The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 265

After work, Lavinia invited Charley to dinner.

He had helped her so much, and she hadn't properly thanked him yet, so she figured she ought to treat him to a nice meal.

She chose a trendy Mexican restaurant.

Mexican cuisine had flavor profiles quite close to Chinese food—savory, aromatic, and spicy. The two chatted as they ate, the atmosphere light and pleasant.

But before long, the lovely ambiance was interrupted by two uninvited guests.

Garnett and Sigrid had also arrived at the exact same restaurant.

Dressed to the nines, they walked in with Garnett's hand resting on Sigrid's waist, looking every bit the picture of a deeply in-love couple.

Lavinia's gaze landed on the jade bracelet on Sigrid's wrist.

That was Judith's heirloom. Judith had once said she wanted to pass it down to her, but Garnett had claimed he took it to the company safe for storage.

At present, she was preparing to launch The Judith Gilmore Charitable Foundation. She had already agreed with Judith to hand over all the family heirloom jewelry to a trust. All the revenue generated would be donated to the foundation for charitable work.

Lavinia was furious. Garnett not only disrespected her but didn't even take his grandmother seriously.

Ruthless and ungrateful, he was a dog.

No, he was worse than a dog. Nemo was far more loyal than him.

Noticing Lavinia's glare, Charley turned his head and spotted Garnett and Sigrid sitting in a corner.

He turned back to her, speaking calmly. "Do you want to go somewhere else?"

"Why should I have to hide from those two?" Lavinia snapped.

He evaluated her reaction, saying evenly, "You haven't let it go?"

Lavinia stared at him in disbelief.

"Let Garnett go? It's not like I have brain damage," Lavinia said. "I'm angry because Sigrid is wearing Judith's heirloom bracelet."

Charley glanced back again. "That emerald-green jade one?"

Lavinia nodded. "That bracelet has history. It was commissioned for ancient royalty by a foreign aristocrat centuries ago, and later acquired by the Gilmores. If that piece went to auction today, it would have a starting bid of twenty million."

She hesitated.

They were in a restaurant, and a public argument would be humiliating. If someone filmed it and put it on social media, it would be even worse.

If Judith saw it, it would break her heart.

Lavinia mumbled, "Forget it. I'll just talk to Garnett about it privately later."

She collected herself and smiled. "Let's just eat. Ignore him."

Charley looked at her, his eyes gradually softening.

...

The moment Garnett walked into the restaurant, he noticed Lavinia and Charley sitting in the corner.

After taking his seat, he kept watching Lavinia from the corner of his eye.

She had clearly noticed him and Sigrid, yet she showed no reaction and simply kept talking to Charley.