Chapter 123
The waiters immediately agreed with Bellaâs suggestion before both of them meticulously wiped the
table and chairs clean for Scarlett, who was said to be prioritizing hygiene.
Moving around in her wheelchair, Bella came over to Victoriaâs table and curled her lips. âChristian, do
you mind if we add another table here?â
He didnât respond and only cast a glance at Matthew.
âForgive me, Miss Spritz.â Matthew pushed his glasses up as he shot her a smile and explained,
âTodayâs dinner is my treat, but I donât feel like eating with strangers.â
Bella didnât get mad at his answer and instead, she spoke with a soft tone. âI apologize for my
rudeness. If you donât feel like eating with strangers, I shouldnât impose the idea on you. However,
since I have the occasion to meet you, may I have the pleasure to make Mr. Buckleyâs acquaintance?â
âMatthew Buckley.â Matthew stretched a hand out to her, the implication in his words obvious. âIâve
heard a lot about you, Miss Spritz.â
She chuckled as she held his hand. âThe nameâs Bella Spritz. Your name precedes you, Mr. Buckley.
Itâs too bad weâre only meeting each other until today.â
Watching the holding of hands with an intense gaze, Janice allowed her expression to fall and she
harrumphed before she lowered her gaze and forcefully flipped the pages of the menu.
Meanwhile, Lucas was sitting at another table and his gaze fixed on Victoria.
Pretending not to notice him, she waited in anticipation for the waiter to serve her the order of twelve
creamy garlic scallops. Then, she stood and âthoughtfullyâ distributed two scallops on each plate before
Christian, Matthew, and Janice.
Victoria took a bite before turning to Christian and said, âThe scallop tastes good, especially the garlic
paste on it, which makes it taste even better. Mr. Thatcher, are you not trying it?â
Janice swallowed hard at the comment. After that, she took one of the scallops in front of her and
tasted it. She nodded vigorously in agreement as the taste burst on her taste bud, and her eyes shone
with excitement.
Christian threw a glance at the scallop before he grabbed one and took a bite. His expression remained
neutral the whole time. âItâs not bad.â
He finished the first one on his plate both elegantly and quickly. Soon, he took another one to eat with a
natural look.
As Victoria looked at him eating with ease, something flashed through her eyes and she found her
portion unappetizing.
Lucas was watching her all the time. When he saw her eagerly courting Christian, he pressed his thin
lips into a line while his amber eyes seemed darker as they burned with anger.
âYouâll never have her to yourself.â Scarlett was displeased to see him in such a condition. âYouâve
been pursuing her for so long in the past, but she never fell for you. Are you dreaming sheâll reciprocate
your feelings all of a sudden?â
Her voice wasnât loud nor low, but enough for the people at the table next to them to hear.
Victoria was pretending not to hear that as she finished the scallops. Christianâs eyes darkened in
thought as he darted a glance at Lucas without the latter noticing him, his motion slowing down.
Scarlett hit a nerve, and Lucas drew his gaze back with a livid look.
âScarlett, do you agree with these dishes?â Bella turned to Scarlett and asked softly, âDo you want to
add anything?â
Scarlett didnât get off with the opportunity even when Bella tried to ease the atmosphere. A half smile
was hanging on her face as she remarked, âNo need for that. Iâm tired of his nonsense. I donât have the
appetite.â
âWow! Victoria, the baked honey chicken wings are super delicious! You should try them.â Janice took a
bite of the chicken wing, and her eyes were sparkling in amusement. She handed over one of them to
Victoria, as if showing her greatest treasure.
Victoria did as told. The chicken wing was indeed sweet but not overly sweet, and the meat was tender,
indicating it was nicely baked. âYouâre right. Itâs very good.â
Christian noticed her glistened lips due to the oil from the chicken wing and swallowed hard before he
served himself one.
âHow does she summon the authority to show up in public after she failed to seduce a man and ended
up being thrown out of the room? Does she have no shame?â Scarlett was furious and lost her
appetite, but she was even more furious seeing Victoria enjoying the food. Besides, the fiancé she was
engaged to recently was also thinking about Victoria, and it upset her.
Victoriaâs expression sank at the remark. Clenching her fists, she put the food down and tried her best
to contain her anger without retorting.
âShut up. Now isnât the time for this.â Lucas frowned as he scolded Scarlett.
She sneered before she mocked him, âAre you mad because I talk bad about your crush? You should
already give up on your dream. Donât you know she will choose a man who broke her leg and threw her
out when she had no clothes on over you?â
He used some force and squashed the menu. He hung his head low without a word, but he was
clenching his fists tightly while the prominent arteries on his neck were pulsing, making him look
enraged.
Scarlettâs comments of âbroke her legâ and âthrew her out when she had no clothesâ were repeating
themselves in Victoriaâs mind uncontrollably. She pursed her lips as she felt her body shake.
âVictoria, whatâs wrong?â Janice stared at her in confusion.
Victoria didnât deign to answer the question as she quickly rose to her feet as she held onto a plate. Her
expression was more gloomy than ever.
She couldnât care less if she offended a member of the Palmer Family as her situation wouldnât be
worse. After all, she wasnât even afraid of death.
She couldnât care less if she offended a member of the Palmer Family as her situation wouldnât be
worse. After all, she wasnât even afraid of death.
Before Victoria could flip the plate over Scarlettâs head, Christian stood and pressed a hand on her
shoulder to force her to fall back on her seat. âIs this how the Palmer Family educated you? To speak ill
about someone in public?â
Scarlett wasnât expecting Christian to stand up for Victoria. She furrowed her brows as her expression
changed. âI spoke hastily, so I didnât mind my language. Please forgive me if I offended you, Mr.
Thatcher.â
âWhat if I donât want to forgive you?â He chuckled, but there wasnât a hint of amusement in his
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She was taken aback by his reaction before her expression sank deeper. Usually, a person would save
anotherâs face in public, as most of them were meeting regularly.
Lucas frowned and stood next to Scarlett, barely containing the boiling anger in his eyes. âMr. Thatcher,
youâre a grown man. You donât have to make the situation more difficult for a woman.â
âWell, I apologize for not being macho like Mr. Spritz.â Christian watched the pair before him, his gaze
was unreadable. âMen and women are the same in my standard. I treat them equally.â
Janice poked Victoria in secret to gain her attention and whispered, âIs the Ice Man standing up for
you? He looks more handsome and less insufferable right now. â
Victoria didnât want to answer her. She perked her head up and watched him for a moment before she
put the plate aside and continued to enjoy the chicken wing.
Bella sighed in resignation before she chimed in as she directed the conversation at Scarlett. âScarlett,
Christian only broke Victoriaâs leg because she broke mine in an accident first.â
She cast a sympathetic look at Victoria as her story went on. âEven when he threw Victoria out when
she wasnât wearing anything, it was because Vincent drugged him and she tried to seduce him. He had
to do that as he wasnât given a choice. Your statement was putting him in the position of victimizer
instead of the victim he is supposed to be. How could he not be angry with you?â
Lucas fell back to his seat, and his expression kept changing. Various feelings such as furious,
impulsiveness, distress, and guilt were building inside his heart. None of them were willing to back off
as if the feelings were trying to burst his chest open in the end.
As their two tables had the most people and all of them looked like they came from wealthy families,
the assistant manager had assigned a few waiters to attend to their needs at any time.
As the waiters heard Bellaâs side of the story, their eyes all darted to Victoria and they did not hide their
detest.