Anya's jaw clenched upon hearing those two words.
"That doesn't make sense," she murmured under her breath.
"When Caitlin died, President Reinhart suffered a stroke and went into a coma," Vic explained. "It was his wife who took over. She named herself CEO of Queen of Hearts and began making changes in the company."
"I thought the company didn't have a CEO."
"She needed the President's signature to consolidate her position and be recognized properly. With the President in a coma, she needed two-thirds of the Board of Directors to vote for her appointment, which we heavily opposed. But although she isn't CEO on paper and in public, she acted as one behind closed doors and was able to make the changes she wanted without sanction."
Anya gritted her teeth. So it was that woman who made all the changes inside Queen of Hearts.
Vic chuckled softly, shaking his head. "The company almost went bankrupt if not for the President waking up in time from his coma. He called her back and gave me the burden of reviving the company as the new CEO."
Anya watched as the man rubbed a hand on the back of his neck and couldn't help but suppress a smile. Something about it reminded her of better days. Just as she was about to say something, she heard a growl then saw the sheepish look on Vic's face. That did it.
"You weren't kidding when you said you wanted to have dinner," she said, chortling.
"I wouldn't invite you if I was." He looked at his wristwatch. "Although it's a little too late for that now. The restaurant is probably packed by now and we've missed our reservation."
"I know a place we can go," Anya said as she began stacking the photos. "It's not far and the food is well-known internationally."
"Really? Where?" Vic asked as he tried to recall any restaurant he knew of close by.
"Really? Here?" Vic said, clearly dismayed, as they stood in front of the golden arches of a popular fast food chain on the building opposite RH Tower. "I thought you said we're eating in an internationally acclaimed restaurant."
"I said, the food is well-known internationally," Anya replied, grinning. "This one has hundreds of branches worldwide."
She walked inside and went straight to the counter, Vic quickly following behind. After ordering, the two carried their trays to a secluded table and sat down to eat.
"You seem to have strange food choices for someone from Paris," Vic remarked as he watched Anya open her pack of chicken nuggets.
"What? Just because I'm from Paris doesn't mean I don't know how to appreciate some perfectly good fast food," Anya replied, picking a nugget with her fingers and dipping it on the barbecue sauce. "This is my comfort food when I'm tired."
As Vic opened the paper lunch box that contained his burger, Anya's eyes went wide as she watched him use a fork and a knife and proceeded to cut a piece off the burger and placed it in his mouth.
"What?" Vic asked as Anya continued to stare at him, pressing her lips together and trying hard to control her body from shaking.
Finally, she couldn't stop herself and let out a hearty laugh, much to Vic's confusion.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Don't tell me this is your first time eating a burger?" Anya said, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. "Oh, that was gold."
"Of course not," he replied rather defensively. "Our chef cooks up an exquisite cheeseburger at home once in a while."
Anya burst out laughing again. "Oh my god! And you eat it like that at home?"
Vic looked at her and frowned.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said as she frantically waved a hand in front of her, then pressed her hands together in a gesture asking for forgiveness while she tried to calm herself down.
"But if you don't wanna look like a fool in a fast food restaurant, you need to eat like the commoners do, your highness," she continued once she stopped laughing. "The burger is small enough to hold with one hand—or two."
"You mean, pick it up with my hands."
"The concept of fast food is that it's supposed to be convenient to eat without the use of utensils, after all."
Vic hesitantly held the burger up with both hands. He gave Anya a doubtful look before taking a bite.
And as his teeth sank into the burger, a sliced tomato slid out from the other end and managed to stick itself onto his white button down shirt.
He looked at his shirt, then looked up at Anya, who pressed her lips together tightly while pretending not to have seen anything.
She handed him a napkin, which he accepted, using it to wipe the tomato stains off his shirt. In the end, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself. There was something about that woman that made him feel at ease. It had been a while since he was able to enjoy a meal, thanks to his busy schedule.
The two continued to eat in silence, focusing on their food.
It was after a few minutes that Anya suddenly stood up. "I'm gonna go order some dessert. Would you like a sundae?"
He nodded as he finished off his burger. It didn't take long before Anya came back with a tray of fries and two chocolate sundaes.
"I thought you were just getting dessert," Vic asked, looking at the fries.
"This is dessert," she replied, handing him a sundae.
"Thanks—hey!" he exclaimed after getting a slap on the hand while picking up a couple of fries.
"Those are my fries."
"I paid for dinner."
Anya frowned. "Fine. If I knew you wanted some too, I would have gotten two."
"You didn't ask."
She sneered at him before taking a fry, dipping it into her sundae, then placing it into her mouth. When she looked up, she noticed Vic was staring at her. There was a stunned look on his face, as if he had seen a ghost.
Anya's brows furrowed. "Are you okay?"
Vic shook his head, like someone who just came out of a trance. "I'm fine," he said as he absentmindedly stirred the sundae in his hand.
Images of a young girl with a high ponytail flooded his mind. It was she who first took him to this fast food chain after having tried it out with her older sister. Between the two of them, she had always been the one who was always ready to try out new food.
"What's that?" he asked as he eyed the greasy looking French fries she brought to the table.
"The best fries you'll ever taste," she replied with a grin.
"I don't think we should be here, Cate," he said hesitantly. "Mom doesn't let me eat fast food. She says they're junk."
"Oh please, you're not going to die from one fast food meal, Rio," Caitlin said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, I won't tell Aunt Rachel if you don't."
"What's so special about some chocolate sundae and fries, anyway? Our chef at home can make those anytime we ask."
She looked at him with amusement. "Close your eyes."
"Why?"
"Just do it."
He did so tentatively.
"Now open your mouth."
"Wh—"
His mouth was suddenly invaded by a cold sensation that tasted like vanilla mixed with a little bit of chocolate. But what surprised him was the saltiness that followed after. He opened his eyes in amazement and saw Caitlin happily dipping a piece of fry into her sundae.
"Good, isn't it?" she asked, smiling sweetly.