Chapter 19

At the East Borough restaurant, a grand chandelier cast a glittering web of light across the room.

Cedric and Sylvia sat across from each other at a square table. A waiter uncorked a bottle of Bordeaux and poured it into a decanter, the ruby-red liquid catching the light. A single beam illuminated Cedric's sharp profile, his expression relaxed as his gaze drifted toward the piano in the corner.

"That's odd," Sylvia remarked, her long, wavy hair cascading over a marigold-yellow dress that made her look more delicate than her usual business attire. "There's no one playing tonight."

Cedric arched an eyebrow. "No idea."

He knew exactly why. Being perched on a piano bench like a zoo animal for everyone to gawk at was something the proud Liliana would never tolerate for long.

He even wondered if she had already given up and gone home.

Liliana always knew her place; she would never interrupt his work. That was why she had left so quietly that morning when she knew he was busy.

"A special for the happy couple!"

Juniper's voice, dripping with sarcasm, cut through the quiet ambiance. She placed a hot dish on their table, her eyes sweeping over Sylvia.

"Steak tartare?" Sylvia asked, surprised. "I didn't know this was on the menu."

"Oh, this is a custom creation," Juniper said with a dazzling smile, her gaze returning to the plate. "I call it 'The Traitor's Tartare.' Served cold, just like your hearts."

Instantly, the temperature around the table plunged to freezing.

Juniper considered herself brave, but for some reason, provoking Cedric always made her skin crawl. Maybe it was because she was only acting on Liliana's behalf and didn't have any concrete proof to truly pin him down.

After a deadening silence, she felt her throat tighten as if an invisible hand were squeezing it. She turned and walked away without another word.

Sylvia feigned confusion. "Cedric, do you know her?"

"Not really," he said, his gaze fixed thoughtfully on the dish.

A few seconds later, the phone on the corner of the table buzzed to life.

He had never saved Liliana's number, but for two years, she had texted him every day at noon to remind him to eat lunch and called every evening to ask if he was coming home. He recognized the number immediately.

Cedric's lips twisted into a sneer as he silenced the call without a second thought.

"Why didn't you answer?" Sylvia

asked, standing to pour him more She glanced a

wine. the unfamiliar number on the screen, a faint smile playing on her lips. This is dinner not a board meeting. It's not dike I'm forbidding you from taking calls."

"It's no one important."

Cedric took the bottle from her and leaned forward to fill her glass as well. "You've worked hard lately."

Sylvia settled back into her chair, her smile radiant. "Are you trying to get off the hook with just a glass of wine?"

"Here's my supplementary card. Buy

yourself whatever you want." Cedric produced a black card and slid it across the crimson tablec toward her "Professionally, the wine is my thanks. Personally, this gift is your reward."

The man's hand, with its elegantly defined wrist bones, was striking against the rich fabric. As Sylvia

reached for the card, her fingertion et

deliberately brushed against the back of his hand, her pinky giving his a subtle hook. Her almond shaped eyes, full of charm, watched his face for any reaction.

Cedric's thin lips tightened, but he withdrew his hand nonchalantly and leaned back

in his chair, a picture of lazy indifference. He acted as if he hadn't felt a thing.

Sylvia tucked the card into her purse without ceremony and glanced again toward the empty piano bench.

So, Liliana really didn't show up today. A calculating look flickered in her eyes.

Soon, the waiter brought their main courses, and Cedric began to eat with unhurried grace. Seizing a moment when he wasn't looking, Sylvia took out her phone to snap a picture of their reflection in the window.

But she forgot to turn off the flash.

Cedric's eyelids lifted, his gaze sharp and questioning as it landed on her.