Chapter 428 428

Carlos led them to a seat in the middle of the restaurant. It was supposed to be only for two, but since there was a little girl here, he told the waiter to put another seat and padded it with an extra pillow as extra padding, so Mackie could eat comfortably.

They sat on their respective seats and waited for the appetizer to come. Vernon gave Carlos a side glance full of threat, and the latter sighed.

He clapped his hand once, calling the violinist so he could play a song for them.

But Vernon stopped the violinist and said, "Just play from the background, we want to have a family time together."

"Yes, Sir," the violinist returned to his original spot before he got called and started playing gentle music to fill the air.

Carlos was a little surprised when Vernon mentioned 'family.'

There was no way in hell Vernon suddenly married someone, judging from his history as a player.

And it was even more unbelievable that he would take an older woman with a little girl.

But he couldn't ask Vernon those questions right now, so he excused himself before his curiosity bit him, "Please excuse me, I'll be busy in the kitchen for a moment."

Carlos paused for a moment before he shifted all his attention to the beautiful but somewhat frail lady, "Please let me know if you need anything, Milady. I'd love to give you a complimentary snack if you don't mind. It's a treat from me for a beautiful lady."

"Ah, I--I'm fine, thank you...." Chloe lowered her head. She was a little embarrassed to be called a beautiful lady. She just thought it was too frivolous.

"Carlos," Vernon got more hostile with each second Carlos stared at his woman. "Leave now."

"Alright, alright, no need to be so hostile. It's not like she'll be the last."

"Carlos!"

Carlos shrugged it off and walked away, leaving Vernon, who got irritated at his friend. He didn't know that Chloe wasn't just a date he would ditch in a week at best.

She was the woman he had wanted all his life!

Vernon was about to get up and punch that bastard for ruining his night with Chloe and Mackie, but Chloe chuckled as a response instead, "Relax, Vernon, it's fine."

"But-"

"I know that you must've set up many dates here, right?" Chloe teased.

Vernon was embarrassed and also ashamed of himself. He should've set up the date elsewhere, but he couldn't trust anyone but Carlos because Chloe and Mackie's safety was always a priority.

"It was in the past, don't think too much about it," Vernon said, trying to defend himself.

He expected Chloe to get a little jealous of his colorful dating life before reuniting with her, but Chloe didn't seem to be burdened. She just smiled and teased, "I know they're the past, but we don't know who will be in the future, hm?"

"That'd be--" Vernon zipped his mouth instantly. He almost blurted out 'you' as an answer. He felt genuinely uncomfortable talking about his dating life with Chloe.

He was the worst kind of player. He dated a woman, fucked them, and ditched them in a week or so.

There was never any emotional connection because he was just trying to fulfill his carnal pleasure to numb the constant pain and torment in his head.

Even if Chloe didn't seem to mind, he just wanted to move on from the topic.

While watching Uncle and Mommy's banter, Mackie got a few questions added inside her mind, but the most obvious one was...

"Mommy, what's a date?"

"Ah-" Chloe forgot that Mackie was around and shouldn't talk about something like that. She was flustered and tried to cover up, "A date is uh... spending time with the people you like."

"Oh! If I like spending time with Mommy, does that mean I'm having a date with Mommy?"

"Y--Yeah, that's right," Chloe confirmed.

"Hmm..." Mackie pondered for a while and asked innocently, "Does that mean Uncle and Mommy always have a date inside Uncle's room?"

Chloe's eyes widened. She hurriedly covered Mackie's mouth and shook her head, "Don't ask that here, okay?"

Mackie tilted her head, not knowing it was a sensitive topic, but she nodded so Mommy would stop covering her mouth.

Meanwhile, Vernon said nothing but had a smug expression while looking at Mackie.

'Huh? Why did Uncle and Mommy have a different reaction?' She continued wondering.

Luckily, the awkward situation was dispelled once the appetizer was served. They were busy with their food, especially Chloe, who ate slowly since she could only use one hand.

​ "Do you want me to spoon feed you?" Vernon offered, but Chloe refused instantly;

"Don't, it's in the public. It's too embarrassing."

"There are only the three of us here anyway, what's there to be ashamed about?"

Chloe rolled her eyes and nudged her head at the waiters lining near the kitchen, pointing out that they weren't truly alone.

Vernon didn't see that as a problem. After all, they were paid to do their job and shut up. But in the end, he stopped trying and let Chloe eat peacefully.

He intentionally slowed down munching and chewing and took a smaller portion in each bite. He didn't want Chloe to feel awkward eating alone when he and Mackie finished theirs. He didn't care if it'd take them an hour to eat one dish as long as Chloe finished her plate.

**

It took them a while until they finished the courses. They rested for a while and then got up after about half an hour, "Let's go. We still have somewhere else to visit," Vernon said.

"We do?" Mackie asked. "Do we get ice cream?"

"Mackie, you had a cake and ice cream cake as dessert. You don't need another ice cream," Chloe reprimanded her daughter. "You'll get sick if you eat too much."

Mackie pouted as she got a little upset, but Mommy was right. She often sneaked to the fridge and ate cookies and ice cream in the middle of the night, only to get a stomachache in the morning.

"Hahah! No, we won't get another ice cream. But I have a gift for you, Mackie."