At 8 PM, The Southerner Restaurant, with its century-old history, was packed with people.
In the lobby, a few waiters were secretly observing the figure sitting in the corner, whispering among themselves: "She's only ordered a drink for so long, will she ever order food?"
"I asked her half an hour ago, she's still waiting for someone."
"This is too long. Is she really here for a meal or just a photo to show off?"
They glanced at the corner again.
By the floor-to-ceiling window, the long-haired woman wore this season's new L-brand dress, facing sideways toward the window. Judging by the outfit, she appeared to be in her twenties. From their angle, they could only vaguely see her profile, but the diamond watch on her wrist was especially striking, making it hard to look away.
In the corner seat, Thea Lynch looked down at the time again, her brow slightly furrowing.
She had just returned to the country last night and was called for a blind date unexpectedly.
It's been a full hour past the agreed time with her date.
No matter how patient she was, she couldn't sit still anymore.
Just as she was about to get up, there was a commotion at the restaurant entrance. Thea Lynch didn't pay much attention and reached for her wallet. She had just ordered a drink and hadn't paid yet.
Raising her eyes casually, she happened to notice a woman walking in wearing the same dress as her. The next moment the woman slightly turned her head, and upon clearly seeing her features, Thea Lynch's breath caught.
Ian Preston's fiancée!
If she's here, then Ian Preston...
She stiffened her neck and her gaze fell toward the entrance, unsurprisingly spotting the familiar figure being surrounded and escorted in.
The man wore a tailored suit, exuding nobility. He appeared above 185 cm, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, his physique well-proportioned. He sharply contrasted with the corpulent executives beside him. From her angle, she could only see his jawline clearly.
Instinctively wanting to avoid him, her eyes uncontrollably followed him until he disappeared at the stairway corner leading upstairs.
"Isn't that Ian Preston?!"
"Who?"
"The investment banking mogul Ian Preston, he founded LX Capital. At least three of the apps you frequently use on your phone are projects invested by his company. I've been in Coronet for years and this is the first time I'm seeing him in person!"
"So young? He looks only twenty-five?"
"No way, he's got to be in his thirties, the company has been around for ages."
The guests at the adjacent table were having a heated discussion about Ian Preston's age.
Thea Lynch, still somewhat dazed, replied without thinking, "He's not yet twenty-nine."
"Really?" asked the guests nearby, surprised, looking at her: "What's your relationship with him? You know him?"
Thea Lynch was taken aback by the inquiry.
She and Ian Preston grew up in the same compound. Her elder brother was like the big brother among their generation, and she was the youngest. By age ranking, she should call Ian Preston "third brother."
She moved abroad at seventeen; Ian Preston was twenty-one. His birthday is in November; indeed, he's only twenty-eight now.
Relationship-wise… that's about it.
"I don't know him." She shrugged with a smile: "Just heard about him from others."
After settling the bill, she quickly walked out as if escaping, bumping into a young man head-on. The man's eyes lit up upon seeing her.
"Thea Lynch, right? I've seen your photo, I'm Norbert Rhodes!"
The young man in front of her wore black-rimmed glasses, appeared slightly inexperienced, and sported a black Armani suit, but its texture was far inferior to Ian Preston's earlier suit. On him, it had a semblance of trying to appear matured.
Thea Lynch withdrew her gaze, nodded expressionlessly, "That's me."
Norbert Rhodes smiled shyly and quickly apologized:
"The thing is, I was nearly here but received a call from my boss and had to go back to handle a work matter."
Thea Lynch wasn't buying it, "Then you should have called to explain the situation, we could have rescheduled. Instead of leaving me here to waste my time."
Her aunt mentioned that Norbert Rhodes works at the aerospace bureau, and his mother was her aunt's former boss. Originally, her aunt wanted to introduce a young colleague to him, but that girl canceled last minute and thus, she was called.
Now it seemed, he and that girl truly were a match made in heaven. One canceled and the other arrived late, as for her… she was the perfect fool.
Norbert Rhodes scratched his head awkwardly, "You haven't eaten, right? How about we sit down and have a bite first?"
Thea Lynch had long exhausted her patience, especially with the person upstairs still around, she didn't want to stay any longer.
She waved her hand, busy rejecting, "I just returned to the country, have a lot going on, maybe another day."
Norbert Rhodes was visibly disappointed, but having been late first, he couldn't insist. "Are you heading back to the compound? Let me give you a ride."
"No need, I'm not going back there tonight." For some reason, Thea Lynch felt uneasy and inadvertently glanced up at the second floor.
——
In the private room on the second floor of The Southerner Restaurant.
The man in the main seat hadn't moved for a while; the others didn't dare to act presumptuously.
The nearby executive eagerly poured him wine, "I heard Mr. Preston has been busy with the branch office lately and hasn't returned to Coronet for a while, so we specifically ordered local dishes from Coronet today. The food here is the craft left behind by palace chefs; would Mr. Preston like to try it?"
After speaking, Ian Preston's narrow eyes lifted slightly, glancing at the table casually, "I've been feeling under the weather recently, not much of an appetite, so I'll skip the food."
Finally, he added lightly, "Apologies."
One could hardly discern any sincerity.
Everyone there was an old hand and could sense his casualness. Yet, even so, they dared not expose it.
After waiting for Ian Preston to return to Coronet, food could be skipped, but business had to be discussed.
The executives exchanged glances; as one began, the sound was abruptly interrupted by a sudden ringing.
Behind him, his assistant handed over a phone. Hesitating for a moment, Ian Preston got up and took it.
The moment he left, everyone exchanged glances and could only probe by looking at the intricately beautiful young woman on the other side of the main seat.
The woman smiled slightly, "Third brother will be back after the call, let's eat first."
With her assurance, everyone relaxed. After a while, someone couldn't help but ask, "Is it true that Ms. Song and Mr. Preston are about to marry? When the time comes, you must invite us to the wedding!"
The woman's red lips curled upward, "Of course, you all must attend."
——
Outside the private room, Ian Preston paused by the window, lit a cigarette, then pressed to answer the call leisurely.
"Mr. Preston, Ms. Thea Lynch returned to the country last night."
Upon hearing the familiar name, Ian Preston's calm face showed a fleeting surprise. After regaining composure, he pinched the cigarette between his fingers, his tone calm, "In the compound?"
The voice on the other end paused for several seconds, "As of now, Ms. Lynch should be… dining with Mr. Norbert Rhodes."
"Dining?"
"Um, on a blind date." They corrected.
Ian Preston frowned, "Where?"
"The Southerner Restaurant. It's the one Ms. Lynch used to say the food tasted bad, so much that she threw up as a kid."
Almost as if sensing something, Ian Preston instinctively lowered his gaze to look downstairs.
In the lobby, there was a pair of "young couple" tugging at each other. The girl's expression was somewhat impatient, while the boy seemed to be apologizing profusely.
Soon after, like a guilty thief, the girl stealthily glanced at his location, meeting his gaze precisely. She froze for a second, the indifference in her eyes quickly replaced by astonishment.
Ian Preston's breathing deepened, his eyes dark like a cold pond swirling with ink. He suppressed his emotions, his Adam's apple moving up and down several times, finally calling her name again after years, "Thea Lynch, come up."