"It's an entertainment complex. Let's go in," he said.
Selena followed him inside. They headed toward the restaurant section, where the restaurant manager personally came to greet Lucian and show them to his private room.
When they entered, a waitress brought their food.
Selena was about to say something when Lucian interrupted her.
"Let's eat first."
They both started eating. They were halfway through their meal when Lucian suddenly spoke.
"You keep mentioning your foster mom. Don't you know your real mom?" he asked.
Selena paused and stopped eating. It was a sensitive topic for her.
Although she was grateful that her foster parents had taken good care of her, she still missed her real mom. She had been very young when her mother left her. Since then, she had hated her for leaving, but deep down, she still missed her and wished she could meet her someday.
When Lucian noticed that she wasn't saying anything, he spoke again.
"If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine."
"My mom left me when I was just eight, so I don't really know much about her. But I can still picture her face. My foster parents were our neighbors back then, so they've been the ones taking care of me ever since my mom left."
"Oh," Lucian responded.
He cleared his throat. "Um… I'm sorry about your mom. I was just curious."
"It's fine," Selena said.
She was about to continue eating when Lucian spoke again.
"I invited you to this dinner because I want to discuss something with you."
Selena looked at him.
"My grandparents and my mom want me to get a wife and settle down. That's why they set me up on this blind date. And I know what I'm about to say is unreasonable…"
As soon as she heard that, Selena knew this wasn't going to be just a dinner.
"They want me to get married, and I don't want this to feel like an arranged marriage or something. So I want to do it my way. So, can you—"
"No," she interrupted him.
Lucian looked at her in surprise.
"I can't do it. I don't plan on getting married anytime soon. I think you met the wrong person."
She stood up to leave, but Lucian quickly caught her wrist. She stumbled and fell into his lap.
Selena was shocked by his action. She quickly tried to stand up, but Lucian caught her around the waist, keeping her from falling again.
"Can you just calm down?" he said.
"I didn't say you had to answer me now. I'll give you some time to adjust before we go get the marriage registry," he said.
"Can I stand up now?" she asked.
She was still sitting on his lap.
"No," he replied.
"But how do you expect me to talk in this position?" she asked.
"Fine."
He released his grip on her waist, and she quickly stood up. Lucian also stood up.
"I'll help you look for your real mother."
Selena froze.
Her eyes widened in shock. She had spent so much time trying to find her real mother, but every attempt had failed.
"How?" she asked. "You don't even know her. So how do you plan on finding her? Or are you trying to trick me?"
"Do you think I'm going to trick a woman into marrying me?" Lucian asked calmly. "I just want to save myself the stress of going on another blind date. And like I said earlier, I also want to make this work since I was the one who asked you."
"I want to go home," she said. Her mind was all over the place.
"All right. But think about what I told you."
When they went out of the restaurant, he walked toward his car with steady, commanding strides.
"Get in."
She hesitated for a moment before getting into the car.
The car ride was quiet except for the steady sound of the engine. Selena stared out the window, still thinking about what Lucian had said.
When they got to her house, she turned to him and thanked him before stepping out of the car.
Lucian's voice came from behind her.
"I'll walk you in," he said as he walked toward her.
"That's not necessary. I can—"
"Did I ask if it was necessary?" he cut her off.
His tone was low, and it sent heat rushing to her cheeks.
When they reached her doorstep, Selena didn't know what to say.
"Um… you should get going. It's late."
"Yes," Lucian replied.
Selena went inside, and Lucian left.
When he got home, he was greeted by his mother.
"Look who is finally back," she said, hugging him.
Lucian hugged her back.
"So, why didn't you come back last night?" Mrs. Victoria asked him.
"I was busy."
"Okay."
"Fine, I won't ask. Come and eat. You must be hungry."
Lucian was actually hungry because he hadn't eaten much at the restaurant. He noticed that nobody else was around except his mother.
"Where are Grandpa and the others?"
"They all went out. They'll be back soon."
Lucian was about to take a bite of his food when he sensed his mother staring at him. Without looking at her, he asked, "Mom, what do you want to talk about?"
"How did your date go? Do you like her?"
"Of course you would like her. She's so beautiful. So, did you ask her out or say something?" she asked, firing one question after another.
Lucian frowned.
"Mom, can you please just calm down and let me eat?"
She shot him a look. "Fine."
Lucian put down his food.
"I asked her and tried talking to her, but she wasn't interested. So, I can't force her."
He didn't want to explain too much because he didn't want to give her false hope.
His mother looked disappointed.
"It's all your fault," she said angrily.
Lucian looked at her in confusion. "How is it my fault?"
"With that cold voice of yours, who knows if you scared her off?"
"Seriously, Mom? Do I look like a beast to you?"
"What do you think?" she muttered.
"What did you just say?"
Lucian hadn't heard her clearly.
"Never mind," she quickly said.