Alexander walked as he spoke.
“I wonder what my sister’s boyfriend is like?”
“You’ll see him soon!” Evelyn replied.
“My sister is amazing. Her boyfriend must be pretty great too!” Alexander continued.
“Alexander, you’d better not praise another man in front of your husband!” Evelyn shot him a look.
“I’m not exaggerating. I’m just stating facts. Are you jealous?” Alexander said with a grin.
Evelyn chose not to answer that question.
She took his arm and looked up at him, smiling. Honestly, his occasional jealousy was kind of adorable.
Since there was a chance they’d be drinking tonight, Evelyn didn’t drive. She had the driver pick them up instead.
When they arrived at Victoria’s restaurant, they were twenty minutes early. Victoria and her boyfriend were already there.
“Sister, why are you so early?” Evelyn asked, surprised.
“It’s rush hour. We left early to avoid traffic.”
Victoria gestured to the man beside her. “Aiden, this is my sister, Evelyn. The tall, handsome man next to her is her husband, Alexander. Evelyn, this is my boyfriend, Aiden Fisher.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Fisher,” Evelyn said.
Aiden’s appearance was a bit unexpected. He was gentle-looking, handsome, and a little thin.
She had always thought her sister would go for a strong, athletic type. She never expected her to fall for a scholar.
“Hello, Mrs. Sterling. Hello, Mr. Sterling,” Aiden said, a little formally.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Fisher,” Alexander said, shaking his hand.
After the introductions, they took their seats and started ordering.
Out of habit, Evelyn ordered a spicy beef dish. Victoria immediately interrupted.
“Pregnant women shouldn’t eat anything that spicy!”
Evelyn felt her face flush with embarrassment.
“Sister, we’re not there yet!”
Hearing Victoria’s words, Alexander turned to look at Evelyn but said nothing.
“Better safe than sorry. Let’s just skip it,” Victoria insisted, glancing at Evelyn.
“Fine, I won’t order it then! You should take care of Aiden too!” Evelyn replied, flustered.
“I don’t need any special care,” Aiden said with a smile.
“I’ll order two dishes, and you two can order the rest,” Victoria said, probably realizing she was being too pushy. She shrugged.
They ordered a mushroom soup and boiled shrimp, leaving the rest for the others.
Aiden ordered two more dishes, both simple home-style meals.
After the order was placed, Alexander took the initiative to chat with Aiden.
“Aiden, Victoria tells me you’re working as a sales representative. That takes real talent.”
“You’re too kind. I only switched careers six months ago. I used to be an accountant,” Aiden explained.
“That’s a big change. Why the sudden switch to sales? It’s not an easy job.”
“It’s true. The first three months were brutal. I had no leads and my performance was terrible. But I slowly figured things out. I’ve gotten used to it now.”
The two men talked about work.
Evelyn and Victoria talked about their recent lives.
“How’s your internship going?”
“It ends this month,” Evelyn said.
“School is almost over too.”
“The graduation ceremony is at the end of June. Sister, you have to come.”
“I’ll be there if I don’t have a business trip.”
“Great!” Evelyn leaned closer to her sister and lowered her voice. “Sister, your boyfriend is really handsome!”
“He’s still a step behind your husband.”
“They’re different types. You can’t compare them.”
“I’m starting to regret bringing my boyfriend to dinner with your husband,” Victoria muttered.
“Why?” Evelyn asked, confused.
“Because he’s going to feel completely inadequate.”
“What? Alexander isn’t like that!” Evelyn defended him.
“He doesn’t have to do anything. Just standing there makes everyone else feel like they’re lacking.”
“It’s not that bad! I think your boyfriend has great conversation skills. He’s not as bad as Mom says.”
“Mom is biased,” Victoria said, rolling her eyes.
The food arrived. Alexander ordered a bottle of liquor and chatted with Aiden as they drank. Evelyn had a little too, but she couldn’t hold her liquor.
She knew she was a lightweight, so she stuck to juice.
Most of the time, she was either eating, listening to Alexander and Aiden talk, or chatting with her sister.
Aiden clearly wasn’t a heavy drinker. He was a little drunk by the end, but he held on and kept talking.
After the meal, Alexander arranged for a car to take Aiden and Victoria home.
Then he took Evelyn to another car and headed back to Sterling Manor.
In the car, Evelyn didn’t ask Alexander what he thought of Aiden.
When they got back to Sterling Manor, she finally asked.
“So, what do you think of Aiden?”
“Oh,” Alexander replied casually.
She had thought that after one meal, Alexander would have a general impression of Aiden. She could then relay that to her mother and sister. But Alexander didn’t give her an answer.
“If I tell you what I think, are you going to report it to Victoria and your mother?” Alexander asked with a smile.
“Of course! Your opinion is their benchmark!” Evelyn said confidently.
“But sometimes I’m wrong.
Besides, you can’t truly know a person after just one meal.
But Aiden is a smart man. That much was clear from this dinner,” Alexander replied.
“That’s true,” Evelyn nodded. Then she turned to him curiously. “How can you tell he’s smart?”
“It’s something you just feel. Hard to put into words,” Alexander said with a smile.
It was better not to explain everything to Evelyn.
She cared too much about Victoria’s happiness. Sometimes, good intentions could lead to bad outcomes.
“Ugh, you’re being mysterious,” Evelyn pouted but didn’t push further.
“You’d better stay out of this. Just let Victoria handle it,” Alexander warned.
“But what if Aiden isn’t a good match? My sister would be walking into a disaster!”
“Otherwise, Victoria wouldn’t be so upset about your mother’s objections.”
“My mother is biased,” Evelyn said.
“There’s some prejudice, but it’s not completely unfounded.
There’s an old saying: birds of a feather flock together.
It doesn’t mean one person is right and the other is wrong. It just means two people have different mindsets.
It’s hard to be partners when that’s the case. And a husband and wife are the most important partners in life,” Alexander said.
Evelyn looked at him, thinking his words made sense. But she still asked hesitantly.
“Are you saying Aiden isn’t right for my sister?”