The movie should be funny; the audience all laughed their ass off. It starred Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Elizabeth Banks, and Ken Jeong. The god of laughter from Korea, Ken freakin' Jeong. She should have been laughing till her stomach hurt; tears and snot overflowed. But she couldn't concentrate at all; her mind was swimming in riddle after riddle. So many questions popped up that she had no idea what to do.

Her palm supported her heavy head as she rested her elbow on the window sill. Her eyes were following the lights that were flying over her. Maybe in those lights, she could find the answers. The answer to all the question marks floating inside her amygdala, the answer that contained the solution, the answer to choosing what was right to do. But even if it was the right thing to do, should she do it? Could she do it? What would Wilson do if he was her?

"Are you OK, Little Rabbit? You are so quiet..... what's up? " Lyle asked her while he was parking his car.

"I'm fine, just occupied. Where are we? " Lyle said he was taking her to a dinner in a restaurant he frequently visited, it said Waterfront Restaurant & Bar. "Wait, are we allowed to dine inside? We are teenagers.... "

"Relax..... we are eating in their restaurant, not the bar... " Lyle held her hand and walked inside.

The restaurant was crowded as expected; it was dinner time, and no one under 20 dined there. The upper-scale restaurant was surrounded by the river, as the name suggested. The interior was luxurious and contemporary, cozy with grey, brown, blue, and gold colors. The patio seats were made of thick stainless steel, overlooking the river with a huge red umbrella attached to each stainless square table. Many small yellow light bulbs were lit on the deck; it was a romantic and intimate setting.

As Lyle said, he was a frequent customer here; a host greeted him politely and took them to a square table for two; he pulled out Renata's chair and sat her. A delicate flower arrangement was placed in the middle of their table. On her top right were three glasses, and on her top left was a bread plate with a butter knife on it. A golden coffee brown napkin tied with a grey ribbon sat on top of the golden-rimmed white plate in front of her. The host elegantly spread the napkin on her lap before leaving; he must have done this millions of times; she bet he could do it with his eyes closed.

Soon a young female server, Nancy, came with two menu books. Before Lyle said anything, Renata informed her that they were going Dutch, much to Lyle's surprise. But he didn't inquire any further; he then ordered an appetizer of charcuterie for 2, a Pittsburg-style Woodland 8 oz. Filet Mignon for the main, Parm Truffle Fries for the sides, and a glass of Waterfront Mudslide. Renata then placed her order, which included lobster bisque, Asiago salmon for her main course, and piña colada & strawberry daiquiri for her drink. While waiting for the food, Renata asked about his other hobbies; aside from driving sports cars. He told her about his fondness for playing competitive sports.

After 20 minutes or so, Nancy brought their orders. They ate mostly in silence, with Renata lost in thought and Lyle preoccupied with his BlackBerry. Earlier in the day, Lyle's glued attention to his phone had never bothered her; she didn't care. It also didn't bother her now, but it had a different meaning since this afternoon. She tried to curb her eyes, but she instinctively stared for a blink of a second at his phone whenever it vibrated.

"So... how do you think our dates so far? I hope it wasn't too bad. " He placed his knife and fork aligned on top of his plate, a sign that he had finished his food.

"It was fine, thanks. I was enjoying our outing. " Renata dabbed the corner of her lips and gave him a formal smile she had practiced so many times; it was necessary to learn how to do a business smile, as her father once said.

"You know, I was curious about you..... " He stopped in the middle of his speech as he noticed a petite middle-aged woman dressed in a stylish knee-length black dress approaching their table. He abruptly stood and kissed her cheek. "Mom, what are you doing here? " He was obviously surprised by her presence from his tone of voice. His mom kissed his cheek and rubbed her lipstick off of him.

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

Renata understood at once why Lyle was a stunner; his mom was devilishly gorgeous. Deep blue eyes, thick curls of long blonde hair, and a dainty pretty face that could rival any 1960s beauty. "I was having an early dinner with a friend. Who is this young lady? " She looked at Renata, and observed her up and down, stopping at the bag on her chair.

"Good evening, Ma'am. I'm Renata, a school friend. " She wondered why the lady was watching her bag intently, not paying attention to her greeting.

"Your bag is unique. I've purchased Rosaline Perlée bags several times before, but I've never seen this bag before. Where did you get this? "

Renata wanted to roll her eyes. Not again, she thought. "My mom gave it to me. I'm not sure where she got it from. "

The lady watched her face and for a split second, realization dawned on her, "Is your father's name Patrick Tan? Are your parents perhaps the owners of Rosaline Perlée? "

Renata was surprised that Lyle's mom knew her family. She nodded without saying anything. She couldn't possibly deny her parents. She dreaded what would happen in school if people knew who she was. Would people start gossiping about her and her parents behind her back? Would they outcast her? Or would they start approaching her with the intention of getting close to her parents? Would Wilson treat her differently?

