Chapter 205 Chapter 205
A few minutes later, Nicholas returned. A smiling, extremely attentive waiter followed him.
“Please, sir and madams, follow me.” The waiter bowed exaggeratedly.
Caroline was intrigued, holding Sara's arm. “Where to?”
The waiter replied promptly, “The gentleman has reserved our best private room.” Please come this way.“
Caroline was speechless.
She looked at Nicholas with wide eyes, shocked. ”You... reserved a private room? Now?“
”Mm.“ Nicholas smiled calmly as he held her hand. ”Let's go.“
”Wait... But..." Caroline was confused, being dragged by him down the hallway. “But it's not our turn yet! There were a hundred people in front of us. How did we get a VIP room out of nowhere?”
There was a crowd outside. It would take at least an hour and a half before it was their turn.
Nicholas, of course, wasn't going to tell her that he had just spent seven hundred thousand reais on bribes just to jump the queue.
If she knew he had paid the price of an apartment for a dinner table, she would probably faint (or kill him). “I'm not sure either,” he lied with a straight face, raising an eyebrow indifferently. “I went to the reception and asked the manager if there were any rooms available due to cancellations.”
She said yes, coincidentally, and asked the waiter to seat us. Lucky, I guess.“
Caroline blinked.
”Just like that? Out of the blue?"
As they followed the waiter down the elegant hallway, they passed the reception desk. Caroline saw the restaurant manager—an elegant middle-aged woman—smiling radiantly at Nicholas.
Caroline looked at her husband's perfect face, and suddenly the “logic” became clear in her mind.
Ah... I see.
Perhaps the manager was willing to make an exception and give them the VIP room simply because of his good looks. The famous “beauty privilege.”
Caroline sighed inwardly. She didn't expect to reap such social benefits just because she had a handsome husband. Good job, Nicholas's face, she thought.
What she didn't know was that “good job” cost a fortune.
As the waiter opened the door to the private room, a group of seven people were leaving, laughing and looking like they had just won the lottery.
And, technically, they had.
The group, who minutes earlier had thought Nicholas was a lunatic, now saw him as a generous god. They left happy as clams, with an extra hundred thousand reais in each of their bank accounts, ready to go eat pizza somewhere else.
When they saw Nicholas walk in hand in hand with a slender, beautiful young woman, and a teenager by her side, they understood everything.
Ah, that's why.
With a wife as beautiful as that, who wouldn't do crazy things? If they were billionaires in love, they would have done the same.
As they passed through the door, one of the men—the one who had been angry before—stopped and smiled at Caroline with overwhelming sympathy.
“Miss, you are very lucky,” he said sincerely. "Your husband is a rare man.
Cherish him! We wish the couple all the best!
“That's right! Best wishes!” shouted the woman in the group, waving.
They left, leaving a trail of joy behind them.
Caroline's face was expressionless and confused.
She looked at Nicholas. “Do you... know them? They seemed very happy to see you.”
Nicholas replied indifferently, without even blinking: “No. I've never seen them before.”
Well, technically, he wasn't lying. He didn't know any of their names.
Caroline frowned. “But they said...”
“They must have confused me with some celebrity,” Nicholas cut off the subject, pulling out a chair for her. “Let's not worry about strangers. Sit down. I'm hungry.”
“Oh. Okay.”
...
Dinner began.
Caroline ordered the Spaghetti all'Arrabbiata — a dish famous for being made with tomato sauce, garlic, and lots of chili peppers. It was perfect for the summer heat, at least for her.
She was sweating slightly, her lips red and swollen from the pepper, feeling that pleasurable burning sensation.
Excited, she kept offering Nicholas forkfuls, wanting to share her joy.
“Honey, try this! It's really good!” She brought the fork to his mouth.
“Try this risotto ball too. It's delicious!”
“The spicy beef slices are also tasty, open your mouth.”
Nicholas looked silently at the red and threatening food she was offering him.
He hated pepper. His stomach couldn't tolerate spicy food.
But when he saw Caroline's bright eyes, he hesitated only for a moment.
He opened his mouth.
With a stoic expression of martyrdom, he chewed the hellish food and swallowed it almost whole to avoid burning his tongue.
Immediately, he grabbed the glass of water and drank half of it in one gulp.
Caroline was so absorbed in her own meal and conversation with Sara that she didn't notice the silent sacrifice happening beside her. On the rare occasions when she glanced at him, she saw the empty bowl and, thinking he was enjoying it, served him more.
“Here, a little more!”
Nicholas continued to accept.
He felt his body collapsing. A fire had been lit in his stomach and smoke rose up his throat.
Nicholas's face, usually pale and cold, began to take on a strange color. Beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. He bit his lower lip to keep from moaning in pain, enduring the internal fire with the dignity of an English lord.
When Caroline raised her fork again, laden with pepper, Nicholas finally reached his limit.
He sighed discreetly and held her wrist firmly.
“Carol...” His voice came out a little hoarse.
He looked at her. Her lips were full and red, her face flushed with gastronomic pleasure. She looked beautiful and happy.
But he... he was dying.
Although he tried to appear normal, his hand was slightly trembling.
“I think... I've had enough of this pasta,” he said diplomatically, trying not to show that his esophagus was melting. “Why don't you eat the rest? I prefer... bread. Just bread and water.”
Nicholas maintained his stoic expression, worthy of an Oscar. He took a deep breath, trying to suppress the fire consuming his esophagus, and said in a hoarse voice:
“No need to serve me anymore. I'm satisfied. Enjoy the rest of the food. I... need to go to the bathroom.”
Caroline, her mouth full of pasta and her mind focused on the divine flavor of the sauce, didn't notice the subtle change in his tone.
She nodded happily. “Okay. Go ahead.”
Nicholas rose from his chair with slightly stiff movements. As soon as he turned his back, his perfect posture collapsed slightly. He put his hand on his stomach and frowned, the pain evident with each step.
Sara, who wasn't eating as much as her sister, watched the scene.
She saw Nicholas leave the room, almost staggering. She hesitated for a moment, looked at the closed door, and then at Caroline, who was happily fishing more pieces of spicy meat from the bowl, completely oblivious to her husband's suffering.
Sara couldn't take it anymore.