The moment Andrea Wyatt appeared, Kiara Dillon spotted him. "Andrea, you're here too?"
"Yeah," he grunted. "What are you guys doing here?"
"We were tired from shopping and about to get something to eat. What a coincidence, right? Don't tell me you're the one out with Miss Sawyer today?" Kiara Dillon looped her arm through his, the gesture a clear move to stake her claim.
At that moment, Andrea Wyatt wished he could just explode on the spot.
'He used to think Kiara Dillon was gentle and understanding, but what the hell was she doing today?'
"Since it's such a coincidence, how about we share a table? Miss Sawyer wouldn't mind, would she?" The one who spoke was Kiara Dillon's friend, Mindy Caldwell.
Before Sydney Sawyer could even answer, one of them had already taken it upon herself to sit down beside her.
Andrea Wyatt was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He couldn't just tell his girlfriend to get lost in public, so all he could do was swallow his anger and shoot Sydney Sawyer an apologetic look.
When Sydney Sawyer saw the utterly dumbfounded look on Andrea Wyatt's face, she knew he hadn't been in on it.
Kiara Dillon's arrival had caught the attention of the other diners. Seeing her take a seat, they just assumed it was a normal gathering of friends and, after a few extra glances, paid them no more mind.
But the server responsible for taking their order, standing by the table, felt a chill run down his spine.
Kiara Dillon pointed at the menu and looked at the person beside her. "Andrea, I like this one."
"Then order it."
Andrea Wyatt's reply was perfunctory. He was in no mood to deal with her.
Right now, he was just kicking himself. 'Why was I so stupid as to call my uncle just now?' he thought. 'Isn't this just digging a hole for myself and jumping right in?'
With his uncle's temper, if he were truly angry, he wouldn't just watch Andrea fall into the pit he'd dug. No, he'd find him foolish, pour a scoop of dirt on his head, and call it:
A tribute to the idiot!
But Mindy Caldwell suddenly laughed. "Mr. Wyatt really knows how to spoil his girlfriend. It makes me so jealous. Why can't I find a boyfriend like that?"
"Oh, stop," Kiara Dillon said, feigning shyness.
"You'd better hold on tight to such a great boyfriend. You have no idea how calculating some young girls are these days. The moment they see a man with good prospects, they'll use any means necessary to throw themselves at him."
"I trust Andrea."
"It's not about him being stolen, it's about him being targeted. Some girls may look innocent, but they're full of tricks."
"That won't happen. Everyone knows we're together. You're overthinking it."
"Even married men get targeted, and you two are just dating."
...
Sydney Sawyer listened to the two of them playing off each other. 'So they really did come to "catch a cheater" and make a scene,' she thought.
Andrea Wyatt watched her expression, glanced down at his watch, and fidgeted uneasily. "Mindy Caldwell, we're trying to eat. Why are you talking about all this?"
"Just making small talk," Mindy Caldwell said with a smile. "Kiara is just too nice, which makes her easy to bully. I'm just giving her a well-intentioned reminder."
Andrea Wyatt was already simmering with anger. Just as he was about to speak, Kiara Dillon suddenly grabbed his arm. "Andrea, look at the menu. Is there anything else you want to eat...?"
Her words were cut short by a clear, bright voice:
"Constantly worrying about someone stealing your man... is that a lack of trust in your boyfriend, or a lack of confidence in yourself?"
Andrea Wyatt put a hand to his forehead. He'd gotten a taste of Sydney Sawyer's temper the last time they'd had a meal. Though she'd been perfectly proper the whole time, the moment she opened her mouth to say something cutting, her sharp tongue was on par with his uncle's.
'What I feared most has finally happened!'
Mindy Caldwell let out a cold laugh. "It's one thing for a couple to have a good relationship, but that's no match for some people's shamelessness."
From the moment they appeared, Sydney Sawyer knew this meal was ruined. No one would want to be subjected to baseless sarcasm and humiliation for no reason.
"I haven't seen anyone shameless, but I do know that joining someone's table without their permission is quite ill-mannered."
Sydney Sawyer's eyes curved into a gentle smile, making her look almost innocent and harmless.
Mindy Caldwell was sitting right beside her. She whipped her head around. "Who are you calling ill-mannered?"
Her eyes were blazing with anger, and her voice rose unconsciously, drawing frequent glances from the people around them.
Sydney Sawyer just smiled faintly. "In a public place, your current behavior is quite ill-mannered."
"Don't think you can seduce other people's boyfriends just because Mrs. Wyatt likes you. Kiara is too embarrassed to say anything, but I'm not that easy to push around."
"Mindy Caldwell!" Andrea Wyatt shot to his feet. "What the hell are you talking about? You've been making snide remarks ever since you sat down. I was the one who asked to meet her about something. She didn't even want to see me."
"She didn't want to?" Mindy Caldwell sneered. "I'm afraid Mr. Wyatt doesn't understand the concept of playing hard to get."
Andrea Wyatt was about to lose his mind. 'What kind of bullshit logic is that?'
But Sydney Sawyer suddenly laughed out loud. Propping her chin on one hand, she looked at Mindy Caldwell, who wore the triumphant expression of someone who'd caught a thief red-handed.
"Miss Caldwell, you're saying that a man and a woman who wanted to do something illicit would be stupid enough to choose a place this crowded? They didn't even get a private room. How brazen would that be?"
Mindy Caldwell was taken aback by the question.
"You say I'm seducing him. Do you have a witness? Or physical evidence?"
"W-Well, anyway, it's not normal for an unattached man and woman to be out alone together." With no evidence, Mindy Caldwell could only resort to being stubborn.
Sydney Sawyer nodded. "So, that's a no on the evidence, then?"
"You know he has a girlfriend. Any normal person would know to keep their distance to avoid suspicion," Mindy Caldwell said through gritted teeth.
"We met here, in a crowded public space. Isn't that avoiding suspicion enough? If I really wanted to seduce him, I wouldn't have asked to meet him here."
"And I certainly wouldn't give you the chance to catch me in the act."
Sydney Sawyer raised an eyebrow and smiled. "I'd just give him my home address, or... a room number at a certain hotel."
The server standing by the table felt a fresh wave of chills run down his spine.
'Giving a guy her hotel room number? What kind of calculating, two-faced move is that? How can she say something like that so brazenly?'
Hearing this, Andrea Wyatt and Kiara Dillon were stunned speechless, and Mindy Caldwell was even more startled. 'She actually dared to say that.'
And the look Sydney Sawyer was giving her now...
...was as if she were looking at a complete idiot.
The commotion at their table had already drawn the attention of many other diners.
The restaurant staff were also watching the situation, ready to intervene in case things got out of hand, and completely failed to notice two new customers walking in.
"What's going on?" Donovan Sheridan nudged the person beside him. "Isn't that your niece over there?"
Sebastian Lockwood pressed his lips together and said nothing.