That weekend, Natasha and the others settled on a time for lunch.
Kenneth, who rarely showed up, went to the Hamilton residence early in the morning.
Liam was busy picking out his clothes when he saw Kenneth there. The former shot a look over, then said sarcastically, “Hey, wow! Look at that. The elusive Kenneth Hamilton has graced us with his presence. What brings you home?”
Kenneth sat lazily on the couch and replied, “It’s been a while since I last visited, so I thought I’d drop by to see how you’re doing.”
He never actually said what his intentions were, but Liam knew about them all too well.
“You don’t even pick up my calls, but now you’re suddenly interested in my wellbeing?” teased Liam as he checked his own reflection in the mirror.
“I wasn’t deliberately avoiding your calls. The only reason I didn’t pick up was that I was in a middle of a meeting.”
“Uh-huh, sure. You are simply that busy. Go ahead and work. You don’t need to worry about me at all.”
Liam’s sarcastic tone rendered Kenneth speechless.
By then, Liam had finally picked out a nice outfit. He stared at the mirror for a while before nodding happily.
He turned around and saw Kenneth sitting there like a deity. That prompted Liam to roll his eyes. “Okay then, you’ve seen how I’m doing, so you can leave now. It’s almost time, and I have to go.” After saying that, Liam walked right out without waiting for a response from Kenneth. “Let’s go, Dan.”
Kenneth stared. That man definitely did it on purpose.
No one knew what Kenneth was planning when he was sitting on that couch, but out of nowhere, Thea called him. “Kenneth, are you busy?”
“No. I can talk.”
“It’s nothing important, actually. It’s just that there are a couple of things regarding a few of our projects, and I think it’s best if we discuss those matters in person. If you’re free, how about we meet up and have a meal together? We can talk about work then.”
Kenneth didn’t reply.
“Oh, wait. I forgot you have plans for today. Uh, maybe we can meet up after that?” asked Thea.
“There’s no need for that. Didn’t you say you want to have a meal at Infinitium? Let’s meet there,” suggested Kenneth.
Thea was taken aback, but glee filled her at the very next second. “Okay, then I’ll see you later.”
Kenneth hung up the call after that.
At Infinitium.
Kenneth was already there when Thea showed up.
She went the extra mile to doll herself up and was skipping with happiness when she thought about how Kenneth remembered her wanting to try the restaurant out.
I guess a small part of him cares about me.
That day, Thea didn’t wear a formal outfit, which she regularly wore. Her get-up that day was especially sexy.
As the two of them sat opposite one another, Thea asked, “Kenneth, what would you like to have?”
“I’m good with anything,” replied Kenneth. As he spoke, he kept his gaze on the door. It seemed he was deep in thoughts.
“Okay, then I’ll do the ordering. They hired a new chef, and there are a few recommended dishes. Let’s try them,” said Thea. After that, she ordered a few dishes, some of which matched Kenneth’s tastes.
After she placed the orders, she turned her attention to Kenneth. Her eyes glowed with a hint of seduction and femininity. “By the way, didn’t you say that you have plans for today? How did you suddenly free up your time?”
“My plans changed at the last second,” replied Kenneth.
“Should we talk about work now or after our meal?” asked Thea.
“Let’s do that after,” answered Kenneth. He wasn’t in the mood to talk about work at all.
Thea nodded and replied, “Okay.”
She didn’t know why, but that day, she felt as though Kenneth truly cared about her.
She was about to say something else when Kenneth suddenly said, “I need to go make a call.”
Thea nodded. “Okay.”
Natasha and Terence were stuck in traffic, so they were late.
In the corridor…
Natasha could tell that Terence felt a little uneasy, so she said, “Grandpa, you’re simply having a meal with an old friend, so relax.”
“I’ve known Liam for years, and he can read me like a book. I’m just worried that I’d slip up. What if he learns about Anthony and the others?” said Terence, who was a little worried.
Natasha grinned. “Old Mr. Hamilton knows you well, but there is no way he can read your mind. No one will know about the kids so long as you don’t mention them.”
Terence took a deep breath. “I know that. I just can’t seem to get my heart to stop worrying.”
As he spoke, he tilted his head up. That was when he saw the guy standing in front of him.
Kenneth happened to be there, and both Natasha and Terence felt a pang of guilt in their hearts.
Kenneth murmured something to end his phone call and hung up before he walked to them.
“Old Mr. Watson, it’s been so long,” greeted Kenneth. Given how calm he looked, it was likely he didn’t overhear anything.
“Mm,” replied Terence. His response was half-hearted, and his smile turned upside down the second he saw Kenneth there. It was clear that the old man wasn’t fond of the young one.
Natasha, on the other hand, didn’t look off. She turned to Kenneth and asked, “What are you doing here?”
Before Kenneth could even answer that, someone opened the door to the private room from the other side. Liam appeared at the entrance. He cussed internally when he saw the young man standing right outside. D*mn it. I didn’t think he’d sneak his way in here.
Liam ignored his grandson completely and said, “Nat, you’re here! Come in, come in.”
“Liam, what is going on here?” complained Terence right away. He’s well aware of the situation, so why did he let Kenneth tag along?
Kenneth didn’t want to put Liam in a difficult position, so he spoke up. “I am here for work, actually. I didn’t expect to run into you either.”
Good, at least that punk isn’t completely useless. Liam grinned immediately and said, “I have no idea what is up with this kid and his schedule, either. We don’t need to care about him, though. Just ignore him and share a meal together.” After that, he gestured for everyone to go in but mercilessly shut the door in Kenneth’s face.
Kenneth was momentarily stunned behind the door. He then made his way back to his table.
The dishes were already served when Kenneth returned.
There was even a bottle of decanted red wine sitting there. “Kenneth, I heard that these dishes go well with red wine. Let’s share a bottle today.”
Kenneth picked up the wineglass in front of him and downed everything in one go.
“Slow down. You should eat something, too.”
Kenneth’s mind was completely elsewhere.
The ambiance inside the private room, on the other hand, was happy and peaceful.
Liam was attentive, and the dishes he ordered were the ones Kenneth and Natasha would enjoy.
The two elderly men were always arguing with each other, but it was nothing to be concerned about. That was simply their way of interacting with each other.
“Nat, take a seat. I remember that you enjoy dishes like these, but I don’t know if you’ve changed since then. If these are not to your liking, feel free to order something else,” offered Liam warmly.
Natasha grinned. “Thank you, Old Mr. Hamilton. I love them.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” replied Liam before he turned his attention to Terence and frowned. “Stop frowning, Terence. I ordered the food you like, too. Geez, why do you always look at me as though I am a villain?”
Terence kept eating away, but he was scowling the entire time.
“Seriously, what is wrong with you, old man? Stop eating if you’re that unhappy to do so,” said Liam, who tried to move the table away.
Terence’s temper rose as well. “Why should I stop eating? Just because you say so? Hah! I’m so eating it. In fact, I’m going to eat so much that you go bankrupt!” growled Terence before he moved the table closer to him again and chowed down.
Natasha grinned but didn’t complain when she saw them arguing like they always had. It was as though they had gone back in time.
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