Chapter 8
“Tadadadada!”
Jasper nearly skipped across the pavement as he stepped out of the car, singing under his breath. Grinning widely, he hurried around the vehicle and pulled the passenger door open with exaggerated elegance.
“Welcome, Miss Hawk.”
Amara giggled as she stepped out of the car.
It was late evening, the soft sunlight casting warm reflections across the city streets after a long day of work.
She looked effortlessly beautiful in a loose black dress that flowed all the way to her ankles, the soft fabric swaying around her legs whenever the wind brushed past. Her hair fell freely over her shoulders, slightly messy from the breeze, while a pair of dark sunglasses rested over her eyes.
Beside her, Jasper looked completely opposite. He was dressed in a sharp suit, looking like he had walked straight out of a business meeting.
Yet his excited grin made him look boyishly playful.
The two started walking side by side toward the grand luxury hotel in front of them, where an upscale restaurant occupied the ground floor.
As they walked, Jasper extended the tablet in his hand toward her.
“This is the restaurant chain we’re acquiring,” he explained. “The acquisition is almost complete. Only the final formalities are left. We just need to inspect everything personally today.”
Then his grin widened mischievously.
“And,” he added proudly, “I also made arrangements to celebrate your divorce.”
Amara immediately looked at him in surprise.
Her sunglasses slid slightly down her nose as she stared at him in disbelief.
“What did you do?”
Instead of answering, Jasper pointed ahead excitedly.
Amara followed the direction of his finger.
The next second—
BOOM!
Fireworks suddenly exploded into the air near the pathway leading toward the restaurant. The loud blasts echoed through the quiet evening air as sparkling lights burst everywhere around them.
Bright lights burst across the evening sky, illuminating the entire entrance.
Another explosion followed.
Then another.
Colorful sparks showered everywhere as loud celebratory sounds echoed through the area.
“WOOHOOO!” Jasper shouted at the top of his lungs, clapping wildly.
He looked ridiculously proud of himself, grinning so widely that he practically glowed with satisfaction.
Amara froze for half a second before laughter burst out of her uncontrollably.
Amara stared at the fireworks for a second before laughter burst out of her uncontrollably.
“Oh my God,” she laughed breathlessly. “Thank you, Mr. Foster.”
Jasper immediately gave her an exaggerated gentleman’s bow, making her laugh even harder.
“Anything for the newly divorced queen.”
Still smiling, the two continued walking toward the restaurant side by side, completely unaware that another pair of eyes had been fixed on them from nearby since the moment they stepped out of the car.
Inside a black car parked across the street, the moment Elias saw Amara step out beside Jasper—laughing and walking next to him—his expression turned ice-cold.
The laughter. The closeness.
The way she smiled beside Jasper so freely.
Something twisted violently in his chest.
Elias suddenly shifted forward and stepped out of the car. Felix immediately moved aside and opened the door wider for him.
Once Elias stepped out, Felix closed the car door before extending the tablet in his hand toward him.
“Mr. Creed,” Felix started carefully, “Mr. Walter will arrive within a few minutes.”
Elias barely looked away from Amara.
Felix continued, “The shipment they sent through our flights still hasn’t reached the destination. It was an extremely expensive shipment, and because of the delay, they’re facing serious losses.”
Elias finally dragged his eyes away from Amara and looked at Felix as he continued.
“He sounded very anxious during the call,” Felix added. “He refused to discuss details over the phone, so I think it’s better if you meet him personally and see whether the situation can still be fixed.”
Elias frowned deeply as he took long, swift strides toward the massive five-star hotel in front of him, the cold air brushing against his face. His sharp gaze remained fixed ahead while Felix hurried beside him, struggling slightly to keep up with his pace.
“What exactly is going on?” he asked, glancing at Felix. “Why didn’t the shipment land?”
Felix hurried beside him, adjusting the tablet in his hands before answering.
“Sir, it’s still unclear what happened,” he explained quickly. “The issue is occurring at one of the airport terminals. We don’t operate that terminal—the operations there are handled by another company—so we currently have no direct control over the situation.”
Elias’s expression darkened further.
Felix continued quickly, “The flight landed successfully, but the shipment itself still hasn’t been cleared through the airport. Something is blocking the release process. Our team is investigating right now and trying to figure out what went wrong and how to resolve it.”
Just then—
Boom!
The loud sound of fireworks exploded near the restaurant. Bright lights burst across the sky near the entrance.
