I Refuse to Be Your Second Choice novel Chapter 179

The meeting place Samuel had chosen was an exclusive private club, open only to its black card members.

As Natalie passed one of the private rooms, the voice from within caught her attention. A waiter was serving a dish, leaving the door slightly ajar. Peeking through the gap, she saw Gabriel Ramirez, Savannah Davis, Luke White, and Camila White seated inside.

Her gaze swept across the table and settled on a pair of crossed legs. The trousers were impeccably tailored, ending at a pair of spotless black leather shoes. Even without seeing his face, she knew it was Alexander Ramirez.

And the man who had just spoken was Luke White.

Engaged? Today must be the day the Ramirez family was formally proposing to the White family. She had seen the blissful, triumphant smile on Camila’s face.

The manager, noticing Natalie had fallen behind, walked back. “Ms. Watson, this way, please.”

Natalie pulled her gaze away and nodded, continuing down the hall.

Inside the room, Alexander’s eyes darted toward the door. He stood up. “Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.”

Once in the hallway, he glanced to his left, then turned to his right. He caught a glimpse of a familiar, slender figure disappearing into a room at the end of the corridor.

…

When Natalie entered their room, Samuel was on the phone, his brow furrowed in a serious expression. It was the first time she had seen him look so stern.

Hearing her enter, he looked up and smiled, then spoke into the phone, “We’ll leave it at that.”

“I’m sorry I’m late,” Natalie said.

“Not at all, I was early.”

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Samuel signaled for the manager to begin serving the food. Always professional, Natalie immediately began discussing the details of their collaboration with him.

The dishes arrived one by one, and they talked as they ate.

Natalie took a bite of one dish and immediately reached for a napkin, spitting the food out. She frowned and quickly took a large gulp of water.

“What’s wrong?” Samuel asked, looking concerned.

“It’s incredibly salty.” And not just a little salty—it tasted as if the entire salt shaker had been dumped into it.

Samuel tried a bite himself and promptly spit it out as well. He summoned a waiter and had them fetch the manager.

Samuel called the manager back in. “I want you to taste every one of these dishes yourself.”

The manager picked up a fork and hesitantly tasted each dish, his expression shifting with each flavor.

“Are you going to tell me this wasn’t deliberate? Does your club have a problem with me?” Samuel’s voice was low and dangerous.

The Thompson family was second only to the Ramirez family in the city. Who would dare to offend him?

The manager was trembling, on the verge of dropping to his knees. “Mr. Thompson, I swear I have no idea how this happened. Your meal was prepared in advance, and no one would dare tamper with it. Please, don’t be angry. I’ll check the security footage right away and get you an explanation.”

Samuel waved him away. As the manager left, he turned to Natalie, who was frowning in thought.

“Do you know what’s going on?” he asked.

Natalie wasn’t certain, but her intuition was screaming the answer. She looked up at him.

“I don’t think this has anything to do with the kitchen.”