Chapter 32: Chapter 32 Sense of relief
As warmth filled the air, he glanced sideways at Alana. Seeing her no longer huddled and her furrowed brow finally relaxing, Stephan felt a sense of relief.
Alana dried her hair with the towel, seemingly feeling the car’s temperature grow a touch warmer.
She’d been riding her electric scooter home in the rain and had caught a slight chill. Now, the cosy warmth inside the car instantly banished the lingering cold from her body.
That felt lovely.
Alana couldn’t help but glance at the man beside her. Had he turned on the heating
especially for her?
Surprisingly, he was quite thoughtful.
The car pulled up outside an upmarket Western restaurant.
Alana had heard from colleagues that this Western restaurant was extremely expensive, costing over five thousand yuan per person.
Was he bringing her to such an expensive place to take advantage of her, perhaps hoping she’d foot the bill?
Just as Alana hesitated, contemplating a quiet escape, the man seemed to sense something and turned to look at her.
“Come on.”
With no other choice, Alana steeled herself and followed.
He led her into a secluded private room.
Stephan glanced through the menu before lifting his gaze to Alana. "Any dietary
restrictions?"
Alana shifted uncomfortably. "Nothing."
Stephan promptly closed the menu and instructed the waiter, "Bring us your signature set meal."
The waiter smiled courteously. "Certainly, distinguished guests. Please be patient."
Alana peered out slightly and caught a glimpse of the menu cover.
There it was, clearly labelled: Signature Set Menu, priced at 88,888 dollars.
Alana’s eyes dilated.
In all her years, she’d never spent such a sum in one go. This restaurant was certainly broadening her horizons.
Soon, the dishes arrived.
French steak, foie gras, caviar, and more, the table was nearly covered, featuring both hot and cold dishes, each plate exquisitely presented.
Alana stared at the spread, momentarily at a loss as to where to begin.
Just as Stephan was about to pick up his chopsticks, he noticed Alana frozen in place, utterly transfixed.
He frowned. "Why aren’t you eating?Doesn’t suit your taste?"
Biting her lip, Alana looked at him and asked cautiously, "Er, excuse me, but this isn’t... going to be on my tab, is it?"
Stephan almost choked on his food.
“No."
Alana remained wary, she didn’t want anymore debts. "Could it be we’re splitting the bill?"
Stephan remained expressionless. "You still owe me money. How dare you suggest splitting?" L
Alana shook her head earnestly. "Absolutely not! If you want to split the bill with me, I’m not eating this meal!"
Stephan’s mouth twitched slightly. "I’m treating. Eat without worry."
Hearing this, Alana immediately relaxed, her expression softening into a smile. "Why didn’t you say so earlier? If you had, I wouldn’t have been so nervous."
Stephan again was confused.
When did he ask her to pay earlier?
“Well then, thank you for treating me, Mr Hudson, I shan’t stand on ceremony."
Alana certainly didn’t stand on ceremony with Stephan. She picked up her knife and fork, sliced a generous portion of steak from her plate, and promptly stuffed it into her mouth, chewing heartily.
She was famished, feeling as though she could devour an entire ox at that moment.
This lavish spread was just what her appetite needed.
After that, she ate quietly, not uttering a word, concentrating solely on her meal.
Stephan watched as her took bite after bite, her cheeks puffing out like an adorable little hamster.
Well, knowing she wouldn’t have to foot the bill, she seemed to be enjoying herself rather well. She’d completely forgotten there was a man sitting opposite her.
Stephan suddenly lost all appetite, folding his arms across his chest.
He leisurely observed the woman across from him, whose eating manners were far from ladylike.
It was the first time he’d encountered a girl who ate so casually in his presence.
She took large bites, seemingly unconcerned with maintaining any semblance of grace.
Every woman he’d encountered before would open her little mouth, dab at her lips with a tissue, and take forever to eat, barely touching her food.
He found such women insincere and affected, utterly pretentious.
Alana, however, struck him as refreshingly delightful and earned his renewed respect.
She seemed...quite unlike any woman he’d encountered before.
Alana sensed the intense scrutiny across the table and began to feel uneasy about eating.
She couldn’t help but glance at him, her cheeks still full. "Why... why aren’t you eating?"
“I’m not particularly hungry yet."
He was the one who hadn’t eaten and had called her over to dine with him, yet now he claimed he wasn’t particularly hungry.
She couldn’t fathom what this man was thinking.
The table was cleared of most of the dishes.
Most of it had ended up in Alana’s stomach.
Alana set down her chopsticks and dabbed her mouth with a napkin. "Well, I’m full."
Stephan also set down his chopsticks. "Right then, I’ll take you home."
