Chapter 78

Chapter 78

Patricia felt Charles' grip around her waist tighten a bit. She glanced up at him, his cold, handsome face showing no emotion.

Noticing her gaze, Charles lowered his head and said, "Is it wrong for me to treat my wife's friend to a meal?"

Patricia was taken aback, feeling that Charles was doing this on purpose.

Calvin's eyes darkened, and he clenched his fists tightly.

Charles was definitely doing this on purpose!

His words were a reminder that Calvin was just a friend to Patricia.

"Let's go, I've reserved a restaurant," Charles said, wrapping his arm around Patricia and leading her out, giving them no chance to refuse. "No need to be polite."

Dragged along to the meal, Patricia felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.

She kept her head down, poking at the meat on her plate, feeling that if she looked up, she would become the topic of discussion between the two men.

She gripped her fork tightly, wishing she could cut the meat into four pieces as if it were Charles.

The table was unusually silent, so quiet that they could clearly hear the conversations from the neighboring tables.

A hand took her plate of steak and replaced it with a neatly cut portion. Patricia glanced up to see Charles, his face unchanged, elegantly cutting the meat without any discomfort.

"You can eat it yourself. Why do you keep giving it to me?" Patricia put down her knife and fork, glaring at him.

Charles looked up, a gentle smile on his face. "I thought you might find it troublesome to cut the meat."

Patricia muttered something under her breath but didn't refuse his kindness.

Seeing her accept his gesture, Charles felt a bit more pleased.

Earlier, he had asked Paul for advice on how to handle this situation and followed Paul's instructions to the letter.

[Mr. Anderson, you must stay calm and composed, showing your sincerity to your wife!]

Calvin, sitting across from them, tightened his grip on his wine glass.

Watching Charles constantly refill Patricia's wine and serve her food, his considerate behavior stung Calvin's eyes.

His emotions were complex, a mix of bitterness and frustration.

"Try this foie gras, it's the restaurant's specialty," Charles said, placing a piece on Patricia's plate, his tone as natural as if they dined together every day. 

"When I used to work on projects in Regal City, I often came here. The head chef is a Michelin three-star chef, quite skilled."

Patricia looked at the foie gras on her plate, then at Charles, who seemed to be in his element, and couldn't help but roll her eyes internally.

'This guy, he really knows how to show off.'

Calvin suppressed his disappointment and smiled at Patricia. "Patricia, there's a great fabric market near Regal City. If you need, I can take you there to find some inspiration."

Caught off guard, Patricia stammered, "Sure, that sounds good."

"No need for that," Charles put down his knife and fork, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "I'm in Regal City for work too, and I'm not that busy. I can accompany you."

He then looked at Calvin, his tone carrying a hint of challenge. "No need to trouble Mr. Scott. Just send the address to my assistant."

Calvin's smile froze, realizing that Charles was blatantly asserting his dominance.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and forced a smile. "I'll send it to Mr. Anderson later."

Patricia felt her scalp tingle, sensing the undercurrent of tension between the two men.

She couldn't eat another bite. Putting down her glass, she stood up. "I'm going to the restroom."

Charles watched Patricia's figure disappear down the hallway before retracting his gaze, his smile fading instantly.

He picked up his wine glass, swirling the red wine inside, his eyes cold as he looked at Calvin. "Mr. Scott, I believe I reminded you to stay away from my wife."

"Mr. Anderson, Patricia has the right to choose her friends. It's her freedom."

"Freedom?" Charles scoffed, giving him a once-over. "If it's a genuine friendship, I welcome it."

Calvin remained silent, his face turning ashen as he glared at Charles.

Patricia sat on a wooden bench outside, letting out a long sigh.

She couldn't stand the atmosphere inside and had used the restroom as an excuse to get some fresh air.

"Two lunatics," Patricia muttered, thinking about the two men and feeling a headache coming on. She wished she could be back at the hotel, lying down and not having to deal with them.

Having had some red wine, her face felt warm, and she wondered if she was thinking clearly.

Just then, she heard faint sobbing from nearby.

Her heart skipped a beat. Who would be crying in the bushes at this hour?

She cautiously approached and saw a little girl, about four or five years old, with pigtails, crying with teary eyes.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?"

The little girl looked up, her big, watery eyes filled with fear, but she didn't make a sound, curling up defensively.

Patricia's heart tightened, thinking of Emily.

"Don't be scared, I'm not a bad person. How about I help you find your mom?" 

Patricia crouched down, patiently coaxing her. "It's late. Do you remember your mom's phone number? I can call her for you."

The little girl nodded, grabbing Patricia's clothes with her small hand.

Patricia dialed the number the girl recited, and soon, a grateful woman's voice came through the phone.

Patricia waited with the girl, who gradually relaxed, chatting with her intermittently.

"Miss, do you have a baby too?"

"Is she as big as me?"

Patricia responded a few times, and before long, a woman in a floral dress came running over frantically.

The little girl saw her and immediately broke free from Patricia, running into the woman's arms. "Mommy!"

The woman hugged her daughter tightly, tears almost falling, and thanked Patricia profusely. "Thank you so much! I went to pay the bill and turned around to find her gone. I was terrified!"

She pulled out her wallet, offering Patricia some cash. "Please take this as a token of my gratitude."

"No need, as long as the child is safe," Patricia waved her hand, intending to leave now that the girl was safe. But the woman grabbed her hand.

"Are you from Luminous City?"

Patricia nodded slightly, and before she could react, the woman, recognizing her accent, said excitedly, "I haven't seen anyone from my hometown in so long. Here's my card. If you need anything in Regal City, feel free to contact me. Consider it my thanks for your help today."

Patricia couldn't refuse and accepted the card. Realizing she had been out for a while and worried Charles might be concerned, she chatted briefly with the woman before saying goodbye.

As she left, the woman repeatedly reminded her to stay in touch.

For some reason, Patricia felt the woman looked familiar but couldn't place her.

Shaking her head, she put the thought aside and quickly returned to the restaurant.

"Mr. Scott said he had something to attend to and left," Charles said, looking at her. "Are you feeling unwell?"

Patricia glanced at Calvin's empty seat, indeed finding it vacant.

She breathed a slight sigh of relief, glad not to face the earlier awkward atmosphere.

"No, just needed some air," Patricia replied without further explanation.

After dinner, Charles suggested, "Let me take you back to the hotel."

Patricia hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."

Paul had already parked the car at the entrance, waiting.

Patricia got into the car, staring at Charles's expressionless face, her mind replaying Calvin's words.

"Did you follow me to Regal City?"

Paul, sitting in the front seat, nearly had a heart attack hearing this. Patricia was too sharp! He held his breath, silently praying.

'Mr. Anderson, please don't say the wrong thing!'

Charles paused his phone activity, glanced at Patricia, and admitted frankly, "I did know you were staying at this hotel."

Patricia was taken aback by his honesty, momentarily at a loss for words.

'This man, has his skin gotten this thick?'

'Not even pretending anymore?'

"I was worried about you," Charles put down his phone, his voice tinged with helplessness. "You being alone in Regal City, I couldn't help but worry."