Chapter 26
From behind, someone called out. Turning around, Alex’s eyes widened instantly. He felt like he wanted to die upon realizing that Nicole was already standing in front of him.
“You’ve been here all this time? Why didn’t you pick up my call, huh? I’ve been trying to reach —-”
“Oh, so Nicole is here too?”
At that moment, Aurora suddenly arrived. Without warning, she interjected. This immediately startled both Alex and Nicole, leaving them stiff.
“Did you two not plan to meet here?”
Alex shook his head repeatedly, clearly denying Aurora’s accusation just now.
“No, Sweetheart. I wouldn’t dare break a promise.”
“Okay.”
Alex looked very confused and nervous. His face turned pale. Suddenly, he was stressed about what explanation he would give to his wife.
Meanwhile, Aurora chose to sit back down. Looking at Nicole, she smiled.
“Why are you just standing there? Come, sit down. Might as well join us. You’re probably here to eat, right?”
“Aurora —”
Aurora raised her hand in the air, signaling for Alex not to continue his explanation.
“It’s okay, relax. I’m fine.” Turning away from Alex, Aurora looked at Nicole, who was still standing stiffly. Once again, she invited her cousin to join them at the table. “Come on, sit down. Are you afraid or something? If there’s nothing wrong, just relax. Besides, I’m just inviting you to eat together, not to fight.”
Standing in her place, Nicole, who was initially nervous, began to gather courage. Trying to act casual, she pulled out a chair and then sat down.
Kind-hearted Aurora even helped summon a waiter. She encouraged her cousin to order her favorite food.
“Feel free to order. Since you’re here, just order your favorite dish.”
Nicole remained silent. Looking at the menu, she deliberately chose the most expensive dish. After all, the reason for coming to this five-star restaurant was to enjoy good food, right?
Once all the orders arrived, the three of them enjoyed their respective meals in silence. No one spoke until Aurora, taking the lead, opened up the conversation.
“Looking at you, you’re getting prettier, aren’t you?”
Aurora said to Nicole, who was enjoying her food on her plate. She looked at her cousin without blinking.
“I guess you must be going to an expensive spa for treatments.”
Nicole lifted her face. She returned Aurora’s gaze without the previous fear and anxiety.
“Of course. I go to an expensive spa, that’s why I can keep looking this beautiful. Being beautiful and maintaining appearance can make the guy I’m close to happy and not regret choosing me.”
Aurora nodded, smiling.
“Hopefully, maintaining your appearance isn’t to please someone else’s husband.”
Alex suddenly choked. His ears suddenly felt hot upon hearing Aurora’s sarcasm, which seemed to be directed at him.
“Because…” Aurora sounded like she was continuing her sentence. She was incredibly spirited in her speech tonight. “It’s such a shame to invest in expensive treatments, have a beautiful face, and a sexy body, only to be treated as a mistress. Not a Queen.”
This time, Nicole’s face turned red. She was angry and offended by what Aurora had just said. Her cousin was blatantly mocking her.
“No, calm down,” Aurora retorted, not willing to back down. “You don’t need to worry. Even if I’m currently someone’s mistress, I’m sure I’ll soon be made a Queen by my partner here. Especially since I know his wife has just been a decoration all this time.”
Aurora nodded. She smiled sincerely, affirming what Nicole had just said.
“Hopefully, yes. I wish you all the best.”
Alex could only stay silent. If he responded, he was afraid it would backfire on him. He couldn’t even bring himself to look at Nicole. He was afraid Aurora might catch him and accuse him of all sorts of things.
Instead of risking it, he sought a safe way out without doing anything suspicious. He simply enjoyed his meal until it was time to go home.
“Let’s go, Sweetheart. We’re leaving now.”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.
Aurora got up first. She reached out her hand, urging Alex to get up. Then she affectionately linked arms with him.
“Nicole, we’re leaving first. You can go home by yourself, right?”
Nicole, still enjoying the remnants of her meal, nodded. She replied briefly, “Yes.”
“Well then, enjoy the rest of your dinner peacefully.”
Aurora then pulled Alex away to leave. They briefly stopped by the cashier’s desk, then quickly headed to the car.
Meanwhile, Nicole was seething as she enjoyed her steak on her plate. She cursed and swore at Aurora for belittling her earlier.
“Aurora is such a witch! Just you wait, I’ll snatch Alex from you. When the time comes, I swear I’ll be the only queen in Alex’s heart and life. We’ll see about that.”
Right after she finished saying those words, Nicole intended to leave. But before she could take a step, a restaurant waiter approached to intercept her.
“Excuse me, Miss. The bill for this table hasn’t been paid yet.”
Nicole was taken aback. Apparently, Alex and Aurora hadn’t paid for the food they ordered.
“Well, how much is the bill?”
The waiter handed the bill to Nicole. Standing beside the table, he waited for her to pay it immediately.
“What? The total is $2000?”
Nicole’s throat felt constricted. She almost went crazy upon realizing the unexpectedly high bill she had to pay. She deliberately chose the premium steak hoping that Aurora would pay for it. But why did it end up like this?
“Yes, Miss. The bill is high because there was one order that chose premium steak.”
Nicole closed her eyes. Suddenly, her head began to throb painfully. How was she going to pay such an unreasonable bill?
As if her headache wasn’t enough, the waiter handed her a piece of paper.
“This is also for you, Miss.”
Nicole immediately took it and read carefully what was written on it.
“If you want to be a socialite, first try paying a restaurant bill that costs $2000. If you don’t have the money to pay, just sell the bag you’re carrying. That bag of yours could fetch of thousand dollar if sold. Anyway, I just realized that our bags are actually identical. Surely the person who bought them is the same too. But I’m sure they used my money to buy it. So, enjoy your dinner. Hopefully you can sleep well tonight. That is, if you can sleep at all.”