Chapter 349 No Coincidence
<b>57 </b>
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Tess knew exactly how clever he was. She lifted her chin, tapped his slouched shoulder with ease, and leaned close enough for her breath to warm his car. A faint smile curved her lips as she whispered, “If you don’t feel like eating, then you can leave.”
Her words sliced straight through the air. Even the smile that Abel adored turned into something edged with frost that was sharp enough to sting.
Abel’s back stiffened even more than the shoulder she touched. The warmth of her breath lingered by his car, circling and coiling until it burned across his skin like a sudden me.
Heat rose to his face.
She wasn’t keeping him at a distance anymore.
That single thought stirred a hidden thrill inside him. Excitement flickered in his eyes before he could even notice it himself.
Tess never caught the shift in him. She simply stepped ahead and slid into her seat with calm grace.
Only then did Abel snap back to himself. He strode forward, long and steady, and pulled her chair out for her like a gentleman.
“Sir, ma’am,” the server began politely, “since you don’t have a reservation, there will be a wait for the entrées. Would you like to order dessert while you wait?”
“Bring me a raspberry ck forest.”
Abel spoke without even ncing at the menu.
The server hesitated. “I’m sorry, sir, but that dessert isn’t on our menu.”
Abel ced his ck card t on the table as if it were nothing. “Then your chef should learn how to make it. If he can’t, then he can be reced.”
Tess blinked at him, confusion shing like a bright question mark in her mind.
<i>What </i><i>on </i><i>earth </i>is he trying to <i>pull</i>?
The server looked unsettled, but still bowed her head and set the card back in front of him carefully. “I’ll contact the kitchen right away.”
<b>16:34 </b><b>Mon</b><b>, </b><b>Oct </b><b>20</b>…
Chapter 349 No Coincidence
So, one of them was determined to push, and the other was too willing to bend.
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Tess rubbed her forehead with a quiet sigh. When she lifted her gaze, Abel’s wide eyes were locked on her, shining with childish pride. He didn’t speak, but his expression gave him away. He was smug, waiting to be praised, as if asking her, “Well? Did I impress you?”
Tess pressed her lips together and forced a smile.
“Just because you’re rich doesn’t mean you can make people do something they cannot.”
Abel’s shoulders sagged at once, drooping like a flower struck by frost.
He muttered with quiet frustration. “The chef’s profile outside said he used to work at the Fountain Opera House in Kingnd. Their raspberry ck forest is their signature. It’s your favorite…”
“What are you rambling about?”
Tess cast him a sharp nce.
“Nothing.”
He turned his face away with stubborn silence.
Tess let it pass and lowered her eyes toward the window.
She leaned her cheek against her hand. Her gaze was drifting, though no one noticed the other hand hidden under the table. Her fingers curled tight against her thigh.
Raspberry <i>ck </i><i>forest</i><i>. </i><i>After </i><i>all </i><i>this </i><i>time</i><i>, </i><i>he </i><i>still </i><i>remembered</i>.
The restaurant was calm and elegant, touched by the soft night breeze. In her white dress, Tess looked as though she might take flight at any moment, like a spirit with wings about to disappear into the dark.
Abel stared at her,pletely spellbound. His hand moved up to cover his mouth, trying to hide the red flush spreading across his face.
Between them, the atmosphere felt warm and easy, but at the next table, tension coiled tight.
Henry’s expression darkened with disbelief.
<i>Why </i><i>is </i><i>that </i><i>brat </i>showing <i>up</i><i>? </i>
He tilted his head ever so slightly to look, and the moment his eyesnded on Tess, his mind
<b>16:34 </b>Mon, <b>Oct </b><b>20 </b>
Chapter 349 No Coincidence
faltered.
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Her side profile gleamed with a beauty that pulled him straight back to the first time he hadid eyes on Kylie.
It was impossible to deny. Tess had inherited her mother’s beauty. No, that beauty was sharpened further and refined beyond what Kylie had ever carried.
Shannon noticed his slip. She stirred her haute chocte with a spoon, the crisp clink ringing out, but she said nothing at all.
Nadine swept her hair forward as though to hide her face, her guilty conscience in as day.
Of all times, it had to knock right now.
“I’m going to the restroom.”
Tess rose from her seat.
Abel shifted to follow her, but her sharp re stopped him in his tracks. He sank back into his chair, left alone in silence.
Shannon’s eyes followed Tess‘ every step until she vanished from sight. Then her attention dropped onto Abel, lingering over him with thought.
The moment Tess was gone, the warmth on his face vanished. His features hardened, cold and unreadable, his sharp profile like some painted noble from an old European canvas, beautiful yet dark.
Shannon’s gaze fell to the red diamond pinned at his chest. She stared, her fingers curling tight around her handbag.
“I need to fix my makeup.”
Her tone was gentle as she rose with her
purse.
Henry, distracted by Tess‘ sudden arrival, waved her off with little thought.
Shannon stepped into the women’s restroom. Inside, Tess stood at the sink, rifling through a stack of papers in her hands.
The sight froze Shannon mid–step.
“You know why you’re here. I’m standing right in front of you.”
Chapter 349 No Coincidence
Tess lifted her head at once.
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Her eyes were icy, like winter frost, and the chill mmed into Shannon the instant their
met.
A shiver ran the length of her spine. Her mind circled back to what Tess had just said.
“You nned this?”
Her heart hammered, unease growing heavy in her chest. She clutched her purse tighter.
Tess tossed the papers into her hands without a word of exnation. “See for yourself.”
gazes
Shannon’s brow furrowed. She nced up at Tess once more, then slowly lowered her gaze to the documents now resting in her hands.
16:34 Mon, <b>Oct </b>20
Sara Lili
<strong>Sara Lili</strong> is a daring romance writer who turns icyndscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of d’s breathtaking cold.