Chapter 91 Chapter 91
Hiago had mentioned that his wife was a student, but he “forgot” to mention that she was stunning.
Caroline looked young and fragile, yes, but her features were irritatingly perfect. What bothered Sheila the most was her skin.
Caroline was pale, with a porcelain complexion that seemed to glow under the club's soft lighting. Sheila, who spent fortunes on beauty treatments and avoided the sun like a vampire, suddenly felt... dull. Next to that girl, her healthy tan just looked dark.
Sheila had always been the “princess” of the group. Rich, cultured, with an impeccable pedigree. No other woman in their social circle could hold a candle to her.
This had made her proud. She rarely saw other women as competition.
But this Caroline...
For the first time in her life, a danger alarm went off in Sheila's head. She felt a sharp, ugly pang in her chest: jealousy.
The girl wasn't just pretty; she had that aura of untouched purity that men like Nicholas, who lived in darkness, tended to covet obsessively.
Caroline, for her part, felt the blow.
Women have a sixth sense for these things. Behind Sheila's polished smile and sweet words, Caroline sensed cold, sharp hostility.
She blinked, stunned.
Why does she hate me? They had barely exchanged two words.
“Hello, Miss Sheila,” Caroline replied, maintaining her politeness, and cautiously extended her hand (this time, Nicholas allowed it, since she was a woman).
As she shook Sheila's hand, Caroline felt something strange. The other woman's fingers slid lightly over Caroline's palm and the back of her hand, as if testing the texture of her skin.
Was Sheila looking for calluses? Looking for signs of hard work? Or checking to see if her skin was as soft as it looked?
When she found that Caroline's hands were as soft as silk—the hands of someone who had never had to do hard labor—the hostile gleam in Sheila's eyes dimmed, replaced by calculated contempt.
Ah, just a vase of flowers, Sheila thought. Pretty, but useless.
That reassured her.
“Oh, you don't have to be so formal with me, dear!” Sheila's smile widened, now looking more “friendly,” though still fake. “You're Nick's wife, which automatically makes us great friends. You can just call me Sheila.”
As she released Caroline's hand after the greeting, Sheila cast a quick, surgical glance at the girl's left hand.
Noticing the absence of a diamond ring the size of a pigeon's egg—something one would expect from the wife of a billionaire—Sheila's smile widened, taking on a triumphant gleam.
No wedding ring, Sheila thought. Either the marriage is fake, or he doesn't care enough to mark his territory.
Caroline frowned, confused. What exactly was Sheila looking for? Why did that smile seem so... condescending?
(...)
Everyone settled around the large round table. The atmosphere was sophisticated, with low lighting and soft background music.
The waiter approached immediately, handing out leather-bound menus.
For Sheila, this was the perfect opportunity. She didn't even open the menu. With the confidence of someone who knows the terrain, she looked at the waiter and recited her order, choosing specific dishes.
When she was done, she handed him the menu and turned to Nicholas with an intimate, nostalgic smile.
“Nick, I took the liberty of ordering for you.” Her voice was sweet, laden with subtext. “It's only been a year since we last saw each other. I assume your taste buds haven't changed, right? I ordered your favorites.”
Caroline felt a tightness in her chest. It didn't take a genius to understand the message. Sheila was marking her territory, flaunting how well she knew Nicholas, how much shared history they had that Caroline was not a part of.
A woman's intuition is rarely wrong. Sheila was provoking her.
Nicholas, however, didn't even look up at Sheila. He continued leafing through the menu, his expression impenetrable.
Ignoring his silence, Sheila rested her chin on her hand, leaning toward him, and continued, as if they were in a world of their own:
“I was remembering when you used to have dinner at our house. My mother always made that chopped fish with chili peppers especially for you. She said you loved it.”
She let out a light, crystalline laugh.
“At first, I hated chili peppers. But after eating them with you so often, I ended up addicted.” She sighed, a theatrical sound. “I missed that flavor so much when I was abroad. I thought to myself, ‘As soon as I get back, the first thing I'll do is take Nick out for chopped fish.’ I wonder if the chef here can reproduce that flavor from our childhood.”
The air at the table thickened.
Hiago, sitting next to her, frowned, visibly uncomfortable with the obvious advance.
Marcus, the man of few words, set his glass down with a thud on the table. “I'm going to the bathroom,” he announced coldly, getting up and leaving the room without looking back. He clearly had no patience for this drama.
Caroline lowered her eyes, fiddling with her napkin.
If she had only had a suspicion before, now she was sure.
Sheila wasn't just being friendly. She was being deliberate.
Caroline understood the source of the hostility. Sheila liked Nicholas. There was no other explanation for this insistence on memories that excluded his wife.
But... didn't Nicholas realize it?
Instinctively, Caroline glanced at her husband, expecting to see some reaction to Sheila's nostalgia.
To her surprise, Nicholas wasn't looking at Sheila. He was looking at her.
His previously cold face lit up with a warm, exclusive smile as soon as his eyes met Caroline's. He completely ignored Sheila's monologue about the fish.
Nicholas took Caroline's hand on the table, intertwining their fingers.
“Are you hungry yet, sweetheart?” he asked, his voice soft. “What would you like to eat?”
“I...” Caroline stammered, taken aback.
Before she could answer, Nicholas signaled to the waiter, who hurried over to hand her the menu.
“Order whatever you want,” Nicholas pushed the menu into her hands. “Hiago is paying the bill today. Don't feel sorry for his wallet. You can choose the most expensive dishes in the restaurant.”
Hiago, who was drinking water, almost choked. “Hey!” he protested, although he was laughing. “You really forget your brothers after you get married, huh? How ungrateful.”
Caroline blinked, stunned by the change in mood. Nicholas had turned the tension into an inside joke, completely excluding Sheila.