A Risky Move
Meanwhile, Arthur had taken the mysterious crystal-like device—unaware it was Aelira's lost technology—from his room and handed it over to his research team, hoping they could uncover its origins and purpose. He suspected it might be worth a small fortune or contain something groundbreaking, though he had no idea just how significant it truly was.
Back at the office, Aelira hatched a new plan to secure a contract with Arthur's company for Lou's restaurant. Determined, she disguised her intentions by pretending to deliver a "special meal" directly to Arthur. She cleverly slipped the contract papers onto his desk, hoping he might sign them by mistake in the pile of documents needing his attention.
As she placed the food on his desk, she noticed Arthur's distracted expression. She gently nudged the plate closer, insisting, "Please, try it. It's a specialty dish. You won't regret it." Arthur politely declined at first, clearly focused on an upcoming meeting. Undeterred, Aelira took matters into her own hands, picking up a small piece and playfully offering it to him.
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Reluctantly, Arthur allowed her to feed him a bite, more out of impatience than genuine interest. As Aelira left, she felt a sense of satisfaction, hoping her plan would work and he'd sign the contract in the stack of papers.
However, not long after, Arthur began to feel slightly dizzy. Brushing it off as stress from his busy schedule, he hurried to his meeting, but the discomfort soon escalated. His skin flushed, and he felt short of breath—a reaction he hadn't felt in years. Alarmed, his team rushed him to the hospital, where doctors quickly identified the cause: a severe allergic reaction.
As he regained clarity, the doctor asked, "Are you allergic to seafood?" Arthur nodded, still groggy.
The doctor shook his head in disbelief. "Then why did you eat it?"
Arthur's mind raced back to Aelira, remembering her insistence and the way she had, quite literally, fed him the bite. Frustration simmered as he realized she was somehow connected to this entire incident.
News of his sudden hospitalization quickly spread, and within hours, the story had hit the media: "Prominent Businessman Admitted to Hospital After Incident at Lou's Restaurant." The media attention added to the embarrassment, casting a shadow over both Arthur's day and the reputation of Lou's establishment.
Back at the restaurant, Aelira's heart sank as she caught wind of the news report. She hadn't known about Arthur's seafood allergy, and now, her plan had backfired disastrously.