At the restaurant, Galus had arranged <b>for </b><b>a </b>private dining room–spacious and over the top
There were only five of them, yet the round table could easily seat ten.
<b>Gals</b>, eager to <b>please</b><b>, </b>pulled out a chair and bowed slightly as he gestured toward Sean
“<b>Mr. </b>Jasper, please.<b>” </b>
Sean, used to being fawned over, <b>took </b>the seat
at without <b>a </b>second thought.
But for Charlotte, it was her first time witnessing how others treated the CEO of Jasper Corporation.
The man in front of her epted all the ttery and deference with cool detachment. His expression was <b>unreadable</b>, his features sharp and cold, radiating an unapproachable air that seemed to push everyone away.
He felt undamir.
It was hard to reconcile this aloof, powerful figure with the man she once saw in an apron cooking dinner just for her.
After Sean sat down, Noah took the seat to his right.
Gaius deliberately chose a spot to <b>Sean’s </b>left, but left a <b>seat </b>between them.
Close enough for conversation, but not so close as to be disrespectful.
Tim <b>sal </b>in Gaius’s left.
charlotte purposely chose the seat farthest from Sean, directly across <b>from </b>him.
Sean leaned <b>back </b>in his chair, casually scanning the table. When his eyesnded on Charlotte and saw how far she had seated herself, a flicker of disappointment passed through his gaze.
It was quick and subtle, but not lost on Noal. He sighed quietly to himself, <b>“</b><b>What </b><b>a </b><b>pair </b>of star–crossed lovers.”
Duce everyone was seated, Galus pushed the menu toward Sean
“Mr. Jasper
Sean flipped through it with little interest<b>, </b>named a few dishes, then slid it back to Gaius
Galus added a few heavier, more <b>indulgent </b>dishes of his own.
She avoided looking at him entirely, keeping her <b>gaze </b>fixed on the sszy Susan in the middle of the table.
Every dish Sean had just ordered was something she liked.
A sliver of <b>frustration </b>stirred in her chest. “Why was he doing this?” she wondered.
They had already broken up.
So what was the point of all this?
<b>First</b>, he asked her to stay for lunch. Now, he was ordering her favorite food in front of everyone
Was he trying to y the role of a heartbroken ex?
Charlotte couldn’t just get up and leave in front of Tim <b>and </b>calus, but sitting in the same private <b>coom </b>with Sean made her feel like she was suffocating.
She didn’t understand bite anymore.
Sean made small talk with the others, but als gaze kept drifting toward Charlotte, seated directly across from him.
She sat with her head lowered, silent and <b>still</b>, not even touching her <b>phone</b>. She looked <b>like </b><b>a </b>quiet little quali, curled in on herself.
Something about her made him want to reach out, nuttle her hair, and pull her into his anas.
The food arrived<b>. </b>
Charlotte said nothing. She simply lowered her head and started rating.
She really was tungry.
After runding Into Sean and Lucinda on the nest night, she had felt awful. She hadn’t eaten, <b>couldn’t </b>sleep.
And <b>this </b>moming<b>, </b>she had rushed to the <b>golf </b>course without even having breakfast.
Now her stomach was painfully empty and she was starving
The inen around the <b>table </b>were deep in conversation, but she had no intention of joining in. She focused entirely <b>on </b>her te.
Sean eventually agreed to move forward with the partnership with TH Corporation and told Gaius his assistant would handle the paperwork the next day.
Galus was overjoyed. He threw back a few sses of wine, his face flushed with excitement.
As the alcohol kicked in, he loosened up. The once–careful businessman began to ramble, going on and <b>on </b>about how he built his fortune from nothing.
Sean tuned <b>him </b>outpletely.
His attention never really left Charlotte sitting across from him. His gaze kept drifting toward her, and his fingers toyed with the edge of thezy Susan, quietly tuming it so her favorite dishes would end up in front of her.
?ius and Tim were too busy drinking and chatting to notice.
But Noah saw everything. It was <b>clear </b>as <b>day</b>.