Pinewood Restaurant.
"Gentlemen, how many people do you guys have?"
The restaurant waiter greeted them with a smile, looking at Leonard Sterling and Adrian Carter, both dressed in wealth and elegance.
Leonard scanned the surroundings lightly, still unable to find the person he longed for day and night.
"Three," Adrian said slowly, his arm wrapped around Riley Palmer.
"This way, please. Upstairs." The waiter held the menu and led them forward.
"They should be upstairs," Adrian patted Leonard's shoulder lightly.
Walking behind them, Leonard stared at their backs, feeling quite unsettled.
The restaurant was far less luxurious than those in H City, and the menu only had simple home-style dishes.
Adrian looked at it repeatedly, then handed it to Riley. "Riley, order whatever you like."
He glanced at Leonard. "We're not picky."
"Mm." Riley took the menu and ordered four dishes and one soup.
"That's all."
"All right! Please wait a moment," the waiter called out cheerfully.
Each private room in the restaurant had poor soundproofing. From the moment Leonard stepped in, he had been leaning toward the wall, listening intently.
His features tightened in concentration. He had listened countless times to the lively laughter from next door.
The next room was noisy, but that didn't stop Leonard from identifying Caleb Montgomery's voice. After all, it was far too familiar to him.
"Stop listening." Adrian impatiently threw a crumpled napkin at him.
"Look at you Sterling Counter's mighty CEO, just chasing someone like this."
Riley glanced gently at Leonard. His expression was stiff.
He looked like he was in a really bad mood.
Riley tugged Adrian's sleeve softly and shook her head, prompting Adrian to stop.
"Food's here!" It was the same waiter, carrying dishes steadily.
"Enjoy your meal. Call me if you need anything."
Riley nodded. "Thank you."
Adrian and Leonard stared at the dishes, unsure how to start.
Riley laughed softly. "Adrian, Mr. Sterling, just bear with it for now and fill your stomachs."
She stood and divided the soup into three bowls.
"The plating isn't great here. Definitely not up to H City standards."
"But everything's fresh. Try it."
She placed the bowls in front of them and took a sip herself.
Adrian looked at her with suspicion, but took a small sip.
His deep eyes brightened. He slowly looked at Leonard.
Leonard, noticing his reaction, took a sip as well.
His slow movement gradually sped up until the bowl was empty.
Leonard and Adrian then turned their gaze to the dishes. After a few tentative bites, their initial distrust shifted into certainty and delight.
Riley smiled quietly, watching them eat.
Once they finished, the noise next door faded a little. Leonard stood, wiped his mouth, and left the room, heading toward the adjacent private room.
"Let's go check on Yudy," Adrian said, taking Riley's hand and leaving.
Bang—
A loud crash came from the next room.
"Who the hell are you?! Daring to cause trouble on my turf!" A man knelt on the floor, pointing at Leonard's cold face.
"Leonard… I'm scared…"Caleb Montgomery clutched the last intact piece of his shirt, panic on his face as he looked at Leonard.
Hearing Caleb call him, Leonard's coldness softened. He lightly draped his coat over him. "Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Caleb watched him stride toward the kneeling man with fury.
Adrian hurried to pull Leonard back.
Riley covered the trembling Caleb with her jacket and handed him water. "Take a breath."
Caleb took it and glanced at the newly arrived Liam Polly.
"Mr. Polly," Adrian greeted, holding Leonard back as he looked toward the door.
Liam frowned at the man on the ground.
Leonard froze for a moment at seeing Liam, then shot a hostile glare at the man before withdrawing and returning to Caleb.
Leonard knelt on one knee. His voice carried regret. "I'm sorry… I let you suffer."
Caleb slowly reached out and held Leonard's trembling hand. "It's not your fault."
Leonard's body stiffened. He looked up at him for a long moment.
Caleb probably never expected that he would slowly pull Leonard closer into his life and it would take him a very, very long time to realize how deeply his dependency on Leonard had already been engraved into his bones.
Liam stepped on the hand of the man on the ground, staring at his bruised face with disdain.
He looked back toward Leonard and Caleb, their closeness stirring emotions he thought long dead.
