?Chapter 94:
With thest table wiped down, Elliana considered slipping into the kitchen to avoid attention—but one step into that oven-like heat had her retreating. Instead, she quietly slid behind the counter, hoping to stay unnoticed.
The moment Cole entered, Elliana lowered her gaze, her hair falling like a curtain to shield her face. But curiosity got the better of her when she caught a glimpse of a striking woman hanging off his arm. Dressed in tailored ck cks and a sleek shirt to match, Cole moved like a storm wrapped in silk. His tall silhouette and sharply cut features carried an unmistakable chill that instantly stole the room’s attention.
Elliana could tell something was off about him. His appearance hadn’t changed, but the energy around him was no longer familiar—it pulsed with something bolder, darker. She remembered him as calm, a little rebellious maybe, but subtle—never one to unt his power. He was the type to fly under the radar, not show up with fanfare and bodyguards at a diner tucked into a working-ss street.
Today, though, Cole’s eyes held a dangerous gleam—carefree and arrogant. He walked like the world was his and no one could tell him otherwise.
Elliana couldn’t pinpoint what had flipped the switch in him, but every instinct screamed that this version of Cole spelled nothing but trouble. Best to keep her distance.
Clinging to Cole’s side, the woman was all curves and confidence, barely covered in a tight red tank and shorts that left little to the imagination, strutting in heels like she was walking a runway straight into chaos.
Where others might’ve fallen under the woman’s spell, Elliana felt only difort. The woman’s overpowering perfume smothered the air, making her stomach turn. This was Cole’s type now? She nearly rolled her eyes.
In Elliana’s mind, she was already tearing him apart with relentless sarcasm.
Loftus’s Comfort Eats stood right in the center of blue-cor Willow Lane. The tables and chairs, while clean as could be, clearly wore the marks of time.
The woman gave the ce a single nce and curled her nose in distaste. “Mr. Evans, don’t you think this ce is a little shabby?” she asked, her voice dripping with so much fake sweetness that Elliana got goosebumps.
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After everything that had happened the night before, Elliana couldn’t help but wonder—had the drugged Cole been with this woman and fallen for her?
As Elliana continued firing silent daggers with her eyes, Cole and the woman made themselvesfortable at a table.
Cole’s tone was oddly gentle, the kind of calm that didn’t match the chaos. “All that luxury stuff is sh and noise. This ce? It’s got soul. Feels good to change it up.”
With a honey-sweet smile, the woman leaned closer, her voice a silky purr as she said, “Didn’t peg you for the humble type, Mr. Evans. But if you’re around, even diner food tastes like heaven.”
Mid-sentence, the woman made a show of adjusting her top, lowering it even further—as if she were inviting Cole to admire the view. There was zero shame in her game. She yed to the crowd and dared them to look.
The bodyguards dropped their gazes to the floor, steering clear of the moment like that was part of the assignment.
Nearby, Aron and Hugh shared a split-second grimace, while Myles just arched an eyebrow, clearly wondering what this woman came from.
Myles, Aron, and Hugh had assumed Cole’s visit to Willow Lane was all about finding Elliana. But then, out of the blue, Cole had phoned Manley with a request to send a woman over. Then, this woman had arrived, wrapped in red and attitude, and left the whole team quietly stunned. Seriously? This type? None of them thought Cole would give her the time of day. Yet, there she was, not just tagging along—seated beside Cole like she belonged.
Trying to read Cole was like chasing smoke—no one had the slightest clue what he was ying at.
Elliana, still camped behind the counter, had the misfortune of witnessing every exaggerated pout, every eysh flutter from the woman, and the asional smirk from Cole. It was stomach-turning.
As the woman leaned in again, clearly angling for more attention, Cole gave a slow smile and murmured, “Let’s eat first. I’ll get us a hotel after.”
The meaning behind that line wasn’t lost on anyone.
The woman shifted in her seat with giddy energy, her eyes lighting up like she’d just won a prize.
Elliana couldn’t help the eye-roll. Seriously? Cole was actually buying into all that fake sweetness? Pathetic.
“Hey, you,e over!” Cole’s voice sliced through the diner’s low hum like a de—sharp, direct, impossible to ignore.
Elliana’s head jerked up instinctively, realizing he was calling her. What the hell did he want now?
Elliana froze for a second, caught between ying along and vanishing into the kitchen.
As always, Hugh skipped finesse and stomped over. “Did you not hear him? Get over there!”
With a quiet exhale of frustration, Elliana approached the table, casually cing the menu in front of him without a word.
Cole didn’t bother looking at the menu. Instead, he leaned back in his seat, watching her with unsettling ease—his stare slow, steady, and impossible to read.
Elliana’s pulse stumbled. That look—it almost felt like recognition. Was he starting to put the pieces together? No. She shut the thought down before it could grow roots. For fifteen years, not a single person hadid eyes on her true face. There was no chance Cole could recognize her.
Across the room, heads turned toward Elliana—Myles, Aron, Hugh, even the guards couldn’t help it. A gorgeous, poised waitress in a ce like this? Total surprise.
Hailee and Briggs stood off to the side, tight-lipped and visibly uneasy, caught between worry and confusion.
The silence stretched, heavy and disorienting. Elliana finally broke it, tapping the menu with practiced calm. “We’ve got ten house specials today, sir. What can I get started for you?”
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