Chapter 42
Suzanne’s lips curved into a faint smile as she quickened her pace to walk alongside Austin. Together, they stepped into the restaurant.
It was eerily quiet inside, with not a single customer in sight. Suzanne paused for a moment, glancing around, but there was nothing out of the ordinary except for the emptiness. It was 8:15 pm—prime dinner time—and yet, the place was unusually deserted.
Her eyes narrowed slightly. As expected, this wasn’t just a casual meal.
Austin wasn’t a fan of barbecue, yet he had chosen a place famous for it. It was clear he had reserved the whole restaurant just for her. After all, who could say no to barbecue?
“Welcome. Please follow me,” a waitress greeted them, snapping Suzanne out of her thoughts.
Suzanne withdrew her gaze and glanced at Austin beside her. Without saying a word, she followed him into the restaurant.
The waitress led them to their table, and soon, dishes began arriving one after another. With each plate, Suzanne’s astonishment grew.
If she had initially thought Austin had merely guessed her love for barbecue, she now abandoned that notion entirely. Every single dish on the table was exactly what she liked. There was no way this was a coincidence.
Suzanne’s gaze turned complicated as she looked at Austin. Yet his expression remained as cold and composed as ever, as if this had nothing to do with him.
He had actually gone out of his way to learn her preferences. For someone of his status and capabilities, he didn’t need to waste time or effort on her. Was he actually serious about being with her forever?
Suzanne’s heart fluttered, the strange sensation making it hard for her to breathe. As she watched Austin gently place a napkin on her lap, her emotions grew even more conflicted. She opened her mouth to thank him but quickly swallowed the words. He didn’t like polite formalities or distant gestures.
After a moment of hesitation, Suzanne finally said softly, “I didn’t expect you to book out the whole restaurant in advance!”
Austin set the cutlery before her and glanced at her with calm eyes. “I don’t like crowds.”
Suzanne pressed her lips together, choosing not to respond.
The sizzling meat filled the air with a mouthwatering aroma. Before Suzanne could react, Austin had already cut a piece of rib and placed it on her plate. “Go ahead. Try it.”
He did all of this so casually, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Suzanne found herself at a loss for words.
Meanwhile, the restaurant staff around them were practically on the verge of swooning from envy. They had been watching from the sidelines for quite a while.
From the moment Suzanne and Austin walked in, they had drawn all eyes. They seemed like the perfect match in every way. And once they sat down, Austin treated Suzanne with such gentlemanly care. The staff couldn’t help but feel that Suzanne had to be truly happy.
One of the waitresses couldn’t help but speak up, “Wow, they look perfect together! And her boyfriend really dotes on her!”
Another chimed in bitterly, “Ugh, just thinking about how my boyfriend treats me makes me want to strangle him. Comparisons are so cruel!”
“Know, right? Why can’t I have a boyfriend like this? It’s so unfair!”
“Ha! You? Look at yourself in the mirror first. Do you even deserve someone like that?”
Although they kept their voices low, Suzanne caught every word clearly. Her hand gripping the fork paused in mid-air as she instinctively glanced at Austin. To her surprise, he had heard them too.
His gaze was colder than usual, but his eyes glinted with something else, something almost like amusement. The corners of his lips twitched slightly, but he didn’t say a word. Instead, he continued to cut his own food, seemingly unaffected.
Suzanne’s heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t expected him to hear them, and certainly not to react so calmly.
But that calmness, that quiet power in the way he carried himself, made her feel an odd warmth in her chest. It was as if, for the first time, she was seeing a different side of him—one that didn’t just exude power and control, but one that cared for her deeply in his own way.
She couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed by it all. How had they gone from being strangers to this, where his every action seemed to reflect a deep understanding of her, even when she didn’t say a word?
For a moment, Suzanne wondered if this was just a temporary act, a display of affection that would fade with time. But she quickly shook the thought away. Austin was not the type to show care unless it meant something real.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Austin quietly spoke, his voice low but clear. “Don’t let them bother you.”
Suzanne’s gaze met his, her heart fluttering once more. There was sincerity in his eyes, and for the first time, she felt like maybe—just maybe—this wasn’t all just for show.
She nodded slowly, unable to suppress the small smile that tugged at her lips.
“Thank you,” she said quietly, her voice almost a whisper.
Austin gave a small, approving nod and returned to his meal. The staff, though still envious, continued to watch from a distance, but now, their gaze shifted to a new understanding—Suzanne wasn’t just another woman at the table. She was someone special, and it seemed, in Austin’s world, that was more than enough.
The night continued quietly, filled with the sound of sizzling meat, clinking cutlery, and a shared, unspoken connection between Suzanne and Austin that neither of them could deny.
