Chapter 1263

Aurora immediately sensed something was off.

She spoke up suddenly, her tone carrying genuine concern. “Mr. Lewis, are your eyes bothering you today?”

The words startled Daniel so much that a cold sweat broke out along his back.

He hurriedly waved his hands. “No, no, nothing like that. I didn’t mean anything. I only wanted to send you my best wishes. When I heard about your opening, I came especially to congratulate you.”

This time, he kept himself from glancing at Lucas again.

Just the thought of sitting at the same table with him later made his whole body tense.

He hadn’t interacted with Lucas directly before, but even hearing about him from Desmond was enough to unsettle him.

Lucas, however, kept his gaze fixed on Daniel, his eyes dark and sharp. If word of his identity slipped today, Daniel’s project might very well be taken back.

Aurora still felt something was odd about Daniel’s behavior, but since he insisted nothing was wrong, she couldn’t press the matter further.

“Since you came all this way, why not stay and join us for a meal?” she suggested.

“This, well, I…” Daniel deliberately dragged out his words, flashing a signal to his secretary.

The secretary caught on quickly and spoke up with deference.

“Mr. Lewis, we still have another dinner engagement. The timing clashes with Miss Walton’s invitation, so I’m afraid we can’t stay.”

“Oh, yes, yes, that’s right—I do have another dinner,” Daniel chimed in loudly.

Aurora was speechless.

His obvious relief made her suspect this “dinner” was nothing but an excuse.

Lucas remained quiet.

Watching Daniel’s clumsy act from the side, he couldn’t even find words for it.

Lucas truly wondered what on earth Desmond usually told Daniel.

How could his mind work this poorly? That pitiful performance was so awkward it made Lucas want to curl his toes in secondhand embarrassment.

Megan was speechless inside, but she quietly leaned toward Aurora and whispered, “You know, maybe we shouldn’t press him. Feels like he really does have something going on – just couldn’t come up with a better excuse.”

Aurora nodded. “I know, don’t worry.”

If even Megan could see through it, how could Aurora possibly miss Daniel’s intentions?

Off to the side, the secretary rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

Their acting really was that clumsy – anyone could see through it. But at this point, there was no fixing it. The whole thing had come up too suddenly.

Daniel shifted awkwardly, toes curling in embarrassment.

He quickly said, “Well then, Miss Walton, since everything’s wrapped up here, I’ll take my leave. I’ve offered my congratulations, and I’ll visit you properly another time.”

“Alright then, goodbye, Mr. Lewis.”

Only once he left did Aurora finally let out a quiet breath.

When they were far enough away, Daniel couldn’t resist praising his secretary. “Not bad, you really reacted quickly just now.”

“Of course,” the secretary replied smoothly. “It’s my job to ease your burdens. Anything within my ability, I’ll make sure to handle for you.”

Hearing that, Daniel felt quite pleased. This secretary was far more reliable than the last one – better in just about every way.

Chapter 1264