They were still shaken by the last incident, so they decided not to go out for a few days until they felt safe again.
After spending several days at home, they finally went out for Rita's wedding dress fitting. At first, her mother and aunt wanted to accompany them, but Rita insisted that they stay home. She assured them that she would be fine with Lily and Jasmine.
The showroom was enormous, filled with thousands of dresses, but Rita showed little interest in any of them. Her friends noticed this and wanted to talk to her privately, but for the moment, they focused on helping her find the perfect dress.
After trying on multiple gowns, all three of them were exhausted and desperately hungry. Spotting a newly opened fancy restaurant outside the showroom, they decided to give it a try.
As soon as they entered, Lily noticed Gilbert standing near the entrance with his two friends, talking to the waiter. Excited, she immediately walked over to him while Rita and Jasmine asked for a table.
Gilbert looked at Lily in confusion. She pointed toward Rita's table and invited him to join them.
Gilbert glanced at Rita and was about to decline politely, but before he could say anything, his friend Ray happily accepted the invitation.
A few moments later, Lily returned with Gilbert and his two friends. Rita could hardly process what was happening. Meanwhile, Ray and Sara quickly introduced themselves to Lily and Jasmine. Both Gilbert and Rita didn't want to appear rude in front of everyone, so they played along, though neither said a word to the other.
They all sat at a large table meant for six. Gilbert sat directly opposite Rita, with Ray and Sara beside him. Rita wanted to bang her head against the table, but she somehow managed to control herself.
Jasmine noticed her discomfort and quietly asked, "Is everything okay?"
Rita forced a smile. "Hmm, I'm fine."
Since Gilbert was busy talking to Sara the entire time, Jasmine assumed Rita might be jealous. She wanted to discuss it with Lily, but Ray seemed to be quite interested in Lily and was continuously flirting with her.
Worried about Rita, Jasmine decided to help. She turned to Gilbert and asked, "Have you decided what you're going to wear on the wedding day? We've already finished most of our shopping."
Gilbert smiled confidently. "I'm already good-looking. Everything looks good on me. Don't you think I'm handsome?"
Jasmine laughed. "Rita should answer that."
Rita felt so embarrassed that she wished she could disappear. However, she replied indifferently, "People can think whatever they want. I'm no one to decide."
Everyone at the table sensed the awkwardness.
Before anyone could say anything, Sara chimed in, "You have every right to decide. You're his fiancée—and his wife in just a few days."
Hearing this, Gilbert suddenly spat out some of his wine onto the table.
Sara quickly handed him a tissue and said, "Are you a kid or what?"
When he still struggled to clean himself properly, she reached for another tissue, but Gilbert stopped her.
"It's okay. I'm fine. My stomach just got upset from seeing certain people."
Rita immediately shot back, "Your stomach might be upset because you're the only person here with bad intentions."
The entire table fell silent.
Without saying a word, Gilbert stood up, placed some money on the table, and prepared to leave.
But Rita quickly rose from her seat, snatched the money, and slipped it back into his coat pocket.
"Considering your family's situation, you need this more than anyone else here."
Before Gilbert could react, Ray and Sara quickly pulled him away.