After Rebirth She Strikes Back (Simone) novel Chapter 5

Chapter 5

At Epicurean Haven, Tim the manager scurried over and asked, his voice tinged with nervous excitement, “Mr. Irwin! What brings you here?”

His eyes immediately landed on Simone standing behind Cyrus. She was stunningly beautiful, and fort

extra glance.

a moment, Tim couldn’t help but take an

Then, realizing his mistake, he quickly averted his gaze and thought, ‘Mr. Irwin has never brought a woman here before. This girl must be someone important.‘

Cyrus noticed the look and got what he must be thinking. He gave Tim a cool, dismissive glance and said, “This is my daughter.”

Tim’s heart skipped a beat as he realized he was way off. He quickly recovered. “Of course! You two look so much alike,” he said, trying to smooth things over.

He was so nervous about having misjudged their relationship that he broke into a sweat without even realizing it. Fortunately, Cyrus didn’t make things difficult for him.

Simone glanced at Cyrus, surprised. She hadn’t expected him to acknowledge her so openly in front of others.

“Ms. Irwin, I apologize for my rudeness earlier,” Tim said, his voice earnest.

“It’s fine.” Simone replied with a small, reassuring nod. She knew it was an honest mistake.

Tim escorted them to the best booth before slipping away. From here, the view was pure magic–nothing but a blanket of stars overhead. No wonder this place was Sogin’s top–rated restaurant. The view was worth the price of admission alone.

Cyrus and Simone sat across from each other, both a little awkward. It was hard to believe that these two, who had been at each other’s throats just hours ago, were now sitting here in relative calm.

“Order whatever you like,” Cyrus said, pushing the menu toward Simone.

Simone glanced through the menu and picked out a few dishes without much thought. She handed it back. “I’m good.”

Cyrus scanned the choices. “Just these?” he asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.

“Yeah,” Simone replied, nodding a little nervously.

‘All vegetarian. That won’t do, Cyrus thought. He quickly added a few meat dishes to the order before handing the menu back to the waiter. “Not into meat?” Cyrus asked, noticing how Simone was avoiding the meat dishes when they arrived.

“Try their specialty, honey glazed ribs.” Without waiting for Simone to respond, Cyrus motioned to the waiter to place the honey glazed ribs in front of her.

Simone looked at the ribs and felt a wave of queasiness. She took a deep breath, then picked up her fork and took a tiny bite, forcing herself to chew slowly.

The Irwin family had strict dining rules. Cyrus kept his usual silence during meals, while Simone was accustomed to eating alone.

Together, they moved with an almost regal grace, like figures from an old–world painting–elegant, poised, and easy on the looks only added to the allure, drawing glances from other diners who couldn’t help but admire the scene.

eyes. Their striking

But the calm didn’t last. Samuel walked in with Charles, and spotted Simone from across the room. As they approached, Samuel’s eyes widened. “Simone? What are you doing here?”

Simone’s appetite soured the moment she saw them. Her irritation showed in her eyes, and her voice turned frosty. “If Mr. Spence can be here, why

can’t I?”

“Mr. Spence?” Samuel let out a short, bitter laugh.

“Simone, don’t be rude to Dad,” Charles scolded, his face stern. He was growing tired of her defiance.

Samuel was about to respond when he felt the weight of a cold, piercing gaze. He turned to see Cyrus, his expression unreadable. “Mr. Irwin?” Samuel’s voice wavered slightly.

Both the Irwin family and the Spence family were big names in Sogin, and their faces were familiar from countless magazine covers. So they knew

each other.

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Chapter 5

Cyrus, in particular, was a force to be reckoned with–ruthless, brilliant, and feared in high society. Even Samuel knew better than to cross him.

Cyrus’s eyes gleamed with a hint of coldness as he said, “Your boy seems quite bossy, Mr. Spence. He’s already lecturing my little girl before even taking over the family business.”

“What gives you the right?” Cyrus turned to Charles with a glare.

Charles knew better than to challenge Cyrus directly and fell silent.

“Your girl?” Samuel’s expression shifted, his mind racing. Simone was acquainted with Cyrus–he hadn’t seen that coming.

Samuel bit back his confusion and turned to Simone. “What’s your deal with him?”

Simone didn’t even glance up from her plate. “None of your business.”

Samuel’s face reddened with anger. “Simone!” he snapped, grabbing her arm. “We’re leaving. You’re not making a fool of yourself in public.”

Cyrus’s hand closed firmly around Samuel’s arm. His voice was like ice. “And who do you think you are, Mr. Spence? Last I checked, Simone was your adopted daughter, and you two cut ties weeks ago.”

J

Samuel’s eyes narrowed. He couldn’t believe that Simone would share their family matters with an outsider. “Mr. Irwin, I’m still her father. This is my family’s business, not yours.”

“You’re coming with me,” he said to Simone.

Samuel had once been the center of Simone’s world, but now all she felt was irritation. “I’m not going anywhere with you,” she said flatly. “I cut ties with the Spence family. I’m free.”

“If you’re not coming home, are you planning to stay with him?” Samuel shouted, jabbing a finger at Cyrus.

“Absolutely,” Simone shot back, her voice sharp and unyielding.