Chapter 456
Stanley rang the doorbell
It wasn t long before the apartment door swung open revealing Wendy s graceful figure in the doorway Who is it Mr Hawk
Wendy’seyesmetStanley’s,andhecouldseethatshehadchangedintoaloose,comfortable homedress.Thedelicatemakeupshehadwornearlierwasnowgone,revealingafresh,naturalbeauty–afaceuntouchedbypowder,glowingwiththesoftnessoftheevening/
She looked a world away from the radiant woman at the diner party
Do you have a moment Stanley asked
Wendy s fingers twitched nervously Is there something you need You can just say it
Stanley opened his mouth but before he could speak a familiar voice echoed from inside Who s there Wendy
Stanley looked up and saw Samuel standing in the apartment
Samuel in slippers and holding an apple was casually biting into it Mr Hawk what brings you here
Stanley swords caught in his throat He hadn t expected Samuel to be there
Wendy s gaze shifted slightly and she spoke again her tone a little more guarded So Is there something you need If not I ll be going inside
Stanley his lips pressed into a thin line looked at her then glanced inside again Just you and Samuel in there
Is it strange for us to be here together Wendy countered her tone sharp
Stanley’sfacehardened,hisaristocraticfeaturesgrowingcolder. Thetensionintheairgrewthick.
Just then Halsey peeked his head out from the kitchen Wendy are you done The food s going to burn
Then Cecelia s voice joined in from inside Wendy hurry up
Stanley s expression remained icy as he processed the voices Inside there was more than just Samuel Halsey and Cecelia were there as well
Yet,thatdidn’teasethetensionforStanley.KnowingthatSamuelwashangingoutwithWendy’stwoclosestfriendsmadeitclearthat theywereallveryfamiliarwithoneanother,andtheyoftenspenttimetogether.
Samuel looked at Stanley a polite smile on his face Mr Hawk we remaking dinner Have you eaten yet You re welcome to join us
Stanley still hungry from his hurried return to find Wendy opened his mouth to accept the invitation
Before he could speak however Wendy interrupted him
No he doesn t need to join us She turned back to Stanley her tone firm We re having dinner now Bye
reached
With that she reached for the door and with a swift motion closed it in his face with a sharp slam
Stanley stood there for a moment stunned Then he let out a quiet self deprecating smile He turned and walked back to his apartment
Stanley lived alone so his apartment was quiet empty save for the soft light in the living room Tall and lean he stood before the floor to ceiling windows looking out at these a of lights below
+25BONUS
Chapter47
He pulled out his phone and opened Halsey s social media feed She had just posted something
Wendy cooked for us herself So many dishes and they all casted amazing I wish I had a bigger stomach
Along with the post was a photo of a beautifully arranged fable filled with food that looked irresistible Wendy Samuel Halsey and Cecelia were all raising glasses to each other in a toast
Stanley clicked on the photo and studied it carefully his eyes lingering on it for several moments
Acoldbreeze driftedthroughtheroom,addingtothestillnessofthenight.ItseemedtoonlymakeStanley’shandsomefeaturesmoremysterious,givinghimatouchofsomberelegance,
Suddenly he remembered how long it had been since he d had one of Wendy s meals
Wendy was an excellent cook something Stanley knew all too well He had been in a coma for three years and after waking he had needed extensive recovery
During that time Wendy had faithfully prepared meals for him everyday waiting for his return home