"Oh my God? " The lady put her hands on her chest exaggeratedly, "I should have noticed...." The lady grabbed both of Renata's hands. "Your father once rented space in one of our buildings in New York, but then he bought a place for his store, so... Please say my greeting to him; my name is Carol. Well, kids, I should get going, you two have a nice dinner, OK? Lyle, be nice to her. Bye..... " After giving Lyle a hug, she left with a man, linking her arm to his.

"O~kay.... that was unexpected..... No wonder you had the gall to yell at me earlier; others wouldn't dare to defy me, some would even join me...... I would never have guessed..... you own a famous brand-name handbag store and you never told anyone in our school??? "

"Technically, my parents are the owners. I'm not. "

"Well..... judging from the way you dress, the way you sit, the way you eat, even how you put your silverware away, they all speak that you have a good etiquette education. " He paused as he looked into her eyes, "You are one classy little lady, aren't you? Your parents taught you? "

She shook her head, "My parents sent me to an all-girls school. The school was strict. Aside from the normal curriculum, they taught us basic etiquette, including how to dine properly. " It would be impossible for your body not to act as a lady when you were forced to emulate etiquette 24/7 in whatever you were doing. She and her friends even called themselves "inmates" as a nod to the prison-like boarding school.

"I must say, I'm impressed..... I always take my date in these kinds of establishments..... I loved to see these girls pick the wrong fork to eat their salads; their spoons bumping into the soup bowls all the time; they were unable to cut their meat because they couldn't differentiate between a dinner knife, salad knife, or fish knife; they were cowering when other patrons stared at them because they couldn't eat properly. " He stared at Renata's face and continued, "These classless girls wanted people to put them on a pedestal and worship them while holding their chin high, wearing Prada, Chanel, Manolo Blahnik, Cartier.... just because they wear branded goods..... but so far, it was just that, a façade..... fakes could never be originals.... they think if they wear those things, they could be someone important....... I love to see when those so-called masks crumble, unable to hide the face behind..... You, on the other hand, have everything..... yet, you don't want to be seen? " He chuckled incredulously.

"It isn't like I'm hiding; I just don't see the need to tell everyone about my parents' store. " Why would she ever do that again?? Lessons learned. "Besides, it's just basic table manners; anyone could learn it. With time comes experience. " She was fidgeting, uneased under his unnerving, intense gaze, though she knew it was unladylike. She couldn't relax for a moment, afraid he would devour her if she lowered her guard. "Was that man your father? Sorry I didn't greet him earlier. " She changed the topic, wishing he would shift his attention.

"No, he is not my father. He is my mom's lover. "

Renata clasped her hand on her lips and said, "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry. I didn't know your parents were not together anymore. " That explained why they didn't look alike.

"No, you misunderstood....... My parents are not divorced....... They are still very married to each other, just with sides on each other's side. It's normal in my family....... both my parents came from prominent families; both knew they married for business....... as long as they keep out of each other's business, everyone is happy..... "

"So..... .Your parents married for business(money matter),....... but they stay out of each other's business(lovers matter)? " Huh^, that was weird, how did that even work? She thought that all marriages were like her parents'. Or perhaps she was wrong; perhaps her parents also had some sides on the side. The idea left her disconcerted.

"That's pretty much it.... to sum it up.... " He nodded, "Little Rabbit, remember the first time we met? I felt, for the very first time in my life, that I finally found someone who is my kin, someone who has the same social background as I do, someone who is as privileged as I am. We haven't known each other for long, but I feel that I have more connection with you than any girl I have ever been with. "

"You do? Really? " Though it was hard to believe, Renata couldn't help hoping what he said was true. But what about his 'sides'? Would he let go of those 'sides' if....

"You and I were destined, I know it, I can feel it.... Don't try to deny it, Little Rabbit, I know you like me too. So, be mine. " Lyle raised his hand to ask for her hand. "Be my girl, and I will make you my Queen..... and I will show you what it is like to be privileged... " His sure gaze captured her heartbeats; she was certain in the next second she would succumb to his demand; everything was irrelevant, forgotten.

A man's shout jarred her as she was about to give her hand. "Don't You Know Who I am!?!?!? " The man was berating Nancy for whatever reason; his table was two tables away from hers. His female partner kept eating, unperturbed by the huge man's obnoxious act.