Cedric nced at Alfred''s phone. Sure enough, there was a text from Noelle.
A sudden wave of irritation welled up inside him as he nced at his phone. Hisst text with Noelle was from the day he was discharged from the hospital.
It was clear she wanted to maintain her distance.
Cedric had noticed Noelle had grown much stronger. He had decided to respect her wishes and refrain from contacting her.
He assumed this was the right thing to do, but he knew something had changed.
With a hint of weariness in his eyes, he asked, "What''s your n?"
"Of course, I''ll go. Nelly''s my friend, and what''s the harm in having a meal together?" Alfred replied matter-of-factly.
Cedric tapped his fingers on the desk. "Go to L Bistro and put it on my tab."
Alfred was shocked. "Nelly invited me to dinner, so why should the bill go on your tab? Do I look like I can''t afford it?"
"Just do as I say!"
"Aren''t youing?"
Cedric appeared slightly irked as he replied, "No. She invited you out, not me."
Alfred got up and donned his coat. Then, he spent a while adjusting his look in the mirror.
Cedric couldn''t bear it any longer and snapped, "Will you get going already? What''s with the mirror obsession?"
He turned back to the document yet couldn''t read a single word.
Alfred cleared his throat and asked, "Are you sure you''re noting? We''re all friends, and it''s just a meal. I''ll just tell her you happened to be nearby."
"Fine. Let''s go with that." Cedric promptly set down the papers and got up to grab his coat. Then, he joined Alfred in the mirror.
Being shoved to one side, Alfred rolled his eyes. "But honestly speaking, the car ident back then was the driver''s fault and not yours. Just exin it to Nelly when you see her."
Alfred had recently learned the truth about the incident from Cedric. It turned out Cedric wasn''t at fault at all.
Cedric adjusted his clothes and replied, "It''s easy for you to say that I have nothing to do with it when you''re seeing it from my standpoint, but what about Noelle? She lost her parents because of that ident."
Alfred fell silent. "You''re right about that."
Noelle was the biggest victim of the entire ident.
At L Bistro, Noelle stepped out of the car and approached the entrance. The
unassuming courtyard didn''t look like a restaurant at first nce.
An attendant approached her and asked, "Are you Ms. Liddell?"
"Yes, that''s me."
"Pleasee with me."
As Noelle followed the attendant, she took in the beautifully traditional interior. The decor was elegant and steeped in ssical charm.
When they arrived at a private room on the second floor, the attendant brought fruits and snacks.
Though she''d invited Alfred out for dinner, she wasn''t familiar with the ce. Alfred had rmended the restaurant, and it did have a pleasant ambiance.
She stood by the window and pulled out her phone to snap a picture of the scenery.
"What are you taking a picture of, Nelly?"
Noelle turned around to see Cedric entering with Alfred. She paused briefly and said, "The view''s nice. Maybe we cane here for a team-building dinner sometime."
"Team-building? Sounds great. Just put it on my tab!" Alfred replied as he nced at Cedric. Footing the bill was given with thetter around.
L Bistro wasn''t a ce for just anyone to visit, but with Cedric, this might as well be Noelle''s private garden.
Noelle eyed Cedric. He was dressed casually and carried a distant air on his face.
She took the initiative to exin. "I thought you left, so I didn''t get to invite you along."
Alfred interjected before Cedric could respond, "No big deal. Ced happened to be nearby, so I brought him along. You don''t mind, do you?"
Noelle shook her head. "Of course not. We''re friends, after all."
The manager of L Bistro approached and stood respectfully beside Cedric. "Shall
we go with the usual menu, Mr. Greene?"
Cedric turned to Noelle. "What would you like to eat?"