Chapter 200: Upon arriving at the restaurant, Floyd, with a flourish, served Allison a plate of food, his chin resting thoughtfully in his hand.

"Allison," he began, "I recall your fondness for celery back in Vrining. Do you remember those street stall days? You'd munch on it like candy. A girl even commented you looked like a rabbit!"

A helpless smile played on Allison's lips as the memories resurfaced. "How do you still remember that? I was on a vegetable kick because your meat dishes were…uninspired, to say the least. You tried that hometown specialty and nearly set the kitchen on fire! We almost got into serious trouble."

"How can you still bring that up?" she teased, laughter filling the air between them, creating an intimate bubble that excluded everyone else.

Nearby, Kellan listened intently, a simmering irritation brewing within him as he struggled to maintain a calm facade. Their shared history felt foreign, almost intrusive.

"Ms. Clarke," he finally interjected, his voice controlled, "given your…closeness with Mr. Floyd, I'm curious about your relationship." A sly smile touched Floyd's lips. "Why don't you take a guess?"

Allison met Kellan's gaze with a composed smile. "Mr. Lloyd, what do you think our relationship is?"

Kellan's fists clenched beneath the table as he searched for an answer, his mind a blank. Floyd, unfazed, replied with deliberate casualness, "You can't figure it out from how well we get along? Regardless of our closeness, we live in different countries now, so we've drifted apart."

"I'm also a good friend of Allison's now," Kellan stated, "and I can look after her just fine. You don't need to worry." He didn't realize how possessive his words sounded.

"Is that so?" Floyd replied, arching an eyebrow. Kellan, even to himself, was surprisingly possessive.

Allison set down her fork and met Kellan's gaze. "So, aside from being friends, is there anything else between you and me, Mr. Lloyd?" Her intense stare was captivating.

He stifled a nervous flutter, lowering his eyes. "And…we are business partners."

She slowly withdrew her gaze. "Indeed." An indescribable wave of emotion washed over her. Absentmindedly, she poked her fork into the celery, creating tiny holes. He only saw her as a friend and colleague. Perhaps that was for the best.

The remainder of the meal felt flavorless. Floyd glanced at the gathering clouds. "Allison, where are you staying? I could give you a ride home."

"No need," Kellan interjected coolly. "My place is far from hers, and we have company matters to attend to tonight."

Allison frowned. "What's going on with the company?"

"A security breach. I just got the news. Why does this keep happening?" The memory of the last incident weighed heavily on her. Turning to Floyd, she said, "You should head back. I need to go to the company to address the server issue."

Floyd nodded. "It's all good. You go ahead. You have your career to tend to, and I'll always support you."

Kellan, noticing Floyd's subtle attempts to impress Allison, felt a surge of annoyance. With a sour expression, he grabbed his car keys and headed to the company with Allison.