Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 705

Before Larry Adams could open his mouth to send her away, Sarah Brown beat him to it. “Since she’s Audrey’s friend, let her stay and eat with us,” she said breezily. “We’ve ordered plenty of food already. Setting one more place won’t hurt.”

Camila Davis glanced at Sarah, catching the spark of mischief flickering in her friend’s eyes.

Camila knew that look all too well—Sarah was in the mood for a little fun.

She wasn’t quite sure what Sarah was up to, but she wasn’t about to spoil her enjoyment. So she chimed in, “Audrey, if Ms. Lee is joining us, let’s have the waiter bring another place setting.”

“Of course!”

Audrey Williams responded with a bright smile and quickly asked the waiter at the door to set another plate and utensils. Then, she looped her arm with Cynthia Lee’s and led her to the table.

Cynthia had originally planned to sit beside Dennis Williams, but Audrey held onto her arm and gently steered her to a seat further away, sliding into the spot Cynthia had her eye on.

Audrey didn’t feel the least bit guilty about putting herself between Cynthia and Dennis. She settled in and, with a gentle tone, said, “Nancy, I’m sorry I haven’t been able to meet up lately. Work’s been crazy. Jordan piled a ton of projects on my desk, and since I just got back, I’ve had to prove myself to the team. I couldn’t afford to slack off...”

Cynthia studied Audrey’s familiar, warm expression, but for some reason, she felt a knot tighten in her chest.

Tonight’s “chance encounter” was no accident. After over a month of Audrey dodging her invitations—and hearing the gossip that Dennis had taken his child to The Smith Group—Cynthia was getting anxious. She worried that if things kept dragging on, Audrey might be swayed to Camila’s camp.

In the past month, Cynthia had sent gift after gift, but no matter what she gave, Audrey always reciprocated with something even nicer, making it obvious she didn’t want to owe her anything.

At first, Cynthia told herself she was overthinking it. After all, Audrey was always proper and never took advantage of her friends. But deep down, Cynthia wished Audrey wouldn’t be so polite.

Today, she’d finally learned Audrey was on vacation and decided to seek her out. Yet when she’d gone by, Audrey was nowhere to be found. Out of options, Cynthia had someone discreetly check where Audrey had gone, leading her to this very scene.

What she hadn’t expected was to find Camila Davis here as well.

She acted as if Camila Davis wasn’t even present.

Cynthia’s irritation faded a little, soothed by the gesture. She watched as Audrey finished serving her and then, without offering anyone else the same treatment, started eating herself. That made Cynthia feel a little better.

“Thank you, Audrey. I can’t believe you still remember my favorites!” Cynthia smiled and returned the favor, serving Audrey a portion as well. With sisterly affection, she said, “You too—eat up. You’ve been working so hard lately; you need to take care of yourself.”

Only after this little exchange did Cynthia seem to notice Camila Davis and Sarah Brown. With composed elegance, she smiled at them. “Ms. Davis, Ms. Brown, this restaurant actually belongs to Dennis. The signature dishes are excellent. The chefs here have all won international awards and are highly sought after. It’s a favorite spot for Cabinda’s upper crust. Make sure you try a bit of everything.”

She paused, then added, “Actually, we met briefly at the last gala, but didn’t get to talk much. I guess tonight’s our chance to get better acquainted.”

Camila watched Cynthia’s flawless smile, the slight arch of her brow betraying a hint of admiration—and wariness. The Lee family’s young lady was certainly no amateur; her social graces were impeccable.