“It must have been Trent; he must have slipped it into my pocket while I was at the counter paying for his medical bills," she realized aloud. "I left my jacket there."

Gerard's discomfort lingered.

“I would've turned it down if I'd known," she told him reassuringly.

Men sometimes need that extra bit of reassurance too.

“I trust you." Gerard finally relaxed.

Seated next to Gerard, Lilah dialed Trent's number on speakerphone.

After several rings, he answered. "Miss Phillips."

"Trent, I've told you before, there's nothing between us. I found the gift you left in my jacket. I'm going to return it tomorrow," Lilah stated firmly.

There was a brief silence before Trent responded with a light chuckle, saying, "Keep it. It's just a small token. We're still friends, right? Friends can exchange gifts, can't they?"

Lilah said firmly, "You know, it's pretty normal for friends to exchange gifts, but what you gave me is just too much. I haven't even opened it yet, but from the packaging alone, it's clear it's expensive. We're not that close. Such an expensive gift wasn't necessary. I can't keep it. Plus, I have a boyfriend, and it might give him the wrong idea if I accept something so lavish from you."

She observed Gerard as she spoke, noting the slight smile on his face.

Trent appeared somewhat disheartened by her words. "I'm sorry if the gift caused any misunderstanding," he said.

"No worries, I'll give it back to you tomorrow," Lilah declared.

Trent simply responded, "Okay."

After hanging up the phone, Lilah turned to Gerard and remarked, "I made it clear to him."

Gerard nodded slightly. "Yeah."

After their meal arrived, Gerard served some meat to Lilah and casually changed the subject. "Kenneth plans to take Jerrold to a youth art exhibition tomorrow," he mentioned.

"That sounds like a fantastic opportunity! Definitely let him go,"

Lilah replied eagerly.

"I agree. It'll be interesting to see how Jerrold's painting skills have progressed," Gerard said as he carefully placed more meat onto Lilah's plate.

Lilah tasted the food and nodded, “It seems like a great experience for Jerrold, but unfortunately, I can't make it tomorrow."

“Don't worry. Kenneth will take care of Jerrold," Gerard assured her.

Lilah nodded and replied, “Looks like everything's in place now."

Meanwhile, online interest in the upcoming youth art exhibition continued to build.