Chapter 79

Sebastian.

"Good luck, sir," he replied sincerely. "I hope you get your Alfred back."

I took my other car to the restaurant, deliberately choosing to drive separately rather than riding with the others. I needed these few minutes alone to gather my thoughts and prepare myself for what was to come. The drive was mercifully quick since I knew all the shortcuts through the city I governed.

"That was fast," I murmured to myself as I pulled up to the restaurant, "but then again, I am the Mayor, and my position does come with certain privileges."

The owner of the upscale establishment had readily agreed to reserve the entire place exclusively for me when my assistant called. Whether that was out of respect for my office or fear of potential repercussions, I neither knew nor cared. All that mattered was that everything was in place for my last chance at winning Alfred back.

"Please let this work," I whispered as I parked, a prayer to whatever deity might be listening. "I need this to work."

I deliberately delayed myself, arriving a bit later than the others to make an entrance. It was a small power play, I knew, but I needed every advantage I could get in this delicate situation. As I approached the restaurant entrance, I took one final deep breath and squared my shoulders, adopting the confident posture that had won me an election.

"You can do this," I told myself. "You've faced tougher opponents than your own mistakes."

When I finally walked through the doors, the scene that greeted me was exactly as I had instructed – perhaps even more impressive than I had imagined. Red flowers were arranged everywhere in lavish, dramatic displays, transforming the entire restaurant into what appeared to be a massive, high-end flower shop in full bloom.

"Perhaps a bit excessive," I thought, momentarily taken aback by the sheer volume of roses.

A small band was set up in the corner with a singer ready to perform romantic ballads at my signal. The lighting had been dimmed to create an intimate atmosphere, with candles flickering on every table. It was perfect – perhaps too perfect, bordering on cliché, but I was beyond caring about subtlety at this point.

My eyes immediately found Alfred, sitting next to Jack at the central table. They were giggling together over something private, looking so comfortable and happy with each other that a sharp pain lanced through my chest at the sight. Alfred's smile – that beautiful, genuine smile I had missed so desperately – was directed at someone else now.

"He never smiles at me like that anymore," I thought bitterly.

Liam was seated across from them with his new boyfriend, their bodies pressed close together in a casual display of affection. The sight only highlighted my own solitude, the empty chair awaiting me a stark reminder that I was the lonely person here, the odd one out in this gathering of couples.

"Everyone has someone except me," I realized with a pang of self-pity.

I couldn't help but wonder how Liam had managed to forget so easily about Alfred after chasing after him relentlessly for years. How had my brother moved on so completely while I remained trapped in the past, unable to let go? Then why couldn't I do the same? What was wrong with me that I couldn't simply find someone new, as Liam had done?

"Maybe I'm just not built that way," I mused sadly. "Maybe for me, there's only ever been one."

"Hey, you're extremely late, and I'm absolutely starving, brother!" Liam called out when he spotted me, chuckling good-naturedly and opening his mouth comically wide like a hungry child waiting to be fed. "We've been waiting forever!"

"Traffic," I lied smoothly, though in reality I had just been sitting in my car, gathering courage.

Sure enough, Liam was clearly the one having far too much fun this evening, practically glued to his new boyfriend's side, whispering in his ear and laughing at private jokes. His happiness was genuine and uncomplicated – so different from the complex tangle of emotions I was experiencing.

"At least someone's enjoying themselves," I thought grimly.

I just nodded my head in acknowledgment of Liam's greeting, not trusting myself to speak yet. With deliberate casualness, I made my way to the table and sat down on the only available chair – which happened to be directly on the other side of Alfred, placing him between Jack and me. The proximity was both torture and bliss.

"Sorry I'm late," I managed to say, proud that my voice remained steady. "Mayoral duties."

"Of course," Alfred murmured, not quite meeting my eyes. "The city comes first."

The subtle dig wasn't lost on me, but I let it pass, unwilling to start with confrontation. Instead, I gestured toward the waiting staff, eager to move things along before I lost my nerve completely.

"Okay, let's eat," I announced with forced cheerfulness, pointing to the hovering waiters to begin serving the carefully planned meal. "I've arranged a special menu for tonight."

Throughout the meal, I couldn't stop myself from glancing frequently at Alfred, stealing quick looks at his familiar profile whenever I thought he wouldn't notice. Each time, something in my chest tightened painfully. He was so close physically, yet emotionally further away than ever.

"You've let your hair grow longer," I observed quietly during a lull in the conversation. "It suits you."

"Thanks," he replied stiffly, touching it self-consciously. "Jack likes it this way."

The mention of Jack's preferences regarding Alfred's appearance was like a knife twisting in my gut. But the worst was yet to come. As I watched in mounting horror, this f*cking Jack began actually feeding Alfred from his own plate, offering him bites of pasta on his fork with nauseating intimacy.

"Try this, mon chéri," Jack cooed in his ridiculous French accent. "It's delicious."

Alfred accepted the offered food with a smile that once had been reserved only for me, his eyes warm as they met Jack's across the short distance between them. It was more than I could bear to witness.

I rounded my fist under the table, curbing my anger with every ounce of self-control I possessed. The urge to leap across the table and separate them physically was almost overwhelming. Instead, in a gesture of frustrated rage that I immediately regretted, I threw my fork loudly on the table, the clatter causing everyone to jump slightly.

"Sebastian!" Liam hissed in warning, but it was too late.

"Okay, this is absolutely enough, Alfred!" I exclaimed, unable to contain myself any longer. I slammed both hands down on the table with enough force to make the glasses jump and stood up abruptly, towering over the seated diners. I fixed my intense gaze directly on Alfred, ignoring everyone else at the table as if they had suddenly ceased to exist.

"Sebastian, what are you doing?" Liam asked urgently. "We talked about this!"

"I can't sit here and pretend anymore," I replied without looking at him. "I can't watch this charade for another minute."

The other diners in our party froze in awkward silence, clearly uncomfortable with my sudden outburst. The band, sensing the tension, stopped playing mid-song, the abrupt silence making my next words even more dramatic.

"This isn't how this evening was supposed to go," I said, more to myself than to Alfred. "I had a plan, a speech prepared."

Alfred rolled his eyes in obvious exasperation at my behavior, but I didn't miss the slight trembling of his hands as he set down his napkin. "W-what?" he stammered, his voice catching slightly. "What are you talking about now?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," I insisted, my voice rising with emotion.