Elias lifted his head, his gaze immediately landing on Amara and Jasper.
The two were walking side by side toward the restaurant, laughing together under the flashing lights. Jasper leaned against Amara dramatically while talking, practically clinging to her shoulder as she laughed at whatever nonsense he was spouting.
The moment Elias saw the scene, the muscles in his face visibly tensed.
His jaw locked with jealousy.
Felix blinked in surprise.
“Oh—” His eyes widened slightly. “What a surprise… what is Mrs. Creed doing here?”
Then he noticed the fireworks, the laughter, and Jasper’s closeness with Amara.
A grin appeared on his face.
“They actually look like a happy couple,” he blurted out without thinking. “Like they’re celebrating their hundredth day anniversary or something.”
The second the words left his mouth—
Silence.
A sudden, suffocating chill swept over Felix so sharply that the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
Felix froze.
Slowly… very slowly… he turned his head.
Elias was staring at him.
The glare in his eyes was enough to make Felix’s soul nearly leave his body.
His smile vanished instantly.
“I—” He let out a nervous laugh. “I didn’t mean—”
Elias kept staring.
Felix immediately started shaking his head frantically.
“No, no, y-you misunderstood!” he said quickly. “I wasn’t talking about Mrs. Creed and Mr. Foster. I swear.”
He pointed randomly toward a nearby billboard.
“I was talking about… that.” His finger trembled slightly. “The McDonald’s clown. It looked happy. Like… relationship happy.”
Elias’s expression turned even colder.
Felix nearly cried internally.
“I mean—not relationship. Obviously.” He forced out another awkward laugh. “Just… happy.”
He laughed weakly.
Elias’s glare didn’t soften in the slightest. The cold exhale that left his nose alone was enough to make Felix’s heart sink straight to his stomach.
Without another word, Elias turned away and strode toward the restaurant.
Felix remained rooted to the spot for a full second, utterly devastated.
“I’m definitely getting punished for this,” he muttered miserably under his breath before quickly hurrying after him.
The moment Elias entered the restaurant, his sharp eyes immediately swept across the crowded dining area.
His gaze moved coldly from table to table before finally landing on one particular spot.
Amara and Jasper.
A waiter stood beside them while Jasper casually looked through the menu.
“One spicy vodka lobster rigatoni, one pepper-crusted ribeye with truffle fries, and one crispy calamari,” Jasper said casually while scanning the menu. “And two iced lemon teas.”
Amara sat across from him casually scrolling through her phone, barely paying attention while Jasper ordered enthusiastically.
But before Jasper could finish—
A cold voice suddenly interrupted from behind them.
“Don’t bring any of that for her.”
Both Amara and Jasper looked up instantly.
Elias walked toward them without hesitation, his gaze fixed directly on the waiter.
“She’s already cranky enough during this time of the month,” he said bluntly. “Spicy food will only make it worse. She overheats easily, gets irritated over everything, and then complains her stomach hurts.”
The entire area went silent for a second.
Amara’s eyes widened in shock.
Then her face flushed almost immediately as she noticed nearby customers glancing toward her table.
One woman nearly choked on her drink trying not to stare.
“Elias!” Amara hissed under her breath, mortified.
But Elias looked completely unbothered. He walked straight to their table.
Jasper stared at him in disbelief.
“What the hell—”
But Elias ignored him. The table Amara and Jasper were sitting at was a four-person table. Jasper sat beside Amara on one side while the two chairs opposite them were still empty.
Without asking permission, Elias grabbed one of the empty chairs and dragged it backward with a loud screech across the floor.
The sharp sound echoed through the restaurant.
Everyone nearby turned to look.
Then, before Jasper could even react—
Elias suddenly grabbed Jasper’s chair from behind and yanked it backward.
SCRRREEECH!
Jasper nearly lost his balance as the chair scraped harshly across the restaurant floor, the screeching sound echoing embarrassingly through the restaurant.
Elias dragged both Jasper and the chair away from Amara in one smooth motion.
“Hey—!” Jasper snapped.
Elias didn’t even spare him a glance.
Completely ignoring Jasper’s outrage, he calmly pulled the empty chair into the newly opened space beside Amara before sitting down directly between them.
Then his sharp gaze shifted toward the waiter again.
“Cancel the order,” Elias leaned back in his chair before adding in a casual tone,
“What the hell are you doing?” Jasper growled with annoyance. “Mr. Creed, do you think this is appropriate behavior for a grown man?!”