Luzia had also arrived, taking a seat with her back to them. Vivian couldn’t see her expression, but her shoulders shook violently. She might have beenughing, Vivian guessed.


    “Oh, look who I see,” Catlito, the restaurant owner, suddenly appeared. “Vivian Jones, it’s been such a long time. How are you?”Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Catlito hugged Vivian.


    “It’s been a while, Catlito.” Vivian hugged him back. “I’m doing well. And I’ve missed your Italian meat sauce pasta; it’s the best I’ve ever had.”


    “It’s my pleasure,” Catlito said happily. He also greeted Simpson, a regr patron here. His curiosity piqued at seeing them together, “Is this a date? I mean I can prepare a couple’s booth for you and a romantic set meal, if you’d like.”


    “Actually, we’re not a couple,” Vivian said somewhat awkwardly, pointing towards jos. “Someone is waiting for us over there, yes, this is a group gathering.”


    When Vivian raised her hand, Catlito saw the ring on it and eximed in surprise, “Is that an engagement ring? Vivian, you’re engaged? Who is the lucky man? He must be outstanding.”


    Outstanding, indeed.


    Yes, jos was truly outstanding, and though Vivian resisted this arranged marriage, she had never denied this fact.


    Her fiance was a very excellent man, and in Houston, it would be hard to find someone more formidable and outstanding than him.


    Vivian felt a hint of pride because of this.


    “Is it you, Simpson?” In Catlito’s eyes, Simpson was also one of the excellent choices.


    “Unfortunately not.” Simpson shrugged his shoulders, jokingly regretting, “The lucky man is not me; he’s my brother, jos.”


    “What wonderful news,” Catlito shrieked with joy, leading Vivian to jos. “Maybe we need a bottle of wine, delicious champagne? Or sweet wine? Please enjoy your meal, my respected guests. I will offer my long-cherished wine to celebrate your union.”


    jos had already stood up when they approached. He stared nkly at Vivian, his admiring gaze traveling over her.


    Vivian felt where his gaze lingered and, remembering Simpson’s words, suddenly felt a chill at her nape, as if jos might turn into a vampire and bite her neck the next second.


    Disregarding jos’ autocracy and despotism, the man was really both handsome and gentlemanly. He would stand up to wait for his fiancee, freelypliment her beauty, pull out her chair, and after she was seated, would quietly ask her what she wanted to eat.


    “Thank you.” Vivian sipped water, blue eyes filled with appreciation for jos’ handsome appearance.


    “jos, my respected Capo,” Catlito indeed brought out his fine wine, pouring their sses full. “Congrattions on finding such a beautiful and lovely fiancee. And congrattions to you, Vivian, for having such a handsome and wealthy fiance. You will certainly be very happy. Hurry up and have a little baby; he will surelybine all your best qualities.”


    “Thank you for your blessings, Catlito.” jos stood and embraced Catlito, raised his ss, clinked with Catlito, then with Vivian, and downed his wine in one gulp.


    Vivian looked down, taking a sip out of courtesy and not wishing to disrupt the cheerful atmosphere.


    Their ordered meals soon arrived-steak and pasta.


    Vivian elegantly cut her steak with knife and fork, like ady-this was one of the mandatory etiquettes taught in private girls’ high schools.


    The steak and pasta were delicious; Vivian ate with satisfaction, while jos and Simpson preferred the wine Catlito sent. Luzia quietly ate the steak in front of her.


    Vivian was sensitive to the gazes of others. She noticed the man at the bar looking over at her frequently, perhaps because the neckline of her dress was too low, exposing her corbones and chest.


    Vivian didn’t mind being looked at with admiration and surprise, but not while eating, as it affected her appetite.


    Vivian put down her knife and fork.


    Simpson nced at her and then at the two men.


    It seemed he also noticed that the men’s gazes were not purely innocent.


    “Don’t worry, they wouldn’t dare to disturb us,” Simpson said. “No one wants to die.”


    Vivian said nothing as jos had already stood up, turning his head to look at the two men.


    The two men seemed to be frightened by jos’ fierce aura, their faces turning pale instantly. Vivian felt they could dash out of therestaurant any second.


    Vivian stopped jos; she didn’t want to cause trouble, “Let it go, jos, they haven’t really harmed me.”


    “I can’t do that,” jos didn’t heed Vivian’s attempt to intervene, and walked straight towards the two men attempting to appearposed.


    “Is the beautifuldy your sister?” jos’s gentlemanly demeanor was so enchanting, the two men might have mistaken him for a calm and approachable man.


    “She’s my fiancee,” jos stood in front of the two men, smiling calmly, “Any objections?”


    Being some distance away, Vivian couldn’t hear their conversation. With jos’s back to her, she couldn’t see his expression but noticed one of the men smiling with a gesture over jos’s shoulder, lifting his ss towards her.


    Vivian frowned, already a little displeased, wondering what jos had said to make the man smile so chillingly. But the next second, Vivian saw jos reveal a small knife. His movements were as fast as lightning, and with a swift gesture, the man in front of him copsed at jos’s feet, clutching a bleeding neck.


    Vivian stood up in shock, and the restaurant’s patrons took notice of the scene; some screamed and were ushered to the back by the staff while many others continued their meal with expressionless faces.


    Vivian couldn’tprehend this insane world, but she knew this was just a small part of jos’s life, one he was so ustomed to that he knew how to quickly kill a person without dirtying his hands.


    Vivian watched jos walk back nonchntly, her gaze uncontrobly drifting past him to the dead man’spanion. His pale face was etched in Vivian’s mind, filled with fear, panic, and sorrow as he rushed to the fallen man, trying to stem the flow of fresh blood from his neck, crying out in grief.


    Were they brothers? Best friends? ssmates? Colleagues? Vivian couldn’t guess, and she couldn’t bear to watch any longer.


    Luzia had only eaten half of her steak but could no longer continue; she was angry, unsure if it was because jos’s sudden act of violence had spoiled her appetite or because of the two men’s disrespectful gazes.


    Compared to Vivian and Luzia, Simpson seemed much calmer, no, he was delighted, the kind of delight thates from watching a spectacle. The pained cry of the man losing hispanion pleased him; he enjoyed witnessing the brutality between brothers, even felt like apuding.


    Monster!


    Vivian suddenly remembered Vilem covered in blood in the Golden Hill Apartment, where he had said they were all instruments of murder, and jos, in his eyes, was a monster. Would theree a day when jos too woulde home to their apartment drenched in someone else’s blood? Would he embrace her, kiss her, possess her with blood on his hands?


    It was truly terrifying.