Cain and Tara were at the reception.
“Hello sir, do you have a reservation?” the receptionist asked with a smile as she openly checked Cain out.
Tara noticed the way the receptionist was looking at Cain, and it immediately made her uncomfortable.
Combined with the restaurant’s atmosphere, the entire place just felt off to her.
Before Cain could answer, Tara spoke first.
“Sorry ma’am, we don’t.
We were just leaving,” she said as she pulled Cain toward the door.
“Cain, I’m dead serious.
I do not want to eat here,” Tara said in a deadpan voice.
Cain looked at Tara and immediately noticed that she was uncomfortable.
He sighed softly and held her shoulders, gently forcing her to look at him as he called her name.
“Tara,” Cain called gently, only to receive a glare from her.
Cain looked stunned for a second before remembering the conversation they had earlier about names.
He quickly corrected himself.
“My dear, why do you not want to eat here?” Cain asked gently.
“Cain, I get the part that you’re wealthy, and I know you want me to eat here, but I really don’t want to.
This place makes me uncomfortable.
It feels like something is telling me that I shouldn’t eat here,” Tara said in a low voice.
Cain looked at her carefully and realized that this time it had nothing to do with nervousness.
She was genuinely uncomfortable.
He sighed and nodded.
Without another word, Cain and Tara walked out of the restaurant.
At the same time, a woman in a business suit walked out of one of the rooms and happened to catch sight of Tara’s back.
“Haa… is that who I think it is?” the first female voice asked.
“Who did you see?” the second female voice asked nonchalantly.
“I think I just saw your little sister.”
“Where did you see her?” the second female voice asked immediately as she looked around the lobby to confirm if the woman was telling the truth.
“Ananya, relax.
Why the panic?” the first voice asked in amusement.
“You don’t understand, Dana.
That lowly girl disappeared from the engagement, and the only option left was for me to get engaged to Frank.
If I hadn’t pretended to be sick, the engagement wouldn’t have been postponed,” Ananya said bitterly.
“Oh?” Dana responded while still staring at the entrance with cold amusement.
“I never thought Tara was such a coward.”
“Don’t even start, Dana.
That girl is trouble.
Nobody knows where she is, and I doubt she’ll ever set foot in this restaurant after what happened to her two years ago,” Ananya said.
The moment Dana heard that, her expression completely changed into one of cold gloominess.
“Oh… I’m sorry for bringing it up,” Ananya said nervously.
“So where exactly did you say she disappeared to?” Dana asked calmly.
“That’s the problem.
Nobody knows where she is.
Ahh, it’s so annoying,” Ananya answered in frustration.
“Oh?
Is that so?” Dana said with amusement before suddenly turning to Ananya.
Maybe the person I saw was really her.”
“How is that possible, D?
You know she can never come here again.
I know you don’t like hearing it since you were also affected, but it’s the truth.
She can never set foot in here unless she’s possessed,” Ananya whispered the last words because right in front of her stood a visibly pissed-off Dana.
“Again, I’m sorry,” Ananya quickly added while internally panicking.
Oh my… why can’t I ever keep my mouth shut in front of her?
Dana looked away from Ananya after hearing her words, and the two headed toward the furthest room in the hallway.
Once they reached the door labeled:
“Security — No Entry If Not Security Staff.”
Dana opened the door and was instantly stunned by what she saw.
The security man was asleep.
Without saying a word, Dana took out her phone and called the manager to the security room.
It did not even take five minutes before the manager arrived.
Dana remained silent.
She simply looked at the manager coldly before directing her gaze toward the sleeping security guard.
The manager immediately walked over and woke the man up.
The security guard jolted awake, and the moment his eyes landed on Dana, his legs failed him.
He instantly dropped to his knees apologizing.
Dana looked at him with a nonchalant expression.
“I’m not here to catch you slacking off.
Just get up and show me the CCTV footage from a few minutes ago.
At least from the past thirty minutes to an hour.”
The security man nodded frantically and hurried to the computer.
