I Refuse to Be Your Second Choice novel Chapter 284

The lobster flown in was honestly amazing.

Arianna Mitchell couldn't stop nodding, grinning at Natalie. "You were right. If we'd skipped out, we would've missed out on the best lobster ever."

Natalie just smiled, wiping her hands with a napkin. "Glad you liked it. I'm going to run to the restroom."

A few minutes later, she stepped out, pushing open the heavy carved door. At the end of the hallway, she spotted a tall, lean figure. Alexander Ramirez.

He had a cigarette between his fingers. Smoke curled around his face, making his profile look even sharper than usual. Natalie paused. Honestly, she couldn't remember ever seeing him smoke before.

He must have heard her footsteps. Alexander turned his head a little and their eyes met. Suddenly, the air felt heavy, like everything had just stopped. Natalie froze for a second, then forced herself to keep walking, her expression unreadable, her eyes steady and calm.

She walked right past him.

"Long time," Alexander said, his voice low and distant, breaking the silence.

Natalie stopped and gave him a soft, polite smile. "Yeah. It's been a while."

They looked at each other. It had only been a couple of weeks, but it felt like a lifetime. Her tone was so distant, like they were nothing more than polite strangers.

Alexander's gaze dimmed. His fingers tightened around his cigarette, frustration building inside him as he watched her stand there, posture straight and unshaken.

"When did you get back?" he asked.

"This morning," she answered, her voice calm but distant. She spoke to him like he was just an acquaintance, maybe even less than that.

Alexander's brow twitched, his irritation simmering. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say more, but in the end, he just stubbed out his cigarette and nodded.

Natalie nodded back, then walked away without another word. Alexander watched her walk off, her steps steady, her back straight, as if their conversation hadn't touched her at all. Her figure disappeared at the end of the hallway, leaving him with nothing but a hollow sense of helplessness.

There was no going back. Whatever closeness and trust they'd shared had been worn away by time and betrayal.

"A Mr. Ward," the server replied.

Arianna's eyes widened. "Ward?" That could only mean Bruce Ward.

Her mood instantly soured. She held out her hand. "Can I see the bill, please?"

The server handed it over. Arianna glanced at it, thanked the server, then pulled out her phone.

Natalie was just as surprised by Bruce's gesture, especially since he'd been acting weird in the parking lot earlier.

As Arianna opened her messaging app and pulled up Bruce's contact, Natalie guessed what she was about to do. "You want to send the money back?"

Arianna nodded, already typing. "I don't want to owe him anything."