"I might have fibbed a bit. He's not really my boyfriend. He's a mutual friend of Rosalynn and me."

In order to garner Barlow's favor for a request, she decided to keep her demeanor as amicable as possible.

Regardless of his comments, she resolved to avoid snapping back at him.

“Really now? So, you've taken up the habit of flirting with your male friends in public?" Barlow sneered.

Karina managed to suppress her rising anger, responding with a strained smile, "We're just really close friends."

"So close that you introduce him as your boyfriend?"

Again, Karina was left speechless

She was growing increasingly irritated by him.

Her instinct was to retort and end the call.

However, remembering that she needed his assistance, she took a deep breath and feigned a sugary voice.

"No, it's just...I'm a little shy!

You caught me off-guard with that sudden kiss. I was flustered and unsure about my feelings towards you."

“You mean to say you might like me?"

The idea seemed ridiculous to her.

How could she ever Like a man so manipulative?

But Karina couldn't vocalize these thoughts and continued in her sweetly innocent voice, “I'm shy. Don't interrogate me so bluntly.”

“Stop pretending. Speak normally," Barlow interjected.

Karina coughed, reverting to her regular tone.

“Enough of this. Are you joining me for Lunch or not?"

Pretending was exhausting.

“Of course! Just share the location.”

Half an hour Later, they found themselves in a swanky restaurant.