?<strong>Chapter 165:</strong>


    “Of course, I don’t mind,” Belinda replied, her voice calm but tinged with a hint of reluctance.


    With that, they all settled into the booth together.


    As Debra and Percy joined the group, Kylee and Lillie shifted their focus, their attention fixated on the siblings. They surrounded them, effortlessly steering the conversation and pulling out topics to discuss.


    At some point in the conversation, Debra’s voice cut through the chatter. “Did you mean Darren? Oh, wait a second. I’ll call him and have him join us now.” She fished out her phone, her fingers tapping quickly as she dialed Darren’s number.


    “Hey, Darren, it’s Debra. Belinda and I are at Nostalgia Lounge now. Got time to join us?”


    Augh escaped Debra’s lips as she listened, nodding along to whatever Darren had said on the other end of the line. “Great! We’ll wait for you.”


    She hung up and turned to Kylee and Lillie, a smile ying on her lips. “Darren said he’ll be here soon.”


    Lillie’s face lit up with a pleased smile, her eyes gleaming with interest.


    Belinda, watching this, couldn’t help but furrow her brows. What was that look on Lillie’s face? What was she nning to do now?


    The subtle look left Belinda a bit puzzled.


    About an hourter, Darren finally arrived.


    “Darren!” Debra waved excitedly at him, her voice bright.


    Darren acknowledged her with a nod and then made his way to the booth, directly sitting down beside Belinda without hesitation.


    “Darren,” Belinda greeted him with a warm smile.


    Just as Darren was about to speak, a soft voice cut through the air unexpectedly.


    “Darren, may I call you by your first name?” Both Belinda and Darren looked up. It was Kylee who had spoken.


    Belinda couldn’t help but smirk inwardly at the tone of Kylee’s question.


    Darren, of course, knew who Kylee was. His eyes shed with coldness as he gave a blunt response. “No, you may not.”


    Kylee, caught off guard by the direct refusal, flinched slightly, her face turning a shade of pink from embarrassment. She quickly said, “Sorry, Mr. Thomas. I just thought… Since Belinda is so close to the Thomas family now, our families are somewhat rted, so I thought we could be closer…”


    However, Darren responded with a short, coldugh, his expression dark.


    Darren fixed Kylee with a mocking gaze, his tone biting. “The Thomas family is close to Belinda—not the Wright family. I trust you can grasp the distinction.”


    Kylee’s expression shifted immediately. She felt humiliated now. She hadn’t expected Darren to so openly dismiss the Wright family. The meaning in his words was unmistakable: the Thomas family only recognized Belinda, and this had nothing to do with the Wright family. So, there was no point for the Wright family to try to get close to the Thomas family.


    The air grew thick with tension. Kylee looked utterly embarrassed, and even Debra and Percy appeared uneasy.


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