If Niamh had known that tonight’s dinner with Preston Winslow would be about returning a favor–and that Jonathan and Marina would be there too–she never would’ve agreed.
“Niamh! Over here!” Preston called out, waving her over as she entered the
restaurant.
Well, she was already here. Resigning herself, Niamh slipped into the seat across from Preston.
Jonathan sat beside her, so close their arms could have touched, yet it felt as if an invisible wall separated them.
An awkward tension settled over the table.
Marina broke the silence first. “Preston, honestly! Niamh’s studio is just getting off the ground, and things haven’t exactly been smooth for her. Why in the world would you pick this place? It’s so expensive–she shouldn’t have to foot the bill!”
Niamh glanced coolly at the menu, already filled with extravagant selections.
“If you’re so worried about my wallet, maybe you shouldn’t have come. Especially not after ordering blue lobster, prime toro, king crab, and caviar.”
With each word, Marina’s smile faded further.
“Those were my choices,” Preston interjected, trying to shield Marina. “If to blame someone, blame me, not her!”
you want
But even as he said it, Preston knew he hadn’t ordered those dishes. The truth was, this wasn’t his first pick for dinner anyway–Marina had suggested the place. It was a trendy new spot none of them had tried before. He’d only intended to meet with Niamh, but then ran into Jonathan and Marina by coincidence. It was Marina’s idea to turn it into a group dinner, and now here they were.
“I’ll cover Marina’s part,” Jonathan spoke up from beside Niamh, his tone cool to the point of indifference.
“And yours too,” Niamh reminded him, not missing a beat.
“Of course,” Jonathan replied without hesitation.
Preston watched the two of them, glancing from Niamh to Jonathan. The chill between them was palpable. Had something happened? He was dying to know, but didn’t dare ask.
18:44
Chapter 155
Soon, their food arrived. Every dish was a luxury–fresh, glistening seafood, the kind that made your wallet ache just looking at it.
Marina poured herself a glass of champagne and raised it. “Niamh, this is my apology to you…”
Niamh, busy cracking open a crab leg with her seafood scissors, didn’t even look
- up.
“I shouldn’t have taken that stone you had your eye on,” Marina continued, her voice softening. “But there was only one, and Jonathan said that even if you bought it, if you couldn’t design something Chairman Grant would love, it’d just go to waste. So I… I’m sorry. It was wrong of me.”
Niamh had expected Marina to bring up the incident. But she felt nothing
now–she’d already found new inspiration. Even without that precious stone, she was determined to win.
“But don’t blame Jonathan,” Marina added quickly. “He felt awful about it! That’s why he went all out to make it up to you on your birthday–he spent a fortune on that party.”
Marina watched Niamh carefully for any reaction.
But Niamh just kept her head down, quietly eating crab, her face unreadable.
the
Marina knew Niamh was only pretending to be unaffected. She’d brought up whole thing in public, worried Niamh might not realize that Jonathan’s grand birthday gesture was really just compensation for what she’d lost. Judging by Niamh’s indifference, though, it seemed she’d known all along.
“That stone was rightfully yours, Marina. You don’t owe Niamh an apology,” Jonathan said, finally turning to address her.
Preston tucked into his lobster, eavesdropping on the drama with interest.
“Niamh, since you left, Thomas Jewelry’s sales have exploded, all thanks to Marina,” Jonathan went on, sounding more like a business executive than a friend. “Giving the best materials to the best designer makes sense. It’s about putting resources to their optimal use.”
Marina took a sip of champagne, her smile radiant as ever.
