's right. Is Auntie's home also nearby?" Vega asked enthusiastically.

Marie nodded. "Yes, I live in the building to the right. What about you guys?"

Hearing Marie's answer, Altair and Vega's eyes suddenly sparkled.

"Is it true?" they asked in unison.

At that time, Nicolae wanted to cover the mouths of his two children so as not to divulge the secret about their residence. After all, Marie was a stranger to them. Altair and Vega shouldn't have acted so openly to her.

What if Marie intended to rob or kidnap them?

Suddenly, Nicolae was struck by his own thoughts. He also massaged his forehead.

Gosh, why was he the one being suspicious now? He remembered on the first blind date with Sanna, Marie thought Nicolae was a serial killer. He remembered that it didn't feel good to be suspected like that. But now, he was the one who was suspecting Marie.

Nicolae secretly felt ashamed of himself.

"Wow, you two must be fated. At that time, Auntie and Daddy met at the Continental Building, and now, it turns out that we live close to each other," Altair excitedly said.

Marie laughed cheerfully as she ruffled the boy's hair.

"Oh, do you really believe in fate? Aww... so cute." She shook her head with a big smile on her face. "I don't believe in fate."

Nicolae almost spouted the juice he was drinking. He coughed and almost choked on Marie's words just now. The girl looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"What happened to you?" she asked, looking annoyed.

"Ahem... about that fate thingy..." Nicolae still tried to pat his c.h.e.s.t several times to ease his throat, which was almost choking. He then shook his head. "I also don't believe in fate."

Instantly, Mary's face was decorated with a smile. "Oh, good for you. It turns out we have something in common."

Nicolae was about to say something, but then, the waiter came to bring the dishes they ordered. In the end, he gave up on his intention to argue with Marie and invited everyone to enjoy their lunch.

"Let's eat," he said, "so we can go home soon."

Cheerfully, Altair, Vega, and Marie immediately enjoyed the dishes they ordered. Throughout lunch, Nicolae kept quiet watching how Altair and Vega happily chattered with Marie as if they had known each other for a long time.

Somehow, the indifferent girl seemed to get along so well with his children. She looked so interested in them and asked them many questions about their lives. The twins enthusiastically responded by sharing their hobbies and daily life with Nicolae.

Hmm... it seems like this Marie girl isn't too bad, Nicolae thought. Marie looked like a girl who had a pleasant and carefree personality. She had lots of exciting stories and was very compatible with his children. Somehow, Nicolae was also pleased to hear Marie's crisp laughter throughout their lunch.

When the first, second, and third dishes had moved to Marie's stomach, Nicolae was dumbfounded, seeing that the girl did indeed eat a lot. Now, she was hungrily devouring the fourth dish she ordered.

Unconsciously, Nicolae smiled to himself and shook his head at the slim girl who ate so much more food than himself, a big tall man. He didn't know where all the food was distributed to, because obviously, the girl could eat a lot, yet she wasn't overweight at all.

What an attractive girl, he thought. Unfortunately, this time, Nicolae knew he wasn't ready to open his heart to a new woman. The last three blind dates he had gone to end in chaos and he didn't want to go on another date after fulfilling his promise to Altair. Not anytime soon.

If Altair and Vega hadn't deliberately tried to set him up with Marie, maybe Nicolae would be able to act more friendly to the girl and make friends with her.

However, given how hard Altair and Vega were trying to make Nicolae fall in love with Marie, the man felt he should keep a distance so that Marie didn't feel as though she was given hope.

He didn't want to hurt anyone by turning them into his rebounds when his heart hadn't healed from his love for Aleksis.

"The lunch was very pleasant. Thank you," Marie said happily, wiping the corner of her lips with a napkin. Her face looked satisfied and full. "Your debt is paid off now."

"You're welcome," Nicolae said politely. "I'm sorry I was joking at that time, causing you to have waited for me all night in the marina."

Marie nodded lightly, "No problem. I've forgiven you. By the way, have you found the woman you were looking for?"

Nicolae was stunned by Marie's blunt and unexpected question. He felt that as a stranger, Marie's question was too personal. He didn't want to answer it.

Altair and Vega immediately became gloomy when they heard the question. They were reminded that just last night, their dad went on a blind date with a woman who sent shivers down their spines. The date ended with Nic sleeping with Auntie Louisa, and he had announced that they were now in a relationship.

That made the twins very sad.

"I dated a few women. So what?" In the end, Nicolae answered while asking back.

Marie just shrugged. "Nothing. I was just curious. You were on a blind date with my best friend, Sanna. If I hadn't come and made a fuss, maybe you two would've been together by now. I just wanted to know if you're interested in her."

Nicolae could only shrug. "I don't know. We don't really know each other well. You know what happened."

"Oh, is that so? I just wanted to know whether you're interested in Sanna or not. Try to remember her. Sanna's really beautiful. She's also smart. She does have a father complex, as she likes older men. However, it turns out that even though you're young, she can feel attracted to you. That means you have the maturity of an older man, and I think that's okay."

"Uhm... Thank you?" Nicolae didn't understand the direction of Marie's conversation. "Do you want to ask about my feelings for her on Sanna's behalf, or do you have other goals?"

Nicolae asked Marie with a frown, while the girl was staring fixedly, barely blinking. Marie then asked in an earnest voice.

"Please answer me honestly. Do you like my friend Sanna or not? That's all."

After thinking for a while, Nicolae finally shook his head.

"Sanna is indeed beautiful. I think she's smart, too, but I don't think we are compatible. I don't feel any romantic interest in her. Maybe we can be friends if we get to know each other better, but more than that? No. I hope I don't offend you." Nicolae felt that it was better to be honest than to pretend, just because he didn't wanna hurt Sanna's feelings.

Marie looked at Nicolae for a long time then nodded. A moment later, a thin smile was etched on her face.

Her voice sounded very happy as she patted Nicolae's cheek gently, as if to a small child who managed to answer the teacher's questions correctly. "Wow, I'm so relieved. Then I won't hesitate to pursue you."