Chapter 160: Chapter 160: My Boyfriend
The beautiful moment was interrupted by the growling of Summer Lancaster’s stomach. Embarrassed, she let go of Kenneth Yates and shyly lowered her head.
"You must be hungry. Come on, I’ll take you to lunch." Kenneth Yates smiled, patting Summer Lancaster’s head and taking her hand.
"Are we going to the employee cafeteria?" Summer Lancaster hesitated, pulling on Kenneth Yates’s hand to signal him to wait.
"Either is fine. What do you think?" Kenneth Yates didn’t mind either way. His priority was Summer Lancaster; as long as she was happy, he was happy.
"If you show up in the employee cafeteria, it’ll probably cause a commotion. Let’s eat out instead." Summer Lancaster carefully watched Kenneth Yates’s expression. ’Lunchtime is supposed to be for resting. Is it rude of me to make him go out to eat with me?’
"Alright, let’s go." Kenneth Yates pulled Summer Lancaster straight into the private elevator. During the ride, he called Zane Fletcher to tell him he wouldn’t need him to prepare lunch.
Downstairs was an elegant Italian restaurant. It was already past the lunch rush, and only a few people were inside drinking coffee. Summer Lancaster and Kenneth Yates walked into the quiet restaurant.
At a table by the window, Summer Lancaster saw Melody Donovan, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time. She looked so haggard; even makeup couldn’t hide the exhaustion on her face. What concerned Summer even more was the man sitting across from Melody.
He was leaning eagerly in Melody Donovan’s direction, his eyes filled with a clear mix of affection and protectiveness. Yet, he was a complete stranger to Summer Lancaster.
After hesitating for a long time, Summer Lancaster decided to go say hello. Her real goal was to find out who the man with Melody Donovan was.
As she walked over, the man noticed her first. He instinctively stood up, shielding Melody Donovan, and watched Summer Lancaster with a wary gaze. It was clear the man cared a lot about Melody.
"Summer Lancaster! You’ve recovered? I was thinking about visiting, but some things came up these past few days. You’re not mad at me, are you?" Melody Donovan was thrilled to see Summer Lancaster. She had been worried sick, but it seemed Kenneth Yates didn’t want anyone to disturb her, and she was no longer in contact with Dominic Thorne, her only source of information. That was why she had been completely in the dark about Summer’s progress.
Hearing Melody Donovan’s words, the man slowly stepped aside. His expression softened, but his gaze remained locked on Melody.
"Of course not." Summer Lancaster didn’t say much more, instead looking at the man beside her, signaling for Melody Donovan to make an introduction.
"Oh, right! Lancaster, I’m in a relationship now. This is my boyfriend, Julian Jennings!" On the surface, Melody Donovan looked perfectly content, but Summer Lancaster felt she was clearly just trying to convince herself.
’She’s obviously in love with Dominic Thorne, and has been for so many years. How could she forget him just like that?’
’Then again, maybe starting a new relationship is a good thing for Melody. It’s better than holding on to a love with no future.’
’The only problem is, she has to actually like the guy, not just use him to get over Dominic Thorne.’
"Hi, I’m Summer Lancaster, Melody’s best friend." Summer’s first impression of the man was quite good. He was well-dressed and had elegant manners. Most importantly, he clearly cared a great deal about Melody Donovan.
"Hello."
After ordering, Kenneth Yates came looking for Summer Lancaster when she didn’t return. He was a little surprised to see Melody Donovan. ’Looks like Dominic Thorne really doesn’t know how to handle women. He seems to have messed things up.’
"Summer Lancaster, come on, it’s time to eat." Kenneth Yates gave Melody Donovan a slight nod but completely ignored the man beside her.
"Okay, right. Melody, call me when you have time. I’m always available!"
"Alright, I know. Go on, don’t keep him waiting too long."
Summer Lancaster returned to her and Kenneth Yates’s table with an uneasy heart. The exquisite and delicious pasta on the table couldn’t whet her appetite at all.
"Not to your liking? Or are you worried about Melody Donovan?" Kenneth Yates asked, breaking her daze when he saw she hadn’t touched her food.
"Yeah! What on earth is going on with Dominic Thorne and Melody Donovan? It’s only been a few days, how have they already moved on?" Summer Lancaster slammed her hand on the table, making Kenneth Yates jump. This was an Italian restaurant; it was a good thing it wasn’t the lunch rush, or everyone would have turned to stare at her.
"Don’t worry, Dominic will handle it. I trust him."
"I don’t trust him! And it’s all your fault for being a bad influence on Dominic Thorne. They were a good match, but you led him astray!" Summer Lancaster said resentfully, holding her knife and fork as if she was ready to carve him up.
Kenneth Yates had no intention of admitting to this baseless accusation. He put down his knife and fork and said righteously, "Why are you saying I was a bad influence on him? Am I that bad? Besides, I..."
"You what?" Summer Lancaster propped her head up with one hand, giving Kenneth Yates a contemptuous glance with a challengingly raised eyebrow.
