After His Sweetheart Moved In, He Came Home Every Night-Chapter 15: The Consequences of Angering Third Master
"The Third Master is inside."
Mason stepped aside and pointed Alice in a certain direction—toward a private dining room.
The color drained from Alice’s face. She hadn’t expected her greatest fear to come true.
But she had no time to wonder why Wyatt Sterling had suddenly shown up at the restaurant. She had to leave, and quickly.
"What a coincidence. So, Uncle is here too." Alice did her best to sound casual and relaxed. "I’m here with a friend, and they’re waiting for me. I should go join them."
With that, Alice brushed past Mason.
Mason called out to her, "Miss Alice, please wait a moment."
Alice stopped.
Mason walked to her side and offered a well-intentioned reminder, "The Third Master wasn’t in a good mood when he arrived."
Alice’s expression didn’t betray a thing. "Oh? Did something happen to upset him? You’d better handle it well, Assistant Cheney. My friends are getting impatient, so I really have to go."
This time, she walked away so quickly that she didn’t give Mason a chance to stop her again.
Mason watched her retreating figure, his tone helpless. "Why must you make things so difficult? If you anger the Third Master, none of us will have an easy time."
Muttering to himself, Mason looked like he was about to fall apart.
Because he was about to get caught in the crossfire.
By now, Alice had hurried back to her table.
She had just sat down when she heard Holden from across the table say, "Zoe can be a bit blunt. Please don’t take her words into heart, Miss York."
Holden knew Zoe and Alice were good friends, but he still felt it was necessary to explain.
Alice shook her head at Holden. "I didn’t take it to heart. There’s no need to explain, Professor Locke. Besides, given my relationship with Zoe, it’s really nothing."
"See? You worry too much, Uncle." Zoe flashed a smug grin.
Holden sighed. "No matter the situation, you should always be mindful of your words and actions."
"I know, I know," Zoe explained. "I was just thinking that it’s not very safe for a girl like Alice to be renting a place on her own. You’re my uncle, so I know you’re trustworthy. I don’t have to worry too much."
After speaking, Zoe winked at Alice.
Alice couldn’t help but smile.
With that, Zoe picked up the menu, but before she could open it, she heard Holden remind her, "Let Miss York order first."
Zoe said, "Alice and I never worry about who goes first."
Holden repeated, "Let Miss York go first."
"Alright." Zoe felt that her uncle’s attitude was a little strange, but she did as she was told and handed the menu to Alice.
Her mind heavy with worry, Alice ordered only two dishes before handing the menu back to Zoe, her thoughts consumed with finding an excuse to leave later.
While they waited for the food, Zoe and Zion had already moved on to getting to know each other’s hobbies. It was clear Zion had a very good impression of Zoe, and with Holden chiming in from time to time, the atmosphere was quite pleasant.
In contrast, Alice’s distraction was too obvious to ignore. Holden, sitting across from her, found it difficult to overlook. He was worried asking might be too forward and was contemplating how to broach the subject when the sound of hurried footsteps suddenly echoed from the other side of the restaurant.
As if sensing something, Alice immediately turned her head.
She saw Wyatt emerge from the private room, surrounded by a group of people. His expression was frighteningly cold, and Melody at his side looked terrified. The manager next to them was apologizing profusely, practically on the verge of dropping to his knees.
The commotion drew the attention of many other diners.
Alice’s table was no exception.
Wyatt stopped in his tracks and glared coldly at the manager. "I invested in this restaurant because I appreciated the food here. Who were you trying to fob off with that mess you served today?"
The manager, drenched in sweat and pale with terror, stammered, "Today’s dishes were all prepared according to the tastes you approved of last time, Third Master."
"Last time? You dare mention last time when there wasn’t a shred of innovation?" Wyatt Sterling glanced sideways. "Mason Cheney."
Mason understood and immediately went to handle it.
Without any warning, and with no time for a handover, the manager and the chef were both fired on the spot. Their replacements were already rushing over to the restaurant. The sheer scale of the commotion was enough to make anyone break out in a cold sweat.
Alice watched, her heart pounding with fear.
But she had to admit, the man’s callous indifference had always been appalling.
"Alice, that’s your Uncle!"
Zoe’s voice suddenly sounded by her ear.
Her voice wasn’t actually loud, but the entire restaurant had fallen so silent that it seemed to be deliberately amplified.
Unsurprisingly, Wyatt’s gaze shifted in their direction.
The moment their eyes met, Alice’s breath hitched. The nerve strung taut at her temple felt so fragile it might snap at the slightest touch.
Fortunately, Wyatt only glanced at her for a second before looking away and turning to leave.
"Alice, why is your hand..." Being so close, Zoe accidentally brushed against Alice’s wrist. Something felt wrong. She touched it again, more carefully this time, and realized Alice’s hand was ice-cold.
The heating in the restaurant was clearly on full blast.
’But why is Alice’s hand so cold?’
Worried, Zoe leaned over to look at Alice’s face. Up close, she noticed a thin layer of sweat beading on Alice’s temples.
’She’s really nervous.’
"Miss York doesn’t look well," Holden noted, also having noticed. He handed her a glass of warm water.
Alice snapped back to her senses and took the glass with both hands. "Thank you. I just get scared easily. I thought I was just watching a scene unfold, but I ended up getting frightened."
"Right? I was scared too!"
Zoe quickly chimed in, "Your Uncle is terrifying when he’s angry. I can’t imagine what unlucky woman will end up marrying him and living in constant fear every day."
"Cough..." Alice choked on her water.
Zoe patted her on the back. "Don’t be scared. It’s not like it has anything to do with you, anyway."
Alice gave an unnatural "mhm."
A waiter, looking like he’d been thrown into a crisis, came to their table with an apologetic expression. He explained that the chef had been fired and they couldn’t serve the food. He promised compensation and then continued to apologize.
Zoe saw that the waiter looked like he was about to fall apart and couldn’t bear it. She suggested, "Why don’t we find another place to eat? Does anyone have any objections?"
Alice agreed. "Whatever you arrange is fine."
Holden mentioned, "I know a good private kitchen restaurant. I can make a reservation."
Zoe raised both hands in approval. "Let’s do what Uncle says."
No one objected, and they happily decided to go to the private kitchen. Alice thought she could finally have a peaceful meal, until she saw Mason’s name on her caller ID.
"Alice, you have a call," Zoe reminded her.
Alice numbly picked up her phone and stood. "I’m going to take this."
Zoe nodded. "We’ll wait for you."
A phone call usually lasts three to five minutes at most, but this time, Zoe never would have guessed that after taking the call, Alice would simply disappear, nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile, a silver-gray Bentley was parked downstairs from the restaurant.
As the partition inside the car slowly rose, it blocked all prying eyes, creating a suffocating sense of confinement.
Alice was on pins and needles, glancing at the man beside her from time to time.
On the phone just now, Mason had relayed Wyatt Sterling’s message: she had three minutes. If she wasn’t downstairs in three minutes, Wyatt would come up himself.
That’s right. He would come up himself.
