Anathea looked at the man in front of her. Sometimes, dealing with someone like Gregory felt exhausting. But with Adam’s life in his hand, she knew better than to start a pointless fight over something so small.
Her only goal now was survival. She needed to keep the peace and avoid conflict where she could.
So she smiled faintly. “Of course not, honey.”
She didn’t know if the nickname satisfied him, but she could feel the way Gregory kept his eyes locked on her for a long time. It was long enough to make her uneasy.
Finally, he let go and walked toward the dining table.
He’d already noticed the cream cake sitting on the table. The frosting had started to melt a little, making it look kind of sad, but that didn’t stop him from grabbing a fork and digging in.
“As expected from you, Annie. It’s so sweet and rich.”
His gaze then shifted to the dishes next. “And my favorite dishes.”
Gregory instantly knew Anathea had made them herself. “Did you make these for me? They look delicious.”
Anathea frowned, her mind drifting back to the provocative words from the woman at Drunk Elysium.
“If they get cold again, warm them up once more. Anyway, you can forget about asking Mr. Sinclair to go back. Men get tired of eating the same dish over and over, don’t they?”
Her voice turned cold. “They’ve gotten cold. Just throw them out.
Gregory didn’t even blink. He picked up his fork and took a bite anyway. Smiling, he said, “Still tastes good to me.”
“Then help yourself.”
Anathea wasn’t in the mood to entertain him. She just wanted to shower and get some sleep. But the moment she turned to leave, a protest echoed from her stomach, as if to say, “I’m not full yet!”
It wasn’t that loud, but Gregory heard it. He looked at her with a smirk. “Are you sure you’re not hungry?”
Anathea pressed her lips together.
“Wait here.” Gregory got up and went to the living room.
She had no idea what he was up to. A while later, he came back carrying his suit jacket.
Anathea was puzzled until Gregory took two boxes of ravioli out of his jacket. The takeout boxes were stamped with Hale Eatery’s logo.
A flicker of surprise passed through her eyes.
“Mr. Hale gave these to me. He said you barely ate anything earlier and probably didn’t get enough. I was going to have you eat while it was hot, but you were asleep, so I didn’t wake you up.”
Gregory casually draped his jacket over the chair. “So I wrapped it up in my jacket to keep it warm.”
A complex emotion flickered in Anathea’s eyes.
Gregory opened one of the boxes and handed her a spoon. In a gentle voice, he said, “Eat while it’s still warm.”
Anathea took the spoon, then scooped up a bite. The temperature was perfect.
She took another bite. Her cheeks puffed slightly like a bunny.
Gregory’s lips curved into a smile as he opened the second box and took a bite. He paused, his expression turning critical.
Chapter 293
+25 BONUS
With a slight shrug, he gave it a three–star rating, “It’s fine.”
He wasn’t lying. The ravioli tasted fine, just nothing special. The ingredients were solid, but there was no wow factor. He didn’t get why Anathea liked it so much.
Was it just nostalgia or something? If so, that was beyond him.
His offhand rating earned him a dry, flat remark from Anathea “If it’s just fine, then don’t eat it. Food made by regular folks will never compare to Drunk Elysium’s wine, steak, and pretty faces.”
Gregory was stunned for a moment, then looked over at her and asked, “And how would you know I was at Drunk Elysium drinking wine and eating steak?”
Anathea’s face turned cold. She’d slipped up.
Gregory took another bite of ravioli before wiping his mouth with a napkin. “If you didn’t care, how would you know where I was, what I ate, and what I drank? Annie, you’re obviously mad at me. Why won’t you just admit it?”
