Sheila enjoyed her dinner, feeling more relaxed with every bite. She had ordered a Caesar salad as a starter and grilled salmon with asparagus and mashed potatoes as the main course.
By coincidence, Sheila chose the same white wine she had shared with Ethan on the date she had with him hours earlier.
'It's good,' Sheila thought as she took a sip of the wine, remembering that moment when Ethan pointed at her.
'Let's forget about that...', Sheila thought as she took another sip.
At first, she planned to drink little, but due to the food being so good and the wine pairing so well...
"Miss... Are you alone?"
Hearing a male voice, Sheila turned around and saw a tall man, with dark hair and green eyes, with a gaze that hid nothing.
"Are you part of the staff?"
"No, but..."
"Then leave," Sheila said curtly.
The man did not expect such an abrupt response.
Several laughs were heard behind him, and several of his friends approached.
"You got rejected!"
"That was a record time"
"Guys… shut up. I'm not done yet."
Getting closer to Sheila's table, where there were two chairs opposite each other, the man sat down.
"I think we started off on the wrong foot, miss."
"I'm eating! Don't you see? I don't like meeting people while I eat. Don't you have any manners?"
Sheila's words left the man frozen.
What was this woman saying?
His friends mocked him again, seeing their friend being humiliated.
Hitting the table in anger, the man began to speak to Sheila in a threatening tone:
"Look, miss... I..."
"Don't you see she doesn't want to be with you?"
Sheila thought about interrupting again, but to everyone's surprise, another man joined the conversation.
When her gaze landed on the person who had spoken, she recognized him immediately.
"Blortus," Sheila said softly.
All the men were left speechless seeing the person in front of them.
Ethan Grey!
There was hardly anyone in that hotel who didn't recognize him, since he was part of the Grey Family, one of the most powerful and influential in the country.
Messing with him was equivalent to asking for a lot of trouble.
Without hesitation, the friends of the man who had sat down turned around to leave the restaurant as quickly as possible.
"Oh, sorry. I... didn't know..."
The man tried to get up and, to his surprise, was helped by Ethan.
"Relax, we all go through misunderstandings."
"Yes! That. It's a misunderstanding," said the man, laughing nervously.
"I hope not to have another misunderstanding with you," Ethan said with a smile.
"Of course, sir," replied the man.
"Leave," Ethan said in a serious tone.
The man did not hesitate to take advantage of this opportunity and left the restaurant as quickly as he could.
While all this was happening, in a matter of seconds, Sheila drank the wine she had ordered as quickly as she could and raised her hand for the waiter to take it away.
Luckily, when Ethan and the man finished their discussion, the waiter discreetly approached the table and picked up the empty wine glass that Sheila pointed out.
Before the waiter left, two people approached Sheila's table.
"Ethan, did something happen? Why did you come in such a hurry to this corner? Who is...?" Lily asked quietly but fell silent upon noticing something strange between Ethan and the girl.
Reacting to his friend's words, Ethan turned around and said:
"Oh, Lily, this is Treit. Treit, this is Lily, a good friend," Ethan said, raising his voice enough for both to hear.
'A good friend?', Lily wondered, surprised.
Ethan had never made such clarifications before.
'Friend... she is his friend...', thought Sheila as her mind began to go blank.
'Treit...? What kind of ridiculous name is that?', Lily thought as she examined Sheila's clothes thoroughly.
Although Sheila had opted for a simple and comfortable outfit, consisting of tight jeans and a white cotton t-shirt, Lily noticed that, despite being a more casual attire, Sheila wore it with a certain confidence that clashed with the elegance of the restaurant.
Lily supposed that Sheila was a girl from any regular family, but somehow had managed to catch Ethan's attention.
Seeing the dishes Sheila had ordered, Lily wondered where she got so much money from, but left that conclusion halfway through, as she was more interested in knowing about Sheila's relationship with Ethan.
Both Sheila's and Lily's faces wrinkled when their gazes met.
"Blortus... Who is she?", Sheila asked despite Ethan's previous explanation.
Ethan, upon hearing Sheila's question, couldn't help but let out a brief laugh, because...
Yes, without a doubt, she was a very distracted girl.
"Treit, she is Lily, a friend I've known for quite some time and with whom I usually play along with that other idiot over there."
Ethan pointed to a man with red hair, dressed in black leather clothes that gave him a bad boy vibe.
Despite his rebellious attire, he wore a mischievous smile, as if he enjoyed the gossip unfolding in front of him.
For a moment, Lily felt a strong pang in her chest.
Ethan only saw her as a friend and did not hesitate to clarify their relationship twice!
On the other hand, with Treit, he hadn't even clarified what kind of relationship they had.
This woman was dangerous!
Approaching the place where everyone was, Benjamin did not hesitate to greet Sheila.
"Since Ethan called me, I have no choice but to introduce myself. Hi, I'm Benjamin. I don't know what praises you have heard about me, but I hope we get to know each other well."
Lily looked away at Benjamin's introduction. Ethan, for his part, sighed, but to everyone's surprise, Sheila found his introduction funny!
"You're weird!" Sheila said, laughing.
Ethan, upon hearing those words, couldn't help but frown.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"Do all of you know Blortus?"
Ethan's friends were puzzled by this question.
Who was Blortus?
Ethan briefly coughed and said:
"Yes, they are my friends."
His friends did not understand why Ethan accepted that strange nickname but nodded their heads.
The waiter, in an attempt to leave this conversation that only kept extending, someone called him.
"Hey," Ethan said, focusing his gaze on the waiter.
Little by little, Sheila's smile began to disappear, because...
He was going to see it!