Alana glanced at his bowl of rice, barely touched. Her lips parted as if to speak, but she hesitated and ultimately said nothing.
Stephan accompanied her out of the private room and made his way slowly to the front desk to settle the bill.
Just as they were leaving the private room, a group emerged from the booth opposite.
They were several ladies dressed in high-end designer labels.
Chatting and laughing, they made their way towards the front desk together.
Suddenly, one of the women pointed at a tall, slender figure clad in black and exclaimed in surprise, "My, that tall young man over there, doesn’t he bear a striking resemblance to your son?"
Cynthia followed the gaze and saw the man standing at the front desk paying the bill. It was none other than her rebellious son, Stephan.
Even from behind, she recognised him instantly as his mother.
But why was he accompanied by a girl?
That little rascal, could he actually have taken her advice to heart and started looking for a girlfriend himself?
Now that would be a most welcome development!
At this moment, a lady of means inquired,
“Mrs Hudson, there’s a woman accompanying your son. Who might she be?"
Mrs Hudson naturally replied, "Well, what do you think? She’s my son’s girlfriend, of course! That little rascal, secretly seeing someone and springing a surprise on me?"
“Oh, that’s absolutely marvellous! Now that your son’s actively courting a girlfriend, you won’t have to fret about arranging matchmaking dates for him!"
“Indeed, indeed!"
“Shall we go and see who this young lady is? From the back, she looks rather pretty."
“Quick, quick, go on! If they leave, we’ll miss our chance!"
Several ladies were itching to go.
Mrs Hudson wanted to go up with her friends, but Stephan had already settled the bill and was leaving the restaurant with Alana.
They were a step too late.
Mrs Hudson decided this wasn’t the ideal moment to meet her future daughter-in-law. "No need to rush," she said. "If we all go up abruptly, we might frighten the poor girl. I’ll just ask the lad about it when we get home!"
If she truly was his girlfriend, she’d have him bring her home.
Mrs Hudson was secretly delighted, already dreaming of her son’s wedding and the joy of holding her grandchild.
*********
In the car.
Stephan remained unaware that his mother had witnessed him bringing a woman to the restaurant.
He was driving, engaging in casual conversation with Alana.
“I never would have guessed someone so petite could eat quite so much."
Alana blushed. Truth be told, nearly everything on the table had ended up in her stomach.
She protested softly, "I didn’t want it to go to waste."
Stephan raised an eyebrow. "Waste what? It’s not your money being spent."
Stephan watched the flush spread across her cheeks, his Adam’s apple suddenly throbbing with a hint of hungry desire. His voice grew low and husky as he asked, "Or could it be... you’re worried about my money?"
The teasing tone made her flush again, and she instinctively retorted, "Of course not."
“I just... don’t want to waste the food that farmers worked so hard to grow."
The man snorted. "Is that so?"
Alana’s tone was unwavering. “Yeah.”
Stephan’s found her earnest expression inexplicably amusing. "Miss Martin, eating this much, can your boyfriend afford to keep you?"
Alana pursed her lips. "I don’t rely on men to support me. I earn my own keep."
Stephan studied her intently. "It’s not that I doubt your ability to support yourself. It’s just that in the eyes of a man with responsibility and integrity, he should give his woman this world.”
What sort of man is he if he can’t even support his own woman?
Alana gulped.
Is he serious?
Did he genuinely think that?
Well, his values are rather sound, then.
After all, she’d heard tales of men who not only refused to spend money on their women but actually spent their women’s money instead.
Stephan asked casually, "Where’s your boyfriend?"
All this time, he hadn’t seen her boyfriend appear by her side.
She appeared to be perpetually alone.
Alana felt uneasy, avoiding his gaze. Why was he prying about her boyfriend?
Wasn’t that a bit presumptuous?
Weren’t they still too unfamiliar to be prying into each other’s personal affairs?
She sidestepped the question. "Mr Hudson, aren’t you asking a bit too much?"
Stephan snorted. "You’re rather protective of this boyfriend of yours, aren’t you?"
Was she worried he might take action against her boyfriend because of her?
He wasn’t that unscrupulous.
Alana was completely bewildered.
What had she done to warrant such protection?
She couldn’t comprehend it.
Alana glanced out the car window and hurriedly said, "Er, Mr Hudson, we’re almost at the estate entrance. Let’s stop here."
“What’s the matter? Can’t I just drop you off at the estate entrance?"
Alana explained, "It’s so late, and your car is rather conspicuous. If others see me getting out of your vehicle, it wouldn’t reflect well on either of us."
Stephan frowned. At the end of the day, she just didn’t want to be associated with him, did she?
Did she simply... dislike interacting with him?
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