Chapter 12


    Chapter 12 Too Many Coincidences for Comfort


    “Yes, sir!” The bodyguards immediately moved in synchronization as they dragged Sophia and Lauren


    like the women were two bup sacks of potatoes. Upon reaching the entrance, they unceremoniously


    threw them out the doors.


    The members of the orchestra who had gathered around to watch this were stunned speechless, and a


    stifling hush followed Nichs’ ruthless and unforgiving gesture.


    Tessa, too, took a while to recover from the initial shock of it all, and she didn’t snap out of her daze


    until Nichs spoke again.


    “Greg, are you hurt?” Nichs drew closer to Gregory, a warm, fatherly concern filling his dark orbs. He


    looked entirely different from the intimidating and domineering president he had been moments ago.


    “I’m fine, Daddy,” Gregory answered with a gentle nod of his little head.


    When everyone heard this, they let out a collective sigh of relief.


    Knowing that she was the cause of this fiasco, Tessa stepped forward with her shoulders squared and


    said apologetically, “I’m terribly sorry, President Sawyer. Those two were after me, but Gregory nearly


    got hurt in the midst of the chaos. This is all my fault!”


    When Nichs heard this, he gave her a brief, frosty look, then retracted his gaze as he replied


    stoically, “Yes, this all happened because of you, but since somebody else has been punished for it, I’ll


    let you off the hook.” He paused, then added in the same frigid tone, “It’s almost time for lunch anyway.


    I’ll bring Gregory home after we dine at the restaurant. Come along.”


    With that, he deftly picked Gregory up into his arms and headed for the doors.


    As Gregory leaned against the curve of Nichs’ broad shoulder, his mind began to race. He was


    desperate toe up with a n to stay by Tessa’s side for the rest of the day.


    Tessa, on the other hand, dared not dawdle as she straightened her clothes and followed Nichs out


    of the building.


    …


    The three of them were presently housed within a private restaurant by the name of Winston Trove.


    Being one of the most exclusive private restaurants in the industry, the head chef manning the kitchen


    was as good as any Michelin-star chef, and he had once been involved in the food preparation for a


    national banquet. Members of the upper-crust society and famous icons had tried to dine here, but the


    restaurant wouldn’t take them in unless they had a reservation made at least a month in advance!


    Under normal circumstances, Tessa would never be able to step foot into a ce like this. It was only


    because of Nichs and his powerful connections that she was able to sit here today for what would


    be the most expensive lunch of her life.


    That being said, the pressure that came along with such fine food was insurmountable and suffocating.


    Tessa sat stiffly in her seat, unsure if breathing was something she could afford to do in the presence of


    a world-renowned business mogul.


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Conversely, Nichs seemed rather at ease, if not overtly impassive. He ordered a few dishes, and


    when he handed the menu over to Tessa, he said tly, “Order whatever you like.”


    She took the menu graciously, intending to order something simple for herself, but when she saw the


    prices on the menu, her eyes nearly bugged out of her head.


    These prices are ridiculous! She stared at the numbers incredulously. Broli stir-fry thates with a


    three-digit price tag? What, was the broli nted in golden soil or something?


    Shuddering at the thought of the bill that woulde at the end of this meal, she made a small order


    and picked out the cheapest fruit juice there was, then shakily handed the menu back to the waiter.


    “Thank you.” She managed to thank the attendant, still in disbelief.


    It didn’t take long for the dishes to be served, and all of them looked as delicious as they smelled. They


    were arranged neatly at the center of the dining table, so aesthetically pleasing that it was hard to


    believe they were actual food.


    As Tessa’s gaze swept over the dishes, she noted with no small amount of surprise that they all


    featured luxurious ingredients, the names of which she probably could not pronounce!


    More to the point, the dishes before her would at least fetch a four-digit price tag each!


    She gulped, suddenly finding herself at a loss for words as she mused wistfully to herself, These rich


    folks sure live differently. This meal alone would cost me a month’s worth of ie!


    Just then, a sweet and childish voice pulled her out of her thoughts. “Lunch will be on Daddy today,


    Miss Pretty Lady, so dig in!” Gregory grinned at her adorably.


    Tessa shed him a gentle smile upon hearing his invitation. “Alright.”


    She might have agreed to dig in, but she hardly ate anything at all.


    At the sight of this, Gregory asked worriedly, “Why aren’t you eating, Miss Pretty Lady? Do you not like


    the food?”


    Nichs looked up at her inquisitively when he heard this and pressed, “What is it? Does the food not


    agree with your pte, Miss Reinhart?”


    “Oh, no, it’s not that. Everything’s delicious,” Tessa said hastily, then promptly shoveled a few spoonfuls


    of food onto her own te.


    Both father and son said nothing more after this, and the three of them ate their meal in silence.


    Nichs wasn’t much of a talker, though he did help Gregory load up his te every once in a while.


    Tessa, on the other hand, was so mortified by the idea of things turning awkward that she chose to


    dedicate most of her energy to deshelling prawns and crabs for Gregory, but at that moment, Nichs


    pointed out in his signature deep baritone, “Miss Reinhart, Greg can’t take crabs. He’s allergic to them.”


    Blinking in surprise at this new information, she said, “Really? I’m allergic to crabs, too!”


    “Really?” Gregory eximed, delighted that he had something inmon with his favorite prettydy.


    He added enthusiastically, “You know what, Miss Pretty Lady? I’m not just allergic to crabs, but prawns


    and other shellfish as well! I can’t touch them, but I can eat fish!”


    Tessa couldn’t hide her bewilderment when she heard this. “What a coincidence! Me, too!”


    Next to them, Nichs listened to their exchange with a somber expression on his face. He was


    starting to think that this woman was trying to get on Gregory’s good side, but upon closer observation,


    he noticed that she indeed avoided the prawns and crabs, though she ate a healthy portion of fish.


    He also noticed that she was a rather fastidious eater. She had delicately picked out the green onions,


    cntro, and carrots from her food, and all these happened to be the same things that Gregory hated.


    What was even more ridiculous was how her taste in food matched Gregory’s to an exact tee, and she


    was just as picky as he was.


    The revtion made Nichs gloomy. He liked to think of all these as coincidences, or more


    urately, coincidences that had been deliberately created by this woman.


    Midway through lunch, Tessa excused herself to use the restroom.


    The moment she left their table, Nichs pulled out his phone and hurriedly texted Edward, his


    assistant. ‘How’s the investigation on Tessa Reinharting along?’


    Meanwhile, Edward had spent a whole morning looking into everything there was to know about Tessa


    and her background. However, he was ovee with shock when heid eyes on the information he


    had painstakingly retrieved.


    This… She…