The Gilded Lotus was quite efficient.
Not long after Olivia Wynne and Zachary Fairchild ordered, a waiter brought out the first dish.
The rest followed in quick succession.
When about a third of the dishes had arrived, Olivia Wynne glanced over at Zachary Fairchild.
Zachary Fairchild’s eyes were dark and deep as he sat calmly in his chair.
A set of cutlery lay before him, but his hands remained at his sides.
He showed no intention of eating.
Olivia had been eager to dig in since the first dish arrived, but they had been sitting for a while now, and Zachary Fairchild still hadn’t touched his fork.
She felt a flicker of annoyance.
Masking the faint annoyance in her eyes, Olivia Wynne looked at Zachary Fairchild and said softly, “Mr.
Fairchild, shall we begin?”
Zachary Fairchild lowered his gaze slightly, glancing at the dishes on the table.
Then, his brows rose just a fraction.
“You really like to eat?”
His dark eyes swept over to Olivia Wynne as he spoke, his deep voice tinged with a slight hoarseness.
Having been found out, Olivia Wynne didn’t try to hide it.
“You’re very perceptive, Minister Fairchild,” she said, looking at him.
“You could tell I love to eat just by looking.”
‘She *did* love to eat, especially since she’d skipped breakfast.
It was noon now, and she was starving.
The sight of food only made her more delighted.’
Zachary Fairchild casually picked up the fork from the table and looked at Olivia Wynne and said in a low voice, “Your eyes were practically in the dishes.”
Hearing this, Olivia Wynne instinctively sat up straight, putting some distance between her face and the food.
‘It would be incredibly rude to have my face that close to the food while eating with someone.’
“My apologies.
I saw something I love to eat and got a little carried away.”
Zachary Fairchild gave Olivia Wynne a meaningful look but didn’t call her out on the lie.
Instead, he used the serving fork to place a piece of sweet and sour pork rib in her bowl.
“If you like it, have more.”
After serving Olivia the rib, he placed the serving fork down in front of her.
“Courtesy demands reciprocity.”
Olivia Wynne was just about to eat the rib, her fork still holding it mid-air, when she heard Zachary Fairchild’s words.
The piece of pork suddenly felt like a hot potato; eating it now seemed just as awkward as not eating it.
Glancing over at Zachary Fairchild, Olivia instantly made her decision.
She placed the rib in her small bowl, then picked up the serving fork and looked at Zachary Fairchild.
“What would you like, Minister Fairchild?”
Olivia glanced at her own arm, then at the dish in front of Zachary.
‘Damn him,’ she cursed inwardly.
‘Can’t he get the food that’s right in front of him?’
But under the steady gaze of Zachary Fairchild’s dark eyes, Olivia didn’t dare say such a thing.
Instead, she meekly stood up to reach for the dish in front of him.
Luckily, Olivia was tall enough, with long enough arms, that she could reach the dish in front of him after standing up.
She picked up a scallop and promptly placed it in Zachary Fairchild’s bowl.
“I see you like scallops, Minister Fairchild.
Please, have more.”
He glanced down at the scallop Olivia had placed in his bowl, a faint smile touching his eyes.
Then, he lowered his gaze and ate it.
Zachary wasn’t a slow eater, but his movements were remarkably elegant.
After finishing the scallop, he gently dabbed his lips with a napkin and looked at Olivia again.
Being watched by Zachary, Olivia felt the pork rib in her mouth suddenly wasn’t as delicious anymore.
She quickly finished it off.
Just as Olivia finished her rib, she looked down and found some green vegetables in her bowl.
Olivia looked up, her eyes meeting Zachary Fairchild’s handsome face.