Chapter 269 Thanks to You

Chapter 269 Thanks to You

Hearing that familiar voice, Elena instinctively turned around.

When she spotted Matthew not far away, dressed in a vest and dress shirt, surprise flickered across her face. "Matthew, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I just got off work and happened to drive past this restaurant. My housekeeper took the day off, so I figured I'd grab dinner here instead of cooking when I got home."

Matthew smiled faintly as he explained.

Then his gaze swept over the table settings. Noticing there were two place settings, understanding dawned on his face. "Are you dining with a friend?"

Elena glanced toward the vague silhouette visible through the glass door and nodded.

"Yes."

While the two were talking, Jasmine, seated in a corner booth, quietly looked over.

At that moment, she was trying to lift Emma's spirits. Emma had lost a considerable sum at yesterday's product launch and was in a foul mood, so Jasmine had deliberately chosen this restaurant, hoping to cheer her up and help her blow off some steam.

Who would have thought she'd hear Elena's voice?

She looked up in surprise and, sure enough, saw Elena talking to an unfamiliar man. Their body language seemed quite intimate.

"What are you looking at?"

Emma had been complaining about the poor quality of some pearls she'd recently purchased, subtly hinting that Jasmine should buy her a new strand.

But to her annoyance, after she finished speaking, there was no reaction whatsoever.

She looked up to find Jasmine staring blankly at something in the distance. Raising an eyebrow slightly, she followed her gaze.

When she recognized Elena, irritation flashed through her eyes.

"What's she doing here? Why do we keep running into her everywhere?"

Hearing the undisguised disgust in Emma's words, Jasmine's eyes gleamed. She shook her head. "I have no idea. But who's that person with her? They look pretty close."

Catching the thoughtful tone in Jasmine's voice, Emma looked over again.

Just then, a server walked over carrying a tray laden with several steaming hot dishes.

"Excuse me, miss, please make way. Careful, it's hot."

Seeing this, Matthew immediately pulled Elena's arm toward himself. "Careful."

Elena turned her head. Seeing the steaming dishes, she understood his concern, and gratitude flickered in her eyes. "Thank you."

The man smiled faintly. "Don't mention it. It's nothing."

Matthew had barely finished speaking when a caustic voice rang out behind them.

"I'm just saying—how can someone be so shameless?"

Hearing this, Elena's brow furrowed. She turned around.

The moment her eyes met Jasmine's and Emma's, her expression soured.

What kind of luck was this?

Why did she keep running into people she didn't want to see, no matter where she went?

While she brooded silently, Jasmine was already whispering poison into Emma's ear. "Honestly, Emma, I think Sebastian's been fooled by this whole pitiful act of hers. That's why he's so disrespectful toward you."

"And remember before? Whenever Elena had the slightest problem, Sebastian would rush to her side faster than anyone else. He wouldn't listen to you at all."

"If it weren't for her—"

"Jasmine, stop talking behind my back and pinning everything on me."

Elena's expression had turned stormy, her eyes cold as ice. "You're the one who's been stabbing people in the back this whole time. You think I don't know?"

"And what you're dealing with now? You brought it entirely on yourself. Who else can you blame?"

"No skills whatsoever—just running your mouth. That's all you're good at!"

"You—!"

Elena's mockery drained the color from Jasmine's face. She glared at her, unable to get a single word out.

Just as she was about to unleash a torrent of abuse, something seemed to catch her attention. Her expression suddenly shifted to one of wounded innocence.

"Sebastian, Elena's being disrespectful to Emma."

The instant she heard those words, Elena's eyes narrowed. She turned her head.

Sure enough, Sebastian stood nearby, staring at Elena and her companion, his expression somewhat dark.

To Jasmine, this scene looked like Sebastian was displeased with Elena because of what she'd said. Delighted, she immediately pressed her advantage.

"Sebastian, before you got here, Elena was mocking me."

"I just saw her getting cozy with that strange man and thought it didn't look right, so I said a few words to her. Who knew she'd lash out at me?"

As she spoke, Jasmine's eyes instantly reddened.

Seeing this, Emma chimed in from the side.

"That's right, Sebastian. Making a spectacle of herself in public like this—it's shameless."

"Besides, Jasmine is your fiancée in name. You can't just ignore this, can you?"

At those words, Sebastian's brow furrowed tightly. He stared at Elena and Matthew, standing so close together, dissatisfaction flashing through his eyes.

"You—"

"Jasmine, is this really all you've got?"

The sudden interruption stunned everyone present. Jasmine's eyes went wide.

"What?"

Elena walked up to her, step by step, looking down at her. "Honestly, all this time, besides going after me, what else can you do?"

"Do you really think I'm interested in your man?"

"Jasmine, mind your own business. I have zero interest in fighting you over a man, and zero interest in wasting my time here with you."

The thought that Sebastian had believed Jasmine's one-sided story made Elena's brow furrow involuntarily.

Come to think of it, Sebastian never believed her. Every single time, he only apologized afterward.

What good did that do?

At this thought, Elena grew increasingly irritated. She decided she'd lost her appetite entirely. Grabbing her purse, she left the restaurant.

It all happened so suddenly that by the time Sebastian processed it, Elena had already walked out the door.

Watching her retreating figure, Sebastian's expression shifted.

He wanted to go after her, but Elena had already gotten into a taxi and driven away.

Through the glass window, he watched the car gradually disappear around the corner. His frown deepened.

With no other option, he turned his questioning gaze on Matthew.

"Matthew, I trust you understand that you shouldn't—"

"Mr. Blake, I know. But I really didn't do anything."

Matthew looked helpless. "There are a lot of people here. I was just worried Elena might get hurt, so I helped her out."

"Besides, we're friends. She trusts me. So it's not really a big deal, is it?"

At those words, Sebastian's displeasure intensified. He was about to say something when Jasmine spoke up.

"So what you're saying is, Matthew, you have feelings for Elena too?"

"I remember Elena being pretty friendly toward you. So doesn't that mean...?"

Her words were deliberately ambiguous, loaded with insinuation. After hearing them, Sebastian's expression grew even darker.

"Shut up. Elena would never fall for him."

"Who can really say when it comes to matters of the heart?"

Jasmine disagreed, shrugging her shoulders.