In Karen's large villa, two girls gathered in the living room, sharing specialty burgers and cola.
"Why didn't you join us earlier? I specifically left the door open for you…" Karen said, swallowing an entire burger.
The reason Karen brought Gretchen today was to create an opportunity for her.
For this, Karen had even specially prepared a sexy cat girl outfit for Gretchen. She was certain that if Gretchen had been a little bolder earlier, she would have definitely captivated Mike.
This was also the "surprise" Karen had mentioned to Mike earlier.
Unfortunately, at the last step, her good friend actually backed out.
"I, I just felt that it wouldn't be fair to Mike. Maybe he wasn't interested in me. I didn't want to force him…" Gretchen's ears turned red when she heard her good friend bring up their previous "plan."
Being more conservative, she actually preferred to build some feelings with Mike first before taking the final step.
"You're overthinking it. From what I know about Mike, if he knew you were willing to offer yourself, he'd be too happy to be disgusted with you." Cady shook her head slightly, sighing that her good friend hadn't seized this opportunity.
"Let's not talk about this. Let's talk about something else." Gretchen felt the current topic was very embarrassing. So, she changed the subject and said, "Have you noticed that Regina seems to have gained a lot of weight recently?"
"Of course, I noticed," Karen said, following up. "And I also discovered a secret: the reason Regina gained weight is likely related to Cady's weight loss product. If that's true, perhaps this is also a good opportunity for us…"
What good opportunity? Of course, it's a good opportunity to overthrow the "Queen Bee's" tyrannical rule.
Don't let Karen's usual innocent and naive appearance fool you; she is actually very sensitive to certain things.
Furthermore, Regina clearly doesn't get along with Mike, so if she had to choose sides, Karen would definitely stand with Mike.
Gretchen, seeing her good friend's attention diverted, also breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, she wasn't very interested in overthrowing the "Queen Bee"; instead, it was the issue with Mike that made her feel very awkward.
At this moment, Gretchen's mind was still echoing with Karen's melodious singing from the entire afternoon. Even further, she couldn't help but fantasize about the scene after she replaced her.
This situation made Gretchen feel stimulated, but deep down, she also felt a profound sense of guilt.
…
Meanwhile, Mike and the others, led by Georgie, arrived at a mid-to-high-end seafood restaurant.
This restaurant was not far from Cooper house, and its reviews were excellent. Georgie had wanted to try the food there for a long time.
After arranging for everyone to be seated, Georgie took the menu and said generously, "My treat today, everyone order whatever you like—"
It was clear that Georgie, free from financial pressure, was in a very good mood. Now in his middle age, he could be considered to have both a successful career and a happy family.
Seeing her husband's happy expression, Mary also smiled. But soon, she couldn't smile anymore.
Although this restaurant was only mid-to-high-end, the prices of the dishes still surprised Mary, who was accustomed to being frugal.
Looking at each main dish, with prices exceeding one hundred dollars, Mary ultimately only chose a sirloin steak.
This restaurant specialized in seafood, so steak, which was common in Texas, was still reasonably priced.
Then the menu came to Georgie's hands, and he was immediately attracted by the giant seafood platter on the menu: "I want a seafood plat…"
Just as he was about to order, Georgie noticed Mary's gaze sweeping over him and, admitting defeat, changed his order: "I want a seafood risotto."
Compared to the seafood platter of over one hundred dollars, the seafood risotto, priced at over twenty dollars, was more acceptable.
"My turn, my turn…"
After Georgie finished ordering, Missy snatched the menu: "I want a Boston lobster—"
The little girl deliberately ignored her mother's warning gaze and directly ordered the large dish at the top of the menu.
Boston lobster was a specialty here, and depending on the lobster's weight, prices usually ranged from one hundred fifty to three hundred dollars.
"Missy—" Mary quickly spoke, trying to get her daughter to choose a cheaper dish.
"It's alright, Mary. Today we're here to enjoy ourselves, so don't worry about it." George immediately intervened, defending his youngest daughter.
Moreover, they were out in public, and as the head of the family, George also wanted to save face. He didn't want their family meal to appear too meager.
To avoid awkwardness, George took the menu and directly ordered: grilled anchovies, grilled marlin with pineapple, calamari rolls with salad dressing, and several other dishes.
"Is there anything else you want to eat?" George asked after ordering.
Including the three dishes ordered earlier, the price of this meal had already exceeded George's weekly salary.
Connie smiled and shook her head, indicating that there was enough food, and Mike also shook his head.
Only Georgie raised his hand: "Um, can I still order that seafood platter?"
"Of course—" George fulfilled his eldest son's request and also told the waiter about the seafood platter.
Afterward, he specifically asked the restaurant for a bottle of red wine.
Feeling his wife's disapproving small movements under the table, George gently said, "Mary, we haven't been out to eat in a long time. Next time I get paid, I'll treat you to a better restaurant for a big meal, just the two of us."
Hearing her husband say this, Mary was also a little touched. She stopped pinching him and gave her husband a hug.
In a warm atmosphere, a table full of dishes was successively placed on the dining table.
After the pre-meal prayer, George poured a glass of red wine for himself, his wife, and Connie, then raised his glass and gestured: "Alright, everyone, let's eat—"
Just as everyone was about to enjoy the delicious food, Missy suddenly shrieked.
"What's wrong?" George asked, putting down his wine glass.
"It's looking at me—" Missy said, pointing at the large lobster in front of her, looking scared.
It turned out that when plating, the head of the Boston lobster was facing directly towards the little girl.
The three-pound lobster was very large, and its head, with two black eyes staring, was indeed very frightening to the little girl.
"Don't be scared, Missy, it's just food…" George said, thoughtfully coming to his daughter's side.
He first detached the lobster head, then broke off a large claw, and after preparing it, mixed it with some tender lobster meat and placed it all on his daughter's plate.
"Alright, you can eat now." George returned to his seat only after taking care of his daughter.
Just as he was about to clink glasses with his wife, he watched his daughter put the prepared lobster meat into Mike's plate next to her.
Well, his little cotton jacket was letting the wind in.
"Mike, quickly try if the lobster meat is delicious." Missy obediently presented her treasure: "If it's delicious, I'll ask dad to bring us again next time…"
"You eat too…" Mike politely divided the lobster meat into two portions. After tasting the smaller portion on his plate, he said, "It tastes good. Next time, it'll be my turn to treat you."
"It's a deal then—" Missy showed a cute smile, directly taking this as Mike's invitation to her.
In a pleasant atmosphere, the meal lasted for nearly an hour, and overall, the dishes at this restaurant were worth the price.
On the way back, Mary, for once, spontaneously linked arms with her husband.