Separate Weddings, Separate Lives novel Chapter 61

"Why are you alone? Where's your wife?"

Elijah leaned back, sinking into his chair with casual defiance. His posture was relaxed, his tone a lazy drawl. Yet, his personality didn't clash with the restaurant's high-class vibes.

Zachary replied, "She isn't here, as you well know." He sat in an upright position, hands folded neatly, left over right, on the dining table. His behavior was a stark contrast to Elijah's.

Elijah raised his eyebrow. "True, though I doubt her husband knows where she is."

Wouldn't such words sting? Moreover, Louisa was present. Elijah didn't seem to care about anyone's feelings, even his brother's.

Louisa stole a glance at Zachary. Though his expression didn't change, the gloom in his eyes seemed to worsen.

"Spare me the embarrassment in front of your wife," Zachary said, trying to laugh off the tension.

Louisa felt embarrassed, too. Beneath the table, she gave Elijah's foot a hard kick.

Elijah looked at her, his eyes suddenly so intense that she felt like she was being pulled in. Startled, Louisa looked away immediately and pulled her legs back under her chair.

"Louisa, Elijah, this is my wedding gift to you." Zachary placed a box in the center of the table.

Before Louisa could politely refuse the gift, Elijah said, "What's this? It looks like a gift for your lover."

She wanted to kick him again. Didn't he know how to speak politely?

"Open it and take a look." Zachary had a remarkably good temper. No matter how provocatively Elijah spoke, he remained perfectly calm.

Louisa felt that if they didn't share such a strong family resemblance, she would have doubted they were related.

Louisa was at a loss for words.

Just then, the waiter began to serve the courses. Since the menu here was entirely bespoke, Louisa didn't have to worry about what to order. Elijah probably knew her tastes better than she did herself, anyway. Besides, in a place like this, it was impossible to go wrong with anything on the menu.

Louisa ate in silence for the rest of the meal. Zachary kept asking Elijah questions, and Elijah answered them whenever he felt like it. At times, Louisa was tempted to jab him with her cutlery just to shut him up.

She began to wonder if there was some deep-seated feud between them. Otherwise, why was it so impossible for Elijah to just speak nicely?

When dinner was finally over, Elijah asked Louisa, "Are you full?"

Although she was just an outsider, she let out a sigh of relief. Zachary had spent the entire evening enduring Elijah's cold shoulder and biting remarks, and she couldn't help but feel a pang of injustice on his behalf.

"What did Zachary ever do to make you treat him like that?" Louisa couldn't help but ask on the drive back.