Chapter 200
Shortly thereafter, someone knocked on the office door. “Yes, come in...” Lilian responded. The door opened, revealing Matthew. “Hi, boss. Shall we go to lunch?” he said excitedly. “I discovered a private Japanese restaurant nearby. I heard the food is incredible.” We can walk there.“ Lilian's eyes lit up immediately. She had been craving udon since her trip to Rio de Janeiro and couldn't refuse the offer. ”Give me two minutes." She swapped her high heels for sneakers, organized some documents on her desk, and left shortly after. Since giving birth to Théo, Lilian had avoided wearing heels. Her feet and calves hurt when she wore them for more than three hours. Now, comfort always came first. If her best friend, Gabriela, saw her, she would probably complain. After all, when Lilian worked in New York at the LGA Group, she always wore stylish clothes—largely due to Gabriela's influence. Today, she preferred something practical: black pants and a silk shirt of the same color. Wow... why do I suddenly miss Gabriela so much? I hope she can visit us soon... A soft smile appeared on Lilian's lips as she followed Matthew along the tree-lined path between the buildings. The rows of trees created pleasant shade despite the strong sun. She looked at her colleague, curious. “Matthew, how did you find this place? I've been working around here for years and I've never heard of this restaurant.” “My secretary told me about it,” he replied. “It specializes in udon. It opened about two years ago and is always trending on social media.” The chef is Japanese. I've eaten there, and look, the flavor is incredible. I'm sure you'll like it." Lilian's eyes sparkled even more just thinking about the dish. But after walking for almost five minutes, there was no restaurant in sight. Her stomach began to growl—after all, she had only had warm milk and a piece of bread with garlic butter that morning. “Mattew... is it much further?” she asked, already impatient. “Five more minutes,” he laughed, noticing her slow pace. “If you walk faster, we'll get there sooner.” Lilian gave him a sharp look, as if to say he was taking advantage of her. She ended up feeling defeated by the provocation. “I thought you liked walking. That's why I said it was a distance you could walk,” Matthew commented when he saw her angry look. He continued along the tree-shaded trail, ignoring his boss's irritation. “Then why did you say it was close to the building?” Lilian protested, her patience wearing thin. They had crossed the large park, and only then did she realize that the restaurant was on the other side, much further away than she had imagined. Matthew just smiled and quickened his pace ahead of her. “If I had known it was so far, I would have come by car. Why torture me in the middle of the day?” Lilian snorted. “Wow, I might faint when we get there...” “Oh, come on, it's only a ten-minute walk, not sixteen kilometers.” He laughed. “I heard from Dinho that you exercise every morning.” For you, this is easy.“ ”It's not the distance, it's the hunger...“ Lilian replied weakly, quickening her pace. If she had known, she would have ordered delivery instead of accompanying that fool. ”Calm down, boss, the restaurant is just down the road..." Exhausted, Lilian chose not to respond. She just walked on in silence, focused on getting there quickly. But less than a minute later, three burly men appeared ahead. All dressed in black, they walked side by side, deliberately blocking the way. Their steps were slow, calculated, as if they were waiting for them. Lilian and Matthew stopped a few feet away. The air became heavy. Matthew immediately went on alert and pulled Lilian's hand, protecting her behind him. “Excuse me, could you...” Matthew began, but was interrupted. The man in the middle raised his index finger, pointing directly at Lilian. He smiled, revealing yellowed teeth, and said in a hoarse voice, “Hey, beautiful... you should come with us.” Lilian's eyes narrowed. She noticed the red rose tattoo on his neck. She had never seen him before. The two beside him also carried the same dark aura of gangsters. Her fist clenched instinctively. In her mind, only two names came to mind as possible instigators: Suelen... or Joana. “Do you know them?” Matthew murmured over her shoulder. “No.” This is the first time I've seen these men.“ He turned his gaze back to the three, giving them a cold stare. ”Who the hell do you think you are to ask her to go with you?“ Matthew's voice sounded harsh, laden with fury. ”Get out of the way, or you'll end up in the hospital." The men, however, ignored him completely. They kept their eyes fixed on Lilian, their expressions full of malice and fascination. “This is my last warning! Get out now, or I'll send you straight to the coffin if you're still here!” Matthew's eyes narrowed in annoyance. He wasn't afraid of them—he had a black belt in Taekwondo and Muay Thai and had undergone two years of intensive combat training in the jungles of Borneo.
There were only three people, although they were physically larger than him. And if they were also good at hand-to-hand combat, he was very confident that he could at least incapacitate them long enough for him and Lilian to get reinforcements.
Matthew's eyes were still fixed on them. Upon hearing his words, he thought the three would be afraid or run away with their tails between their legs, but he almost choked when they laughed at him.
Lilian approached Matthew and whispered, “Are you sure you can handle all three of them?”
“Don't worry, boss. I'll take care of them. You just need to stay by my side,” Matthew replied in a whisper.
“All right, then I'll count on you...” Lilian patted him on the shoulder as she looked at the three men, who were still laughing loudly.
“What the hell is this? A handsome man like you dares to fight us?” said the gangster.
Lilian almost laughed out loud at the gangster's words, calling Matthew “Handsome Man.” But she closed her mouth tightly when she saw Matthew's face darken, as if a black cloud hung over his head.