Selena carefully stepped forward, her resolve firm not to let the man leave without settling the bill. However, he did not look like someone who would dodge a bill, right? As she awaited Lance's answer, she pondered the situation. "Another card?" Lance snapped out of his thoughts, shaking his head. "This is the only one I carry." Typically, when he was out on business or handling daily affairs, Isaac was his constant companion. Isaac took care of everything—meals, meetings, logistics—allowing Lance to concentrate solely on business partnerships and negotiations. Even something as routine as settling bills was usually managed by Isaac. Hence, Lance rarely carried anything on him, not even his phone, which Isaac handled. Today was an exception for him to even have a card.Reflecting on it, Lance missed Isaac's assistance more than ever. With Isaac around, such embarrassing moments were avoidable. However, since that incident where Isaac had to urgently fly back to Halton with documents, Lance was on his own. And with Virginia ... Lance's thoughts briefly flickered to Virginia, who was still in the hospital in Kreshill, and he shook his head. "Sir?" Selena noticed Lance's distraction and gently prodded him. "I don't have any other cards," Lance reaffirmed, returning his focus to the matter at hand. "What about using a mobile payment app?" The bill was quite hefty, and not everyone would have such an amount readily available in their mobile payment apps. However, the man before her, from his demeanor to his outfit, clearly seemed well-off. Surely, he could manage a mobile transaction. Upon hearing Selena's suggestion, Lance unlocked his new phone and navigated to a payment app. To his dismay, the balance read a stark 0.00, a reminder of his impulsive act of breaking his old phone after an argument with Addison. This new phone had not been set up fully; it lacked even the basic financial links he had before. The flush of embarrassment that crept up Lance's cheeks was rare, and it deepened as he processed his predicament. His life, usually so controlled and seamless, had never seen a moment as low as this. Watching his reaction, Selena sensed the gravity of the situation. Could it be that this seemingly affluent man was unable to settle a simple bill? This revelation was startling. Is this a case of being all show and no substance? "Perhaps you could contact the lady who dined with you earlier to settle the bill?" she suggested tentatively. The suggestion caused Lance's expression to freeze, his eyes emitting a chilling frost that seemed to lower the temperature of the room.Realizing her misstep, Selena quickly backpedaled, "I-I shouldn't have suggested that ... " Despite her retraction, there seemed to be no other viable solution. Gathering her courage, she explained further, "Sir, since you insisted on settling the bill yourself, I had to close the account under the lady's name earlier. "According to our restaurant's policy, once an account is closed for the day, it cannot be reopened until the next day ... "So now, we cannot transfer this order back to the lady's account. "The only option is for her to come back and make the payment herself." Lance's expression soured. Did he have to endure such a humiliating moment in front of Addison? "Why don't you try calling her?" He had just made a point of not letting a woman pay for him, insisting on Selena refunding Addison's payment. Now, asking Addison to return to pay for him? It was thoroughly humiliating.The furrow between Lance's eyebrows deepened, a clear sign of his inner turmoil. "What do you think? If it's difficult for you, I can make the call myself. I can retrieve the lady's contact details." Lance remained silent. "If you don't respond, I'll take that as a yes." With no reply forthcoming, Selena felt compelled to pick up the phone and dial Addison. Addison was already nearing Daves Residence when her phone began to ring. She glanced at the screen and saw an unfamiliar number. She chose to ignore it initially. However, as the ringing persisted, increasingly intrusive, it finally drove her to pull over and answer the call. "Hello?" Her tone carried a hint of irritation. "Hello, this is Hawthorne. May I speak with Ms. Addison Daves?" the polite voice of the waitress came through.