Meanwhile.
When Yardley finally arrived at the private dining room, the atmosphere was thick enough to cut with a knife.
Sylvia was sitting in the corner, her head bowed in a picture of total victimization, while Craig Schmidt sat with a face like thunder, entirely ignoring her.
Seeing Yardley walk in, both stood up instinctively.
Sylvia practically lunged at him, acting as if he were her savior. Her eyes instantly welled up.
"Yardley, you're finally here. Dad and I have been waiting for ages."
Yardley gave a curt nod and looked at Craig with polite distance.
"My apologies, Mr. Schmidt. The traffic was awful. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
He then turned to the waiter. "You can serve the food. Tonight's dinner is on me."
As the waiter nodded and left, Craig's expression softened marginally. He offered a polite gesture.
"Mr. Flynn is a busy man, completely understandable. Please, have a seat. Let's talk while we eat."
Once seated, the table was quickly filled with dishes.
But while Yardley was physically present, his mind was miles away.
Scarlett still hadn't replied to his messages. He kept glancing at his phone, his thoughts consumed by her and Dawn's condition. All he wanted was for this dinner to end so he could rush back to Sutton City.
Sylvia acutely sensed his distraction. She gave his sleeve a subtle tug under the table and whispered,
"Yardley, please explain the situation with Julian to my dad. If I say it, he won't believe me."
Snapping out of his daze, Yardley raised his glass to Craig.


VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: He Lost Me to His Best Friend