"I... I... *He* was a bad influence on *me*! Right, that’s it!" Kenneth Yates had been about to say he hadn’t taught Dominic Thorne a thing, but he was so intimidated by Summer Lancaster’s sharp glare that he immediately swallowed his words.
"Tch. You don’t need to be taught. You’re already a self-taught master, Young Master Yates!" Summer Lancaster finally picked up her knife and fork, deciding to ignore him. Now, whenever she saw Kenneth Yates, she thought of Dominic Thorne, and whenever she thought of Dominic Thorne, she thought of poor Melody Donovan.
"There are so many things I don’t know, Mrs. Yates. Why don’t you deign to teach me?" An amorous atmosphere filled the air. Summer Lancaster froze. ’In broad daylight, and in a public place, no less! Does this man even know what he’s saying?’
’And another thing, we’re just talking. Does he have to be so close?’
Kenneth Yates had been sitting across from Summer Lancaster. He was still across from her, but his body was now leaned almost entirely over the poor table, his cheek close to hers.
Summer Lancaster looked up at him, and her forehead brushed against his bangs. Her eyes widened, flustered. "You... why are you so close?"
Kenneth Yates chuckled, and the slight movement of his body caused her to brush against his bangs again.
"Of course I have a reason for being this close. You didn’t think I was just stretching, did you?"
Summer Lancaster seemed a bit impatient. She put her knife and fork down on the table. "Then what is it you want to do!"
Kenneth Yates grabbed the menu from the table, using it to shield both their heads. He lightly kissed the corner of Summer Lancaster’s mouth, then pulled away a moment later. Returning to his seat, he savored the delicious taste.
"Mm, not bad."
Summer Lancaster was still in a daze when she heard Kenneth Yates utter those words. She touched the spot he had just kissed; it felt a little wet. She stared at him in disbelief. "What did you just do? This is a public place! Are you out of your mind?"
"I was just tasting your pasta. I couldn’t care less if it’s a public place or not. I do what I want. If anyone dares to criticize me, let them try!" Kenneth Yates didn’t care about what other people thought. He had grown up in the public eye and had learned that paying too much attention to others’ gazes only exhausted him.
"What?" It slowly dawned on Summer Lancaster as she touched her lips again. "The sauce on the corner of my mouth... you... you... ate it?" Summer Lancaster’s eyebrows shot up in astonishment. ’If anyone saw that, how could I ever show my face again?’ Thankfully, no one in the restaurant seemed to be paying them any attention.
"Is there a problem? You belong to me, so what’s the big deal? Now, hurry up and eat. Your pasta’s getting cold." Kenneth Yates dropped the playful act and got serious.
Summer Lancaster didn’t want to drop the subject. She crossed her arms and looked at Kenneth Yates seriously. "Kenneth Yates, I think I need to get to know you all over again."
"Alright. I’ll give you a lifetime to get to know me all over again." Kenneth Yates gently ruffled Summer Lancaster’s hair and went back to eating.
Ripples spread through Summer Lancaster’s heart. It felt as if her soul were journeying through an oasis—so beautiful, and with the person she loved by her side. This was everything she had ever hoped for.
After lunch, there was still some of the break left. Kenneth Yates settled Summer Lancaster into the bedroom in his office, while he himself zoned out in front of his computer in the main office area.
After a long while, he finally pulled out his phone, opened his contacts, and pressed "Dominic."
The call connected quickly, but the person on the other end sounded exhausted. His voice was weak and lifeless.
"Boss, what’s up?" a hoarse voice came from the other end of the line.
"What’s wrong with you? Have you lost all your fighting spirit just like that? This isn’t like you!" Kenneth Yates yelled into the phone. On the other side, Dominic Thorne quickly pulled the phone away from his ear.
"Boss, what are you talking about? I don’t get it!" Dominic Thorne had no idea what Kenneth was talking about. ’Why is he hitting me with a barrage of criticism the moment I pick up the phone?’
Kenneth Yates sighed. ’No wonder things turned out this way. It’s all because he’s so dense!’
"I saw Melody Donovan today," Kenneth Yates said calmly.
He could feel the person on the other end pause for a few seconds before speaking, trying to cover up the hollow tone in his voice. "Yeah? So what?"
"There was a man with her. She introduced him as her boyfriend! How long were you planning on hiding this from me? Am I still your boss or not?" Kenneth Yates said, his voice laced with anxious urgency.
Dominic Thorne was shocked. ’We only just parted ways at the coffee shop yesterday. Yesterday, she looked so sad, like she could be blown over by a gust of wind. But today, she’s already happily out to eat with a new boyfriend? What was the point of me getting sick with a cold and staying in bed? It was all completely meaningless.’
"I already knew she got a boyfriend. It’s nothing to be surprised about." Lying in bed, Dominic Thorne pulled the covers up higher, trying to wrap himself completely in the blanket to ward off the chill.
"And you can be so nonchalant about it? Tell me the truth, do you like her or not? I don’t want Summer Lancaster to have a long face all day worrying about you two. Besides, your parents entrusted your marital affairs to me a long time ago. I can’t let them down." Kenneth Yates was astonished by Dominic Thorne’s indifferent attitude.
