***

    "Have you been waiting long?" Friedrich asked when the driver opened the door for Hannah and ushered the girl into the back seat with Friedrich.

    "No, I just got here. Thank you for picking me up," said Hannah.

    "No problem. I happen to go home early today," Friedrich said. He gave a signal, and the driver immediately drove the car home.

    Hannah and Friedrich showered and changed into nice clothes for a special dinner. The two of them were ready to leave for their eight o''clock dinner appointment and were waiting for Charles to come down from his room to join them.

    The teenager came down from the second floor with a face pretending to wince in pain. "I can''t go to dinner with you guys ... *sob*. My stomach hurts. I think I ate too much yogurt today. Can''t you just eat alone with Hannah?"

    Hannah was stunned to see Charles'' bad acting, while Friedrich seemed to cough at what his brother said.

    The two of them knew that Charles was pretending to be sick to let Friedrich and Hannah have dinner alone.

    Having dinner at a fancy restaurant alone without Charles would seem like a ... date, right?

    Charles wasn''t good at acting, but somehow neither Friedrich nor Hannah called him out on his lie and forced him to join them for dinner at a restaurant. Hannah only smiled wryly when she saw Charles wink at her.

    Hannah really liked the teenager and she was grateful that Charles had supported her to win Friedrich''s heart. Although, in fact, Hannah herself wasn''t sure Friedrich would like her back.

    Their driver took Friedrich and Hahnah to a fancy restaurant downtown. This restaurant was a place where celebrities or the very rich who lived in the city of Seattle usually go to eat.

    Hannah wore elegant clothes and that night she looked very beautiful. Meanwhile, as usual, Friedrich wore dark formal clothes. In fact, according to Hannah, Friedrich should have worn light-colored outfits for his age since he was still so young and so full of life.

    However, she understood that as a boss in a large company, Friedrich had to show an authoritative appearance. That''s why the young man was used to wearing formal clothes that looked stiff.

    Luckily, Friedrich was so handsome that the clothes that would normally make other people look boring actually made him look more mature and dignified.

    "Thank you for taking me to dinner outside," Hannah said with a sweet smile. "Happy Birthday."

    The girl took out a small box from her handbag and handed it to Friedrich.

    "Don''t bother to give me anything," says Fridrich. He knew that the girl did not have much money and he did not want to see Hanhah spending her small salary on giving him a birthday present. "I don''t need anything."

    "It''s okay. It''s not expensive," said Hannah. "Today, I get my salary anyway. So I already have some money."

    "Hmm .. then, thank you," Friedrich finally relented. "Can I open it now?"

    "Yes, please," said Hannah.

    Friedrich then opened the gift box Hannah gave him just now, and in it, he found a blue tie clip. It was simple but looked classy. He smiled and nodded, "Thank you. This is wonderful."

    "You''re welcome. It can''t be compared to what you have given me," said Hannah happily. "I just want to show you how grateful I am for everything you have done for me."

    Friedrich did not want to prolong the conversation about how much he had helped Hannah and how she owed him favors. Therefore, he immediately took the menu and handed it over to Hannah.

    The girl understood and immediately chose the food she wanted. After the dishes they ordered arrived, the two of them enjoyed dinner quietly.

    "How''s your work on Atlas X so far?" asked Friedrich, taking a sip of his wine. "Do you like your job?"

    Hannah nodded. "Yes, I really like it. Thank you for finding me a job at your office."

    The girl was silent for a moment. She remembered that she said after she received her salary, she would find a new place to live. Now, that time would soon come. She had to discuss her move with Friedrich so that the young man could get ready.

    "By the way, I''ve received my salary. So I''ve started looking for a place to live," said Hana. "I won''t bother you any longer."

    "You never bother me," Friedrich said. He took a fork and knife and tried to cut the steak served in front of him. Somehow his hands suddenly tingled.

    Seeing the young man looking troubled, Hannah immediately asked.

    "What''s the matter? Do you need help cutting steak?"

    "I''m fine. My hands tingle. That is all," Friedrich replied.

    "Since when did you feel the tingling in your hand?" Hannah asked in surprise.

    Friedrich just shrugged. "It''s been a few months."

    "Gosh. Did you see a doctor?"

    Friedrich shook his head and chuckled at Hannah''s worried tone.

    "It''s just a tingling sensation, nothing bad. I guess it''s because I''m too busy working," the young man said lightly.

    "Oh, but when it''s been months, I don''t think it''s just plain tingling. You should get checked out."

    "I am alright." Friedrich continued to insist, and he kept trying to cut the steak with his knife. However, somehow his hands were trembling even more.

    The young man''s face began to look annoyed and embarrassed at the same time. Hannah felt bad, letting the man struggle with his food. She then held Friedrich''s hand gently and looked at him with a sweet smile.

    "It''s fine. Let me help you, okay? I think you need to let your hands rest," coaxed the girl.

    Friedrich just stared at Hana''s hand that was holding his hand. Somehow his chest suddenly felt a pounding. He no longer refused when Hannah cut the steak for him.

    "Go ahead. The meat has been cut into small pieces. You just have to eat," said the girl, smiling sweetly. She then cut her own steak and acted as if nothing had happened. Friedrich finally relented. He ate his steak, which had been cut into small pieces by Hannah, and said nothing.

    Their dinner became very quiet. Hannah became uneasy. She was sorry that she had cut the steak for Friedrich just now.. She understood that the man felt his ego nudged because a woman had helped him with his food.