"You've really gone all out with the preparations." Melanie smiled as she glanced at Adam, her eyes twinkling with amusement while the waiter placed yet another dish on the table. She had not realized that they would be served a full course meal. And each thing was more delicious than the previous one.
Adam leaned back in his chair with a satisfied smirk playing on his lips. "Hey, a celebration is a celebration. It has to be done right—no half-measures. After all, how can I give you a mediocre celebration for such an excellent move. You took down Madam Collins so badly that hse had to flee the country and you pushed LuxeArt to the top! So, it has to be a great celebration. I can even get the fireworks out, if you'd like."
Melanie let out a soft chuckle and shook her head. "And yet, you have the audacity to tell me not to fall in love with you."
Adam rolled his eyes and exhaled dramatically. "That's entirely Max's fault and his endless worrying. He thinks your heart is too soft and that I'd end up breaking it." He shot her a pointed look at that clarifying that he was not worried about her. Max had been nagging at me all afternoon to take better care of you." But then he continued with a sad face, " I just wanted to warn you so that your heart would not break. But honestly, with how much you're teasing me right now, I'm starting to doubt you even have a heart. This is how you repay my kindness?"
Melanie shook her head," Your kindness? Oh please. That would be the biggest joke! You are an opportunist..."
Adam frowned at that but instead of refuting it, he raised his glass in a toast," Touche. I am an opportunist and quite proud of it."
Melanie smiled and sipped her soup before casting another look at Adam," By the way, why exactly did Max worry about my heart breaking?"
"Because Max is a worrywart and a romantic. Because we are married, he thinks that we will fall in love. But I've asked him to look for someone from my past. And since he is shipping you and me, he is not happy about this."
Melanie blinked. Adam was looking for someone from his past? But why? And then she realized. At the party where his 'fiance' had come, Adam had been hoping to meet someone else. She remebered the little bit of disappointment on his face.
She was about to ask him for this person when suddenly his entier person seemed ot change. His gaze had just flickered toward the window, and in an instant, his entire demeanor seemed to have frozen. The lazy, teasing smile vanished, replaced by a sharp focus. His fingers curled against the table before he abruptly stood.
"Excuse me," he said quickly, already moving. "I'll be right back."
Before Melanie could even react, he was gone, disappearing out the door.
She turned in her seat, following his line of sight. Something—or someone—had caught his attention. But she didn't know what.
***
Adam barely registered the chime of the restaurant door as he stepped out, his pulse racing... He had seen her. He was sure of it. Even if it had been for the briefest of moments, he could not have been mistaken.
His eyes scanned the surroundings and moved over the softly lit pathway leading into the restaurant's garden that was a small maze-like arrangement of hedges and lantern-lit walkways designed for guests to take a leisurely stroll.
She must have walked into the maze. Hurriedly, he walked into the garden, paying no attention to the lack of light or that he encountered multiple deadends in the path.
He could hear the distant murmur of guests,walking through the paths and tried to strain his ears, in case he was able to hear her voice. He knew that he would be able to recognise her for sure. But even as he strolled through the entire place, he did not see her.
Had he imagined it? No. He knew what he saw. And he could mistake anyone but her. It had been five years since they had last met, but he would not mistake anyone else for her.
With a frustrated sigh, he turned back to walk out of the maze. And that was when anothe rthought struck him. Maybe she had already left? In the few seconds it took him to come out from the inside, she might have walked towards the parking lot!
Cursing, he raced towards the car parking, running straight out of the maze.
Adam stepped into the parking lot and his eyes dartrf around as he searched for any sign of movement. But the place was empty save for a few rows of cars. His jaw clenched. There was nothing here.
His steps quickened as he moved through the rows, glancing between vehicles, scanning every corner. But no matter how many turns he took, how many spaces he passed, the result was the same—no one was there. How could someone disappear so quickly?
Just as he gave up and was about to walk back inside, he caught a movement from the corner of his eye.
He stilled. Could it be her? Had he finally found her? But then, he stiffened. It was not her. It was Robert Collins. His dear grandfather.
And in that moment, Adam knew it for sure that what he had seen was not his imagination. She really had been here. And the person who had made her appear here was Robert Collins.
"Adam? What are you doing here? If I knew you were in the restaurant, I would have..." Robert Collins trailed off, as if reluctant to continue.
Adam's hands clenched and he closed his eyes, trying to gather his emotions," Grandfather. How are you doing?"
"I was having dinner with an old friend. She's only in the country for a few days, so I invited her for a meal. I just saw her off—she's heading back to her hotel at the Five Seasons."