Chapter 209

"I'm starving." Sophia Laurent abruptly changed the subject, her eyes sparkling. "Didn't we reserve a restaurant? Let's go."

The trendy Chaoshan hotpot spot, hidden near the city center, was currently the most popular social media check-in destination. Sophia had barely secured the last private booth for the weekend after booking three days in advance.

Adjacent to a predawn seafood market, the restaurant received freshly butchered beef every morning. The marbled meat arrived by noon, its tender texture glistening with delicate fat veins.

Though Evelyn Langley normally craved spicy food, today she found herself oddly anticipating the clear broth. The bone-based stock simmered in a copper pot, its milky surface dotted with goji berries, releasing an intoxicating aroma.

Sophia slapped the menu decisively upon sitting. "Ribeye, chuck flap, shank..." She ordered seven or eight cuts without hesitation. "Double portions of each."

Her nonstop workweek had shed three pounds—today demanded compensation. Dieting could wait until tomorrow; indulgence belonged to the present.

Evelyn swallowed discreetly at the mountain of meat arriving at their table. "Can we finish all this?"

"Forgot to mention." Sophia suddenly blinked. "Aunt just asked me to invite Adrian home for dinner. Since he's off today...I may have extended the invitation." She leaned closer. "You're not upset, are you?"

Evelyn choked on her soup, flushing crimson.

Sophia studied her curiously. "You see each other daily at the lab. Why so nervous?"

She'd specifically included Adrian Klein to ensure her guileless best friend had the lab director's protection. With his authority shielding Evelyn, who'd dare harass her?

"The soup's too hot." Evelyn dabbed her lips with a napkin.

Sophia accepted the explanation easily. "Then drink slowly."

......

Adrian arrived thirty minutes late, delayed by rush hour traffic.

Water droplets jeweled his dark hair as he entered, his shoulders darkened by rain.

"No umbrella?" Sophia gaped. Her meticulous cousin committing such an oversight?

"Forgot." His tone remained even.

Evelyn's soup spoon stilled. Last month's storm flashed through her mind—Adrian lending her his umbrella, never asking for its return.

That black long-handled umbrella still stood in her apartment's entryway.

She wished to vanish into her soup bowl.

Adrian caught her movement in his periphery, amusement flickering in his eyes.

......

Steam fogged the windows as rain wove delicate patterns outside. The murmur of diners, bubbling broth, and occasional distant car horns blended into comforting white noise.

Night had fully fallen when they departed. Sophia drove off alone, leaving Evelyn to ride with Adrian.

Parking spaces were scarce in the old neighborhood, forcing them to leave his car at a mall garage. Crossing a tree-lined path, sudden wind erupted.

Cottonwood seeds swirled violently through the air like an unseasonal April snowstorm.