Betrayed and Dumped She Rose Stronger Than Ever novel Chapter 173

"Oh, do you have any restaurant recommendations? My friends and I were just talking about going out together." Rebecca glanced up at the sign and texted the name to her boss. The place was packed, so the food had to be good.

On the other end, the man who got her message smiled to himself, spun the steering wheel, and slipped his car into traffic like he was in a race.

Rebecca spotted Caleb waving at her from across the room. She hurried over, took a seat, and grinned. "Thanks for dinner. You really didn't have to do this."

Caleb smiled, a little shy. "It's no big deal. I wanted to."

He had already ordered, so as soon as they sat down, the food started arriving. Just as Rebecca reached for her fork, Caleb pulled a small box from under the table and handed it to her. It was a box of white chocolate.

Rebecca pressed her lips together. "I'm sorry, I didn't get you anything."

She hesitated, then looked at him. "But Caleb, I can't accept your gift."

Caleb froze, his hands still holding out the box, his heart dropping.

Rebecca clenched her fists on her lap. "Caleb, I know what you mean. I'm sorry, but I only see you as a friend. You know I just got out of a seven-year relationship. I'm not ready for anything new right now."

Caleb stayed that way, arms out, eyes going teary. He should have guessed.

"Caleb, actually... Judy is into you. You must have noticed, right?" Rebecca asked, careful.

Caleb shook his head. "But I don't like her like that. She's just a friend from school."

Rebecca didn't answer. You really couldn't force these things.

She offered him a gentle smile. "Come on, let's eat."

By the time they were halfway through the meal, Caleb seemed a lot better. He looked at Rebecca. "Did you hear about Dr. Palmer setting up a new research center?"

Across the street, someone watched them through a car window. Caleb liked Rebecca? Stephen hadn't known that. From the looks of it, though, Rebecca only saw him as a friend. Relieved, Stephen started his car and drove off. Now that he thought about it, he was actually pretty hungry. Maybe he should find somewhere to eat.

After dinner, Rebecca excused herself to use the restroom and paid the bill on her way. As she turned from the counter, she nearly ran into two people—Bruce and Sonja.

Rebecca's eyes flicked over them for a moment, then she kept walking, head down.

Bruce stood still, unable to help watching as she left. He saw her stand up from a table with another man and his expression went cold.

"Bruce?" Sonja nudged him.

"You go ahead. I'll be right there," Bruce said.

Outside, Rebecca offered to drive Caleb home, but he said he needed some time alone and turned her down. She unlocked her car, pulled the door open, and suddenly felt someone grab her arm.