I Fell for the Man Who Ruined Me, Then He Forgot He Ever Loved Me Back novel Chapter 178

The receptionist answered honestly. "I've ordered from them at home before, and it's really good. But someone actually dropped this off for Mr. Vaughn today."

Sienna stiffened.

The receptionist glanced around before leaning in to gossip. "An older couple dropped it off. They acted like they knew him really well, so we thought they were his relatives. But Mr. Vaughn immediately told us to take care of it, which basically means 'throw it in the trash!'"

Such perfectly good food, it's such a waste...

As the receptionist continued complaining, the warmth entirely drained from Sienna's face.

Just as she was about to speak, a crisp male voice rang out beside her.

"Since you're throwing it out anyway, let me have it. I haven't eaten lunch yet."

Nathaniel Yale leaned his elbows on the counter, shamelessly asking for the food.

Knowing someone would eat it was infinitely better than tossing it, so the receptionist nodded. "Sure! We can split it. We'll keep one order, and you can take the other for lunch."

Nathaniel grabbed the bag, then turned to Sienna. "I actually really like this place. Want to eat together?"

Sienna shook her head. "I already ordered takeout, so I'll pass. But if you like it that much, I can treat you to it another time."

Nathaniel tilted his head, intrigued.

She clarified, "It's my mom's restaurant."

Nathaniel nodded, flashing her a brilliant smile. "Sounds like a plan."

-

On the strict orders of Theodore Vaughn,

Jorrod arranged to meet Nathaniel at an exclusive, reservation-only restaurant near the company. Knowing Dr. Jacqueline Shaw had worked tirelessly on his case, Jorrod also invited her, booking a private dining room for the three of them.

Nathaniel initially claimed he was busy.

But halfway through the meal, he abruptly pushed the door open and slid right into the seat across from Jorrod.

Jacqueline, assuming the two men were close friends, chalked the dramatic entrance up to their casual dynamic and thought nothing of it.

Jorrod, however, lifted his gaze, staring right through the younger man.

He tossed out a few hollow words of gratitude for his help during his illness, aiming to shut the younger man up.

To his surprise, Nathaniel tossed the gratitude right back. "I should be the one thanking you, Mr. Vaughn."

His tone was dripping with implication.

Jorrod's brows twitched slightly, a deeply scrutinizing gaze locking onto his face.

Nathaniel stood up, lazily pacing over to stand right beside Jorrod, leaning heavily against the edge of the table.

"I used to wonder why Mr. Vaughn wore glasses when he has perfect 20/20 vision."

"Now I realize it's because you're entirely blind to what's right in front of you. You're just wearing them so no one else can see your stupidity."

Nathaniel's words were violently laced with venom, entirely crossing the line from subtle sarcasm into outright hostility.

Jorrod calmly looked away, completely unfazed as he picked up his glass and took a slow, methodical sip of water.

Only after swallowing did he speak with feigned pity. "I've always respected Eleanor Yale's mastery in architecture. I constantly felt bad that you didn't inherit her brilliance and instead settled for a meaningless position at my company. But now, I realize I was entirely mistaken."