Chapter 122
Victoria was stunned for a moment before she turned to look at the handâs owner. Christian was
protecting her forehead with his hand, but he allowed his own head to crash on the front seat. There
was a conspicuous red spot on his forehead, and she couldnât help but think he hurt himself badly.
âIâm grabbing the seat to avoid crashing into the front seat. I wasnât trying to protect you. Donât delude
yourself.â He tilted his head to cast her a quick glance before he drew his hand away. Curling his
fingers as the tips grazed at each other, he could feel the faint heat from her body on them.
In the front seats, Janice rested one of her hands on her hip while another was pointing at Matthew,
accusing him of his poor driving skills. Meanwhile, the man gestured at the cars in front of them with a
resigned look, trying to explain. None of them had noticed what happened to the passengers in the
back seats.
Even if Christian didnât claim his stance, Victoria had never thought of another reason. She drew her
gaze away and hummed in understanding before the silence hung in the air.
Before this, Christian was staring straight in front, but he couldnât focus and his body was straightened
up. Hearing her reply with only a hum, he furrowed his brows and dropped his shoulders. Leaning
backward at the chair, he couldnât make out the reason for the frustration building in his chest.
The accident in front wasnât as serious as they thought. Since the car owners settled the matter
between them, the flow of traffic began to smooth out like before.
At first, Janice would complain about the clients of the agency to Matthew. As she slowly shifted her
focus to the mobile game on her phone and stopped talking, the car fell into silence.
The silence made the repressing atmosphere in the car ever more insufferable.
Sticking close to the door on her side, Victoria was feeling both mentally and physically uncomfortable
as time passed at a slow pace. The car finally rolled to a stop, and she could already feel the soreness
on her neck.
She reached out to the back of her neck and gave it a massage as she studied their destination before
her, which was a street where restaurants of different cuisines were located.
âThere are a few restaurants Iâll recommend to try out here. We can choose from the cajun shrimp,
grilled fish, Sichuan cuisine, Japanese cuisine, or the noodle house. Which one do you like?â Matthew
turned to Janice, his eyes full of tenderness.
She was already drooling and her eyes were sparkling with excitement. âCan I have all of them?â
He tapped her forehead with his fingers before he steered his attention toward Victoria. âMis Coleman,
the dinner is our token of apology to you, so you should decide our menu tonight.â
âCajun Shrimp.â No lights were on inside the car when Victoria threw a glance at Christianâs injured leg
from the corner of her eye. Among the dim lights, her lips curled in amusement as she decided on a
restaurant that didnât serve food suitable for a patient.
Matthew clicked his tongue as he shot the passengers in the backseats with a mocking look. After he
found a spot to park, he led the others toward the said restaurant.
The lights were illuminating the night after the sun went down. As the nightlife was yet to begin, there
werenât many people on the street.
After the group found the target, the restaurant owner told them the bad news of all private rooms being
occupied at the moment but they could choose to cater there without waiting at the cost of lack of
privacy.
Janice was a hothead, so she agreed with the suggestion without hesitation as she pointed to a table
for four people in the middle. âLetâs sit over there.â
Victoria was used to eating in a private room or the corner seat, but she only pursed her lips without
any contradiction when she saw the table Janice was pointing at.
âIt feels stressful to eat in the middle. Weâll sit at the table in the southeast.â Christian cast her a look
before he headed toward the table for six people in the said direction.
Matthew had no opinions on it, so he followed behind Christian to the table.
Janice stomped her feet in anger and harrumphed to express her unwillingness before she joined
Victoria to walk over there and take a seat.
âChristian told me that Miss Coleman likes the Cajun Shrimp before, but I didnât quite believe him at
that time.â When the group was ordering their food, Matthew threw a topic at Victoria for conversation.
âI can see he was speaking the truth.â
Taken aback by the statement, she cast a quick glance at Christian subconsciously, but she turned her
attention back to the menu in front of her without a reply.
Christian pursed his lips. âIâll remember the food preferences of the people around me as a habit. You
like French cuisine, my mother likes sweet and sour food, andâ¦â He stopped for a moment and added
another sentence on purpose. âBella has a light taste.â
As he finished his words, he sneakily threw a glance at Victoria.
Even though Christian was answering Matthew, Victoria knew the words were coming for her. There
was no other meaning than implying that she wasnât a special person in his heart.
She curled her lips mockingly before she raised her head to the waiter and ordered the food, âTwelve
creamy garlic scallops. More garlic, please.â
Christian disliked garlic and couldnât bear it even if he was only smelling them.
He remained with a neutral expression like he usually was when he heard the order while Matthew
couldnât help but turn to Victoria with a troubled look.
âVictoria, are you sure you can finish twelve of them?â
Victoria chuckled, but her tone remained casual. âIâll take them home if I canât finish.â
Not long after they ordered their food, a female voice that didnât bother to hide her disdain from the exit
reached them. âWhat kind of food can this shabby shop serve us? Are you sure the hygiene is
guaranteed?â
It was none other than Scarlett.
It was none other than Scarlett.
After that, they heard Bellaâs gentle voice. âScarlett, donât you like Cajun Shrimp the most? Since this
restaurant has good ratings, why donât you try it out first? We can switch restaurants if you donât like
them.â
Victoria was sitting at a spot where she only needed to raise her head to see the situation at the
entrance.
At first, the waiters at the door were smiling professionally, but their smiles faded a little after they heard
the harsh comments.novelxo.com fast update
Scarlett came into Victoriaâs view first, followed by Bella in her wheelchair, and Lucas, who was
pushing the wheelchair.
The waiter was trying to persuade them that the restaurant was serving delicious food and that its
hygiene was guaranteed. However, Scarlett made a disgusted look after she grazed her finger on the
table near her.
âYou can go somewhere bigger if youâre not happy with the size of the restaurant. Whatâs the point of
degrading them?â Janice slammed her hands on the table as she rose to her feet and yelled at the
woman. âYou havenât spent even a penny, but you think of yourself as a V.I.P. Do you have no shame?â
Her remarks caught the trioâs attention. Scarlettâs expression changed and she was about to strike
back, but Bella interrupted, âMiss Mooney, you misunderstood the situation. Scarlett is only prioritizing
hygiene. She didnât mean to cause difficulties to others.â
Janiceâs expression sank but she decided against engaging in a quarrel.
Lucasâ gaze skipped over the others and landed on Victoria. Then, a longing yet complicated look
emerged on his face. When his eyes shifted to Christian, who was sitting next to her, his expression
was replaced by a look of conspicuous anger and disdain.
Victoria ignored Lucasâ gaze as she poured a glass of free orange juice provided by the restaurant for
herself. Taking a sip, she didnât taste the expected sourness or sweetness, but the bitterness of the
situation that even found a way to drench deep into her soul.
âMy friend is a straightforward person. I apologize to you if her words offended you. Please forgive us.â
Bella looked at the two waiters and spoke with sincerity.
The waiters accepted her apology as Bella wasnât only pretty, she also spoke gently and was showing
a good attitude. They then explained to the group, âThe private rooms are full. You need to wait about
one hour if you want to eat in the private room, but you can order now if you decide to eat here.â
Scarlett wasnât pleased with the options, but she decided to keep her silence.
Victoria sneered when nobodyâs attention was on her. If she had never experienced the accident two
years ago, she would have been deceived by Bella like the waiters and had a good impression of her.
âWe know the customers over there, so weâll join them.â Bella smiled at the waiters and gently informed
them.