Revenge is best served cold

Just as I was about to explain, Eric suddenly took my hand and smiled as he nodded. "Thank you."

As the owner walked away, Eric led me to a seat by the window. The atmosphere between us felt oddly charged because of that little moment earlier.

He was the one who broke the silence. "You never brought Jeremiah here?"

I nodded honestly. "No, I used to come alone."

Eric raised an eyebrow. "What about that junior of yours, Levi? He never came either?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Do you think Levi is some kind of ghost?"

Eric nodded, completely serious. "Yeah, a ghost. One that refuses to go away."

His words reminded me of something he had said before, and my face instantly warmed. Right now, we were finally alone together.

Before I could think too much, the owner returned with a steaming pot of seafood chowder. Her husband followed behind, setting down a few side dishes.

As they left, I caught the amused, knowing looks they exchanged.

Eric and I ate slowly, chatting about everything and nothing. Time slipped away, and before I knew it, it was already past midnight. My phone screen lit up with a message from Levi. "Jane, you're still not back?"

Before leaving the hospital, I had told him everything was settled but mentioned I would be home late. I hadn't expected him to still be up, waiting.

"Go to bed. I'll be back soon."

Even though I was with Eric, I didn't tell Levi.

After sending the message, I set my phone down and looked up-only to meet Eric's steady gaze. My heart pounded. For some reason, I felt like I had just been caught cheating. "Is there something on my face?"

His unwavering stare made me nervous. I blurted out the first thing that came to mind, desperate to break the tension.

"There is. You're glowing."

Eric's words felt like a bullet straight to my heart, knocking the breath out of me.

It took me a few seconds to regain my composure. Flustered, I quickly said, "It's getting late. You have work tomorrow. We should head back."

Seeing how flustered I was, Eric's lips curled into a smirk as amusement flickered in his eyes.

When I went to pay, the owner looked at me in surprise. "Wait, didn't your husband already pay?"

At that moment, a memory flashed in my mind—Eric excusing himself to use the restroom earlier.

I let out an awkward laugh, waved my hand, and left without explaining.

Before I stepped out, the owner gave me a knowing look. "Your husband is a great guy. He's handsome and so good to you. You'd better cherish him!"

I swallowed back my instinct to correct her. That would only lead to more questions. Instead, I simply nodded. Eric was already waiting in the car. As soon as I got in, he glanced at me with a teasing smile. "What were you and the owner talking about?"

I shook my head. There was no way I would tell him what she had just said.

He didn't press further, but the amused glint in his eyes made me feel like he already knew.

When we arrived home, I was startled to see Levi sitting by the door, dozing off. I froze. I hadn't expected him to still be waiting.

When he saw me return, his face lit up with surprise. But the moment he noticed Eric beside me, his expression instantly darkened.

"Jane, why are you with him?" He grabbed my arm, ready to pull me inside.

"I went to visit Elsa, and after that, I ran into Eric at the hospital. We decided to grab a late dinner."

At that, Levi's irritation flared.

Levi scoffed, his eyes narrowing at Eric. His voice was laced with sarcasm. "Mr. Flint, you sure are thoughtful. I just wonder whether that thoughtfulness is genuine or not. Taking a woman out to dinner in the middle of the night-ever think about how that will look?"

Eric let out a cold chuckle. "Some people have no problem crashing at their senior's place without worrying about how it looks."

Levi's expression darkened instantly. "So what? I have a legitimate reason. What about you?"

Eric turned to me, his smile unfaltering. "I do too."