"Mr. Polly…" Yudy Palmer stood at the doorway, confused by the scene.
"Brother, are you okay?" Riley ran to his side.
Yudy smiled at her and patted her head. "I'm fine."
Liam watched them, his gaze lingering on Yudy.
"Let's head back," Adrian said, noting the tense atmosphere and Caleb's trembling.
"Brother, come with us," Riley begged, tugging Yudy's hand, her eyes bright.
Adrian chimed in, "Yeah, let's go, Brother Yudy."
They found a place to stay for the night and began to rest.
"Goodnight, brother." Riley waved and entered the room with Adrian.
Leonard supported Caleb into another room.
Yudy watched the four of them, realizing each had their partner… except him. He suddenly felt a bit out of place.
In Adrian's room.
"Adrian, how long are we staying here?" Riley flopped onto the bed and glanced sideways at him.
Adrian smiled as he looked at her sprawled form. "We'll see. Things aren't very busy right now."
His gaze drifted subconsciously toward the door, as if trying to see what was happening in the room across the hall.
"Okay…" Riley mumbled, turning her back to him.
Adrian approached gently. "Riley, time for a shower."
She wriggled in protest. "Later…"
Adrian chuckled and slipped his arms beneath her, lifting her up. "Fine then. Let Sir Adrian serve you, my little bunny."
Riley kicked the air wildly. "Adrian! Put me down! Now!"
He ignored her, loosening his grip playfully.
"Ah!" Riley clung to his neck, startled, staring at his proud grin.
Adrian laughed and carried her into the bathroom.
That night, they indulged freely in passion and wine.
Two were happy, one was miserable.
Next door, Yudy covered his head with a pillow, desperate to block out their noises.
But it didn't help. The next day, he was practically be a panda.
The next morning.
Adrian sat at the table with a satisfied smile, rubbing Riley's waist.
"Tsss—"
Riley winced, dropping her spoon into the bowl.
"Morning," Caleb greeted, now composed.Beside him, Leonard looked exhausted.
Watching them, Riley thought looks like nothing happened after all.
Adrian looked disappointedly at Leonard. "Morning."
Leonard ignored him, pulling a chair out for Caleb.
Caleb sat naturally, clearly used to Leonard's attentiveness.
"Riley, what happened to your waist? Does Adrian really need to keep rubbing it for you?" Caleb asked innocently.
"Pfft—!" Riley spat out her porridge.
"Cough—cough—"
Adrian patted her back, barely holding back laughter.
Leonard smiled faintly at them.
"Come on, let's go get food," he said, grabbing Caleb's wrist and dragging him away from the table.
"Leonard! Let me finish asking! It won't take that long!" Caleb complained all the way.
Leonard ignored him and shoved a sweet pastry into his mouth.
"Mm—mm—"
Caleb struggled for a moment, then melted into the sweetness, eyes closing in bliss.
"It's delicious!"
Caleb's moods were unpredictable, but stuffing something sweet into his mouth always solved the problem.
Leonard learned this when they were eight. Caleb had been angrily cursing some heartless passerby, so Leonard told the driver to stop at a donut shop. He bought him a chocolate donut, and Caleb quieted instantly, munching happily all the way.
This was one of the many things Leonard found fascinating about him, like how it was hard for him to fall back asleep after waking at night, or how he always drank sour lemon tea after alcohol and so on.
Caleb's plate was piled high with main dishes and desserts, very fitting for someone in the entertainment industry. While Leonard's plate was much simpler.
"It's bitter," Caleb said after one bite of a Black Forest cake, placing it on Leonard's empty plate.
Leonard didn't even look at him this time and just ate it.
"Mm… this one's not good…"Caleb placed a dumpling aside.
Leonard didn't look up, he simply ate that too.
Caleb kept putting different foods onto Leonard's plate until he rubbed his stomach, still leaving several untouched items.
He pushed the plate slightly toward Leonard, who dumped everything onto his own plate without hesitation.
Riley watched their practiced routine, her smile stiffening.
She turned to see Adrian acting like nothing was strange, then looked back at them.
She thought for a long time before barely convincing herself:
It's fine… probably...