After searching for a while, his face suddenly paled.
“What now?” Dana asked as she noticed something was wrong.
“A-ah, madam… I forgot to turn on the CCTV save footage system,” the security man answered nervously with his head lowered.
“Oh?”
Now Dana was truly angry.
“So you think you can play with me just because I didn’t react much to your first negligence?” Dana asked coldly.
“M-ma’am, I don’t know how it happened,” the security man stuttered.
Dana scoffed in disbelief.
“You just said that you forgot to turn the saving system on, and now you’re saying you don’t know what happened?” Dana finished sharply.
The moment the security man heard her tone, he immediately kneeled and begged for forgiveness.
Dana then turned toward the manager.
“Care to explain what is going on?
Because as far as I remember, no staff member is allowed to turn off the CCTV.
It is supposed to run twenty-four seven.”
“Actually, Miss Zack,” the manager began nervously, “the CCTV cameras in the lobby and reception had issues earlier today, so they were replaced this morning.
It seems this man may have forgotten to activate the saving system afterward.”
“So there’s nothing?” Ananya finally spoke after remaining silent the entire time.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Dana answered in an annoyed tone, instantly silencing Ananya again.
Dana was extremely pissed.
Before leaving, she instructed the manager to sort everything out and make sure such negligence never happened again, or next time she would not walk away so easily.
Ananya silently followed after her like a headless chicken while Dana continued wondering if the person she saw was truly Tara.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Tara and Cain stopped in front of a simple yet elegant restaurant called Argona’s Restaurante.
“What do you think of this one?” Cain asked before entering.
Tara looked around at the people coming out of the restaurant.
Unlike the previous place, this restaurant felt elegant and welcoming.
The atmosphere was warm, the people seemed casual and relaxed, and everything about it immediately felt better.
She looked at Cain and nodded in agreement.
The two walked inside and stopped at the reception.
“Hello sir, how can I help you?” the receptionist asked politely with a professional smile.
“Yes, we would like a VIP Golden Room,” Cain said as he took out his black membership card.
“Oh, how impolite of me.
Please follow me.”
The receptionist immediately left her post and personally directed them to another waiter who would escort them to their room.
After a short walk, the waiter led them into the VIP room.
The room was spacious, large enough to fit a table for at least twenty people.
The decorations carried soft white and cool green tones.
The couches were pure white, and each corner of the room held a beautiful vase of flowers.
“Cain, why did you get such a big room for only two people?” Tara asked in amazement.
“I know you like privacy, and this room is the furthest from people and unnecessary attention,” Cain explained calmly.
Before Tara could reply, the waiter spoke.
“I apologize for interrupting, sir and ma’am.
I only wanted to ask if the flowers in the room are to your preference, or if you would like them changed.”
Tara looked at the waiter in confusion before glancing curiously at Cain.
Cain simply looked at the waiter and said, “No need.”
The waiter bowed politely before leaving to prepare their food.
The moment the waiter left, Tara immediately turned to Cain.
“What was that all about?”
“Hm?” Cain responded innocently.
“Don’t you dare act clueless, Cain Wood,” Tara said seriously.
Cain sighed and glanced sideways at her.
“What did I do this time, my dear?”
The moment Cain called her my dear, Tara instantly smiled.
“Nothing, babe.”
Cain looked shocked for a second before laughing softly after realizing what had just happened.
Tara looked at him in confusion.
“What are you laughing at?”
“I just realized that I avoided a bullet,” Cain said while laughing.
Tara stared at him blankly for a second before understanding dawned on her face.
“Ohhh, you jerk.
So now you think I’m setting you up, huh?” Tara asked in fake anger.
Just then, the waiter returned with the food and began arranging the dishes neatly on the table.
“Oh dear, calm down for now and eat your food.
Once you’re full, you can continue throwing whatever you want at me,” Cain teased while laughing softly as he served dishes onto Tara’s plate.
Tara glared at him, though the faint smile on her face was impossible to hide as the two peacefully enjoyed their meal together.