?Chapter 1500:


    Once they were settled in their booth, the group chatted casually, except for Johnson, who silently sipped his drink.


    His demeanor suggested that something was weighing on his mind.


    “Is something wrong, Johnson?” Belinda asked. “What’s bothering you?”


    Before Johnson could get a word in, Lucas interjected with a smirk, “Honestly, if it’s not about Catherine, I can’t imagine what else could possibly be weighing on his mind.”


    Bethany let out augh, unable to hold it back.


    Even Vincent couldn’t help but crack a smile.


    Meanwhile, Johnson shot Lucas a half-exasperated, half-defeated look before sighing. “As much as I hate to admit it… You’re absolutely right.”


    Lucas gave a quiet chuckle, casually crossing his long legs and ncing at him. “Go on, spill it.”


    Johnson lowered his gaze. “It’s nothing major. It’s just that… Cathy has been avoiding me againtely.”


    His voice dropped a notch. “And honestly, I don’t know what to do about it.” “I’ve tried everything I could think of, even using a fake girlfriend to make her jealous. I am at aplete loss as to what else I can do now.” His shoulders sank, and his expression dimmed. “I’m just worried that if I push any harder, I’ll only drive her farther away.”


    Bethany tilted her head thoughtfully. “Maybe Catherine thinks you’re about to get engaged to Zoie. That could be why she’s avoiding you.”


    Johnson didn’t respond, but the furrow in his brow deepened.


    Lucas spoke up again. “Honestly? I believed using another woman to make Catherine jealous was a bad idea from the start. There are better, more honest ways to gauge someone’s feelings. This kind of trickery might just backfire and push her further away.”


    As soon as he finished speaking, Belinda couldn’t help but say, “How is it a bad idea? If Catherine sees Johnson with another woman and feels a stab of jealousy, it could make her realize her true feelings for Johnson. She rejected him when he confessed his feelings for her honestly. That didn’t get him anywhere. So, taking a different approach makes perfect sense.”


    Straightening her posture, she added with conviction, “Even if things still seem uncertain on the surface, I can see it. Catherine’s feelings for Johnson have definitely changed. She really likes him.”


    Her rapid-fire defense of Johnson’s strategy made Lucas quickly surrender. “Alright, you win, Belinda. Maybe I was oversimplifying things.”


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    Belinda gave him a sidelong nce and let out a huff, clearly unimpressed.


    Then, she turned her face away.


    Lucas could only shake his head and chuckle resignedly.


    Observing this yful exchange, Johnson and Vincent traded nces, both thinking the same thing:


    Lucas, so famously aloof, so difficult to sway, had clearly fallen entirely under Belinda’s spell.


    The most remarkable part? He didn’t seem to mind in the slightest.


    Love truly had a way of humbling even the proudest of men.


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