Chapter 96 Chapter 96
The weight of that gaze was crushing Caroline.
How could she not feel pressured? She was sharing the table—and her husband—with a woman who saw her not only as a rival, but as a thief. Caroline could feel the invisible daggers Sheila was throwing at her every second.
And yet Nicholas seemed oblivious to the world, focused entirely on pampering her.
She took a timid bite of the strawberry ice cream, feeling the sweet cold melt on her tongue. Immediately, she heard a low, hoarse laugh beside her.
“Is it good?” Nicholas asked, watching her lips with predatory intensity.
“Um...” Caroline swallowed, blushing. “It's very good.”
It was an elite restaurant; it would be impossible for the food to be bad.
“Hmm.” Nicholas nodded, his eyes darkening. “Let me try some.”
Caroline blinked, confused.
“Y-you want to try it?” She looked at his plate, then at him.
Nicholas raised an eyebrow, challenging her. “Can't I?”
“Of course you can...” she murmured.
But Caroline's mind was spinning. Hadn't he just said, in front of everyone, that he didn't like sweets? She had never seen him eat sugar.
“Then let me taste it,” he repeated, his voice dropping to a hoarse whisper.
“Oh, all right.”
Not understanding his sudden gastronomic interest, Caroline took a clean spoonful to give him.
But Nicholas didn't reach out to take the spoon.
Instead, he leaned forward, invading her personal space. A seductive and dangerous smile curved his lips as he stared at her mouth.
“Feed me, my dear.”
Puff!
The sound of liquid being violently expelled cut through the air.
Hiago, who was taking a generous sip of red wine, choked on the scene and spat it all out.
Unfortunately, Marcus was sitting right in the line of fire.
Marcus's elegant white turtleneck shirt was instantly christened with a shower of red droplets, looking like a crime scene.
The temperature around Marcus dropped to absolute zero. He slowly turned his face toward Hiago, his eyes promising a slow and painful death.
“Cough! Cough!” Hiago coughed desperately, his face red and his eyes watering. “F-Fourth Brother... I didn't mean to... cough!”
Hiago wiped his mouth with his napkin, ignoring Marcus' murderous glare, and pointed at the couple in front of him, incredulous.
“But don't you think this is bizarre?! Look at Nicholas! It's like he's been possessed by a love demon!”
Hiago gestured frantically. “Can you believe this is the same Ice Wolf we know? What the hell is ice cream?! I've been playing with him since we were in diapers and I've never seen him eat sugar. He hates sweets!”
Every word Hiago said was like a nail being hammered into Sheila's heart.
Her already fragile expression crumbled. She bit her lower lip so hard she tasted blood.
It was true. Nicholas never ate desserts.
Years ago, Sheila had spent hours in the kitchen learning how to make French pastries just to please him.
When she offered it to him, he coldly refused, saying he hated sugar.
So she stopped. She molded her tastes to his.
But now... he was begging for a piece of ice cream.
Not because he liked ice cream. But because it was Caroline's ice cream. Because the spoon had touched Caroline's lips.
It was an indirect kiss. It was pure intimacy.
The ball of jealousy in her stomach exploded, turning into unbearable nausea. She couldn't stand there watching it anymore.
Bang.
Sheila put her wine glass down on the table with a thud and stood up abruptly.
The sudden movement startled everyone.
Hiago stopped complaining and looked at her, concerned. He was afraid she would make a scene. “Sheila?”
Nicholas, finally turning his attention away from his wife (after swallowing the ice cream from her spoon), looked at his friend indifferently.
“I'm not feeling very well.”
Sheila took a deep, shaky breath. She used every ounce of her self-control to maintain her dignity and forced a stiff smile.
“I think the jet lag has hit me hard. I'd like to go home first.” She looked at the couple, avoiding Caroline's eyes. “I'll give you a decent wedding gift another time.”
“Are you not feeling well?” Hiago immediately seized on the excuse, relieved. “It's the time difference, for sure. Go get some rest. We're all friends, we can see each other another day.”
It was better for her to leave. If she stayed, the bomb would explode.
At that moment, Marcus also stood up, wiping the wine from his shirt with disgust.
He put his hands in his pockets, his posture cold and protective. “I'll take Sheila.”
“What? Brother, you too?” Hiago whined. “Are you guys going to leave me here by myself?”
No one paid any attention to Hiago's drama.
Nicholas looked at Sheila for a second, assessing her, and nodded. “If you're not feeling well, you'd better go.”
Sheila's nose stung.
He didn't even ask how she was feeling. Not even a feigned concern. He just dismissed her like she was an employee.
Now, did his world revolve solely around Caroline?
“I... I'll be going, then.” She swallowed her tears and turned away.
“Oh, wait.”
As if she had just remembered, Sheila stopped and fished a small velvet box out of her designer bag.
She walked over to Nicholas and handed the box to him alone. “This is the gift I brought you from my trip. It's a limited edition watch.”
Nicholas hesitated for a millisecond, but accepted it out of politeness. “Thank you.”
That formal “thank you” hurt more than a curse.
Sheila smiled, a sad, self-deprecating smile. “Nick, we've known each other for two decades. Do you have to be so polite to me?”
With that, she finally turned her eyes to Caroline. The smile changed. It became sweet, but poisonous.
“Oh, I'm sorry, Caroline.” Her voice dripped with false innocence. “I really didn't know you and Nick were married when I bought the gifts abroad. I thought he was still... available. So I didn't prepare anything for you. I'll make it up to you next time, okay?”
The silence at the table was awkward.
It was an obvious lie. She knew he was with someone. The gesture was calculated to say: You're not important enough for me to remember.
Caroline felt her face flush, but she kept her composure. “No, no, it's fine!” she said, waving her hands. “Don't worry about it, Miss Sheila.”
She knew her place. They were childhood friends; she was the intruder who had arrived yesterday.
“See you next time, then.”
Sheila turned on her heels and left, her head held high, but her heart in pieces.
Marcus followed her silently, without even saying goodbye, like a faithful and dangerous shadow.
As soon as the door closed, the atmosphere in the room changed.
Caroline looked at the velvet box in Nicholas's hand and felt a pang of insecurity. She lowered her eyes, stirring her melted ice cream.
That's when she felt the aura beside her change.