Where Curtis couldn’t see, McNeil sat looking perfectly composed, yet his knee kept brushing against Victoria’s beneath the table—sometimes by accident, sometimes not. With Curtis and Paul right there, Victoria knew that moving away too obviously would only draw attention.
She took the chance, while pretending to look out the window, to shoot McNeil a sharp glare.
It was wasted; McNeil acted as if he hadn’t noticed, even reaching over to squeeze her hand, refusing to let go no matter how she tried.
Victoria had no choice but to endure it until they finally got out of the car, where she wrenched her hand free at last.
Curtis led them to a private room; once they’d settled in, a server brought over the menus. Curtis nodded toward the server, “Let the lady order.”
The server understood at once and handed the menu directly to Victoria.
Curtis had wanted Victoria to sit beside him, but McNeil quickly nudged Paul into that seat.
“Go on, have a good chat with Mr. Garcia. He’s an expert when it comes to business.”
Paul, clearly unhappy, took the seat. That left the spot beside Curtis open, and McNeil took it for himself as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Now, Victoria had to choose: either sit next to Paul or take the seat beside McNeil.
It was a table for six; technically, Victoria had other options.
But McNeil looked straight at her. “Sit.”
His voice made it clear he expected to be obeyed, nodding toward the seat at his side.
Curtis’s heart tightened a little. Victoria was exasperated—was McNeil trying to be this obvious? If Curtis got the wrong idea about her and McNeil, things could get complicated.
“If Mr. Langford wants you to sit beside him, then do it,” Curtis said, breaking the silence. It sounded more like an order from him than a choice.
At that moment, the door to the private room swung open and Violet walked in.
Both McNeil and Paul were caught off guard for a second.
Paul really couldn’t stand Violet. In his eyes, she was a pale shadow compared to Vivian—unlikely to interest him, and frankly, he didn’t like her much.
Violet was dressed in her sharp business attire, fresh from the office. When she spotted Victoria sitting next to McNeil, her expression froze for a moment.
What was Victoria doing here?
Curtis spoke up, “Ms. Marchand is here because I invited her. McNeil, you two are a couple—couldn’t have dinner without both of you.”
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