Chapter 988
He never imagined things would go so disastrously wrong, leaving her completely empty-handed.
Wilbur’s words struck a deep chord within Claire.
“I originally invited you to dinner to thank you for helping me last time. Now I feel like
I owe you an absolute mountain of dinners. So many I might never be able to pay you back.”
Wilbur chuckled at her dramatic analogy. “A lifetime is a very long time. How could you possibly fail to pay it back?”
Claire laughed with him. “True. Well, from now on, whenever I’m in Northcrest and have some free time, you’re on for dinner.”
Realizing that promise came with a heavy caveat, she quickly added, “Assuming your girlfriends don’t mind, of course.”
She had almost forgotten he had a reputation as a notorious playboy.
Then again, she realized she had never actually seen Wilbur acting intimately with any woman.
Maybe he just kept it strictly behind closed doors.
Wilbur leaned back in his chair with effortless grace. “Don’t worry. They won’t mind.”
See?
A playboy through and through.
He didn’t even deny the plural.
Meanwhile, outside the restaurant.
Felix felt as though his boots were bolted to the pavement. He couldn’t take a single step forward.
His eyes were locked dead onto the scene playing out behind the floor-to-ceiling glass, watching the two of them share a deeply intimate, joyful dinner.
The way she smiled at him was so incredibly vibrant and soft.
It was a side of her he never got to see.
He genuinely couldn’t remember the last time Claire had smiled that effortlessly and warmly in his presence.
It had been so long that his memories of her happiness had been completely overwritten, leaving only the cold, apathetic shell she presented to him now.
Standing next to him, Madeline didn’t miss the sharp flash of displeasure in his eyes. Seizing the opportunity, she immediately purred, “It’s so late, and yet here’s Claire, having a romantic dinner with another man. They must be incredibly close.” “He’s the same Mr. Wilbur who stepped up to defend her last time, the one who falsely accused me of pushing her and causing her miscarriage.”
“When a man protects a woman like that, his motives couldn’t be more obvious.”
A violent, unnamed fury tore through Felix’s chest, leaving him recklessly agitated.
But his mouth moved faster than his brain, shutting down her theory. “Don’t speak about things you don’t understand. Wilbur and Noreen are business associates, and Noreen is Claire’s best friend’s more than likely Noreen just asked Wilbur keep an eye on her.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure. If he was just casually keeping an eye’ on her, why would they be having a candlelit dinner together in the middle of the right?
“Honestly, Claire has always been a bit easy. Even back in school, she bounced around with so many boyfriends…”
“Shut up!” Felix snarled, his voice dropping to a dangerous, freezing octave. “I know exactly what kind of woman she is!”
She was perfectly innocent when they got together.
Though Madeline was visibly stung, she didn’t dare utter another word.
Felix had originally planned to take her to a high-end restaurant just down the street, but seeing Claire changed everything. He marched right up to the door and walked
straight into the restaurant where Claire was eating.
Madeline ground her teeth in fury, but reluctantly trailed after him.
Today was her birthday. She wanted to spend it alone with Felix, intentionally scheduling a late dinner to maximize their romantic privacy.
She never expected to run into Claire, of all people!
If Claire dared to ruin her perfect night, she would make her pay for it!
Once inside, Felix didn’t approach Claire’s table. Instead, he chose an incredibly secluded booth in the far corner of the room.
It was tucked away, but it offered him a perfect, unobstructed view of Claire.
Because it was so late, the restaurant was mostly empty. When Felix walked in, the few patrons lingering at their tables naturally glanced over.
The only two people who didn’t look up were Claire and Wilbur.
It was as if an invisible wall existed around their table, sealing them off in their own private sanctuary where absolutely nothing could reach them.
She radiated a natural, beautiful ease—a lightness he had never once seen in all their years of marriage.
The atmosphere in the restaurant remained completely undisturbed.