Elijah Clark spun around abruptly, his narrow, fierce peach blossom eyes locking onto her.
"Emma? What are you doing here?" Emma Johnson's jaw nearly dropped. How could such a coincidence happen?
Silverdale was one of the biggest cities around. How did they end up meeting here?
"I'm having dinner with some friends. And you... Wow, that's a lot of dishes. Don't tell me you came here all by yourself?" Elijah barely glanced at her, but his deep, dark eyes were fixed on Emma, as if he couldn't look away for even a moment.
"Liam and I..." She almost said "my husband," but stopped herself. She cleared her throat twice. "My husband and I came together. Ah... this isn't the time to talk. You should go now, or he'll be upset if he sees you, okay?"
Emma's tone turned pleading, her voice softening. She knew perfectly well that if Liam Williams found out Elijah was here, a fight would be unavoidable.
With that, Emma stood up and reached out to push Elijah's arm, hoping to make him leave quickly.
Elijah had always been obedient to Emma. It was like that when they were kids. And now, he still couldn't refuse her. He reached out and pinched Emma's soft cheek. "I know. Your powerful husband treats you well. I brought you a gift. I've been wanting to give it to you for a long time, but there was never a good opportunity. I've been carrying it in my pocket, afraid I might drop it. Here. Open it when you get home. Remember, even though this gift isn't valuable, it's precious. I won't allow you to lose it, understand?"
Then Elijah took a small box out of his pocket and gently placed it on the table.
Emma glanced at it. "I know. I know. I'll keep the gift you gave me. Now please go away..."
How could she have the energy to think about any of that right now? If Liam saw this even a second later, there would be trouble.
Elijah wanted to say a few more words, but she urged him on. Somewhat helpless, he could only keep walking forward. After a few steps, he seemed to remember something. He turned back, grinned, and made a phone-call gesture at Emma.
Emma nodded hard, relieved to see him go.
Then she sat back down in her chair and habitually turned her head to look out the window. But the man had already disappeared.
...
After receiving the call, Liam Williams didn't make it to the door. Through the glass door of the restaurant, he vaguely saw Emma talking to a man. The distance was too far for him to see clearly. He only knew the figure looked very familiar.
After a few more steps, Liam saw the man suddenly turn back. Was that Elijah Clark?
He saw Elijah's eyes fixed on Emma, a gentle smile on his face. He put his right hand beside his ear. Keep in touch?
Liam frowned. How could he be here?
Was it just a coincidence?
At that moment, his mood couldn't have been worse. With heavy steps, Liam came to the table one step at a time.
His dark eyes were filled with bloodthirsty anger. When he glanced again, he saw the delicate box beside Emma's hand.
Emma also noticed the box was too conspicuous. Liam had probably seen the gift. So she pretended to reach into her bag for her phone, pushed the box inside, picked up her chopsticks, and started eating the dishes in front of her as if nothing had happened.
Her and Elijah...
How close were they, really?
They meet, and he even gives her gifts?
His mood plummeted from the heights in an instant. Someone gives her something, and she just accepts it? She doesn't refuse at all?
Liam tried his best to control his emotions. After a long time, he finally calmed the storm in his heart.
"Just now, I thought I saw Elijah. Did you see him, my dear wife?" Liam asked tentatively.
"Huh? No... I didn't see him. You must be seeing things, Liam. Let's eat, or the food will get cold."
At the mention of Elijah's name, Emma became very flustered. There was clearly nothing wrong between them, but Liam suspected her time and time again. This kind of thing would only get worse if she tried to explain, right?
He had seen the truth with his own eyes, but now he saw that she was determined to cover it up and wouldn't say another word.
Although the restaurant was crowded, the environment here was quieter than most places. With the melodious sound of a violin and the harmonious, peaceful atmosphere, Emma's state was no longer so tense. She slowly began to relax.
When they were only halfway through their meal, a little girl in ragged clothes with a dusty face appeared in front of Liam. She was holding a big bunch of roses in her arms. She blinked her big, bright eyes and begged, "Mister... Mister, can you buy a bunch of flowers for your girlfriend? The lady across from you is so sweet and beautiful. You should buy her a bunch."
Emma was about to say no, but Liam spoke first. "How much for a bunch?"
"Ten dollars a bunch, Mister. If you buy more, I can consider making it cheaper..." The little girl lifted her face and answered in a tender voice.
After hearing this, Liam took his wallet out of his pocket and put four or five red bills on the table. He looked at the little girl with a gentle face. "I'll buy all the flowers in your hand. Keep the change. Little sister, go home now."
How could the little girl have imagined that Liam would be so generous as to buy all the flowers in her hand, let alone give her such a big tip? Her smile grew even wider. In a moment, the little girl handed the forty or fifty roses to Emma's arms, then stood on her tiptoes and gently kissed her right cheek. "Sister, you're so lucky. I wish you a happy life together, forever young and noble."
Then she grabbed the money on the table and bowed to Liam. "Thank you, Mister. I wish you more and more handsome and that everything you want comes true."
A light smile curved at the corner of Liam's mouth. He waved with a smile, saying goodbye to the flower girl.
Emma was stunned by this scene. Liam rarely smiled so happily. In the past few months, she had come to know Liam's temper and character better than anyone. Seeing him smile was harder than climbing to heaven.
Emma looked at his handsome eyebrows, his sharply defined face, his high nose, and the curve of his mouth. From the side, Emma found it pleasant to look at. No wonder his face was so popular with his colleagues...