Chapter 69
Xavier gave a small nod, as if something had just clicked into place.
Just then, a soft voice drifted in from the side.
“Sharon, what a surprise to see you here.”
Sharon and Xavier turned at the same time. It was Kelly and Carter.
“What a coincidence,” Kelly said with a pleasant smile. “You’re here for a meal too, Sharon?”
Sharon shot her a glance, then looked away just as calmly.
“Do you need something?”
Kelly’s eyes briefly flicked to Xavier. “Sharon, may I ask-what’s your relationship with this gentleman?”
Sharon’s tone was cool and flat. “Don’t think that has anything to do with you.”
Kelly didn’t seem the least bit offended. “It’s such a rare coincidence to bump into you. Would you mind if we joined you?”
Sharon’s brows drew together slightly. She was about to say no when Carter spoke first.
Carter, watching all of this, felt his expression darken. Just moments ago, Sharon had been smiling at Xavier. Now, seeing him, she wore nothing but indifference.
If she was doing this to get his attention, she’d succeeded.
He pulled out a chair and sat down next to her with practiced grace.
“Mr. Cooper, you’re friends with my wife?”
It was a four-person table. Sharon and Xavier sat across from each other. Carter took the seat beside her, forcing Kelly to sit across from him, beside Xavier.
Xavier gave a lazy, half-smile. “Of course. Though really, I should thank you, Mr. Biggs. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have had the chance to meet someone as remarkable as Sharon.”
Sharon lifted her gaze to look at Xavier.
Carter’s eyes dimmed. “So you two haven’t known each other long?”
“All thanks to you,” Xavier replied, smiling. “If you hadn’t repeatedly turned your back on your own wife while she was being torn apart online, even a stranger like me wouldn’t have gotten involved. And I certainly wouldn’t be sitting here now, calling
her a friend.”
His tone remained warm, almost lighthearted, but his words sliced deep.
Her own husband, so close yet willfully blind-he let her be hounded, harassed, and humiliated. Xavier had laid it all out plainly, with a softness that only made the sting worse.
Kelly quickly tried to smooth things over. “Let’s order first. The service here’s slow-we should talk while we wait.”
Xavier didn’t press further and signaled the waiter.
Carter glanced at the menu and casually ordered a few dishes.
Xavier looked up, a hint of amusement in his voice. “That’s a lot of food for one person, Mr. Biggs.”
Kelly offered a sheepish smile. “Carter ordered my share too.”
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She nodded. “Yeah.”
It had been a long time since she’d last had mango juice.
Seated beside her, Carter turned toward her. “You like mango juice?”
Before she could respond, Xavier raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Don’t tell me, Mr. Biggs-you’ve been married to Sharon all this time and you don’t even know she likes mango juice?”
Sharon curled her fingers slightly under the table, lips pressed together.
She did like mangoes-both the fruit and the juice. There was a time she’d poured herself a glass of mango juice with dinner. But Carter had made a face, said he couldn’t stand the taste. Too strange, he’d called it. Since then, she’d stopped buying mangoes. Stopped drinking the juice. Just like that.
Kelly’s voice broke the silence, “I’m allergic to mangoes… Carter hasn’t had anything mango-related in years, for my sake.”
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