The man sat there in a white shirt and black suit, looking effortlessly cool.
His whole vibe screamed aloof and handsome — it was hard not to notice him.
That cold, clean-cut profile…
just a glance could etch it into your memory.
Across from him sat a stunning woman, tall and classy, with makeup on point and a figure-hugging black dress.
They looked pretty close.
Jace handed her the menu, and she smiled sweetly before lowering her head to check the dishes.
Nerissa instinctively looked away.
“Well, well, Dr.
Whitmore.
No wonder you skipped dinner with us.
Turns out you had better company.” Quentin had spotted them and strolled over, grinning knowingly.
Jace gave a faint smile, not really answering him.
“Heard good things about this place from you guys.
Thought I’d try it out.”
Quentin chuckled.
“Food here’s on the lighter side, easy on the stomach.
Brought Nerissa here especially.”
“Oh?
Looks like Mr.
Lowell really cares about your little apprentice.
Just for a mild stomach issue, you came all the way here to eat?” Jace glanced at Nerissa, a faint smirk playing at the corner of his lips.
Nerissa could tell he was throwing shade, and honestly, she wasn’t in the mood to entertain it.
“Well, she’s my only apprentice.
Of course I have to take good care of her,” Quentin replied smoothly, blinking with such calm ease that it defused the tension in an instant.
“Alright then, I’ll let you two enjoy your dinner in peace.”
Jace retracted his gaze just as subtly and turned back to his table.
Quentin returned to his seat as the dishes started arriving one by one.
They began eating.
For Nerissa, though, every bite felt like chewing glass.
From where she was sitting, she could clearly see Jace occasionally glancing her way — intentionally or not, it was hard to tell, but it definitely felt deliberate.
Their eyes met a few times by accident, and each time, she hurriedly looked away.
The more she tried to avoid him, the more present he seemed to be.
Like some eerie ghost, just…
lingering.
Creepy.
“Neri?” Quentin’s voice brought her back.
Nerissa jerked her head up, snapping out of her thoughts.
“You’ve got a bit of a sweet tooth, huh?
That plate of little cakes is almost gone, all thanks to you.
Their other dishes are worth trying too, go ahead and taste some.”
Quentin picked up some food and placed it on Nerissa’s plate.
Nerissa blinked in surprise.
“Thank you, Professor Lowell.”
“You’ve already graduated,” Quentin said with a relaxed smile.
“No need to call me ‘Professor’ anymore.
Just use my name.”
He had that warm, easygoing air about him—completely unpretentious, which made him surprisingly approachable.
Nerissa hesitated.
“I’m not sure I can do that…
It feels a bit too casual.
I’ll just stick with ‘Mr.
Lowell’ like everyone else at the office?”
“That won’t do,” Quentin said with a chuckle.
“You’re not like everyone else.
I’m personally mentoring you, remember?
Let’s keep it special — how about calling me ‘Coach’?
Makes us sound closer, don’t you think?”
Since he put it that way, Nerissa nodded obediently.
“Alright…
Coach.”
As a rookie in the design world, she did need someone experienced to guide her.
Getting chosen by Quentin already felt like a huge stroke of luck — of course she was happy to accept him as her mentor.
After they finished eating, Quentin went to settle the bill.
Nerissa quickly got up to leave with him.
As they passed by Jace’s table, Quentin gave a quick greeting.
Nerissa kept her head down, avoiding eye contact like it would burn.
Seeing him there with another woman felt like a punch to the gut — just looking at him made her feel guilty, like she was sneaking around even though she wasn’t.
Once they stepped out of the restaurant, Quentin got a call.
From the look on his face, it sounded serious.
“Nerissa, where do you live?
I’ll drive you back.”
She could tell he was in a rush, and quickly said, “It’s pretty far, and traffic’s a mess right now.
You should go handle your emergency.
I’ll just take the bus.”
“I really don’t think that’s a good idea.
I brought you out, I should make sure you get home safe,” Quentin insisted.
“Seriously, it’s fine.
The bus is quick at this hour.
What you’ve got going on is obviously more important — I don’t want to hold you up,” Nerissa said, waving her hands.
Quentin looked like he still had more to say, but then his phone rang again.
He had no choice but to compromise.
“Alright, but once you’re home, send me a message or something to let me know you’re okay.”
“Got it, don’t worry.”
Quentin left in a hurry, jumping into his car.
Nerissa pulled out her phone, checked the route, then made her way to the nearest bus stop.
From a distance, she spotted two people walking out of the restaurant.
The tall woman got into Jace’s car, and right after, the black Land Rover started up and drove right past her.
Nerissa instinctively ducked her head, trying to make herself unseen.
So, he’s moved on.
New girlfriend, huh?
Guess there’s no reason for him to come looking for her anymore.
But a few blocks down the road, Jace suddenly pulled over.
He looked calm as ever when he turned to the woman and said, “Something came up.
I can’t take you any further — call a cab, I’ll cover the fare.”
The woman frowned, clearly not thrilled.
“Dr.
Whitmore, you’ve already treated me to dinner.
How about I treat you to a movie at a private theater?
Whatever’s going on can wait till afterwards, right?”
Jace’s brow twitched slightly.
“I never agreed to any movie.
This was just a dinner, nothing more — something my family asked me to do.
Don’t overthink it.”
The woman looked at him in disbelief.
“You…”
“Get out.”