Free Web NovelChapter 117: Chapter 117 Meeting With The Guest
"Ash, have some dessert while waiting. Here, try this," Gage said gently, deliberately drawing her attention back to him after noticing that the moment Gideon served her tea, Ashley’s focus had unconsciously drifted toward Gideon once again.
But Gideon, fully aware of what Gage was trying to do, did not give him the opportunity to pull Ashley’s attention away for long. Calmly, he reached for the ordering tablet the manager had left on the table before turning slightly toward her and offering it over.
"Miss Ashley, why don’t you help me order the food?" Gideon said smoothly. fгeewebnovёl.com
As he spoke, his deep, unreadable gaze settled on her face once more. It was the kind of gaze that carried an unsettling intensity without appearing aggressive, heavy enough to make someone feel trapped beneath it.
Ashley tried her best to appear unaffected by both his closeness and the way he kept looking at her, so she reached out for the tablet as naturally as she could.
However, the moment her fingertips brushed against Gideon’s warm hand, her heart jolted violently against her chest.
Ashley’s breath hitched almost imperceptibly, and despite trying to maintain her composure, she unconsciously swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. Nervousness began creeping back into her system again, making her palms feel faintly clammy. She hated how easily her body reacted to him despite her efforts to stay calm.
Meanwhile, Gideon’s eyes subtly lowered, his gaze catching the delicate movement of her throat as she gulped nervously. For some reason, that small and unconscious action struck him harder than it should have.
There was something strangely enticing about it. The sight made his own throat tighten slightly, and before he realized it, he too swallowed unconsciously, his prominent Adam’s apple bobbing slowly beneath the collar of his shirt.
For a brief second, the atmosphere between them seemed to freeze.
Neither of them spoke. Neither of them looked away.
It was as though they had both fallen into a strange trance, silently caught in the tension building between them while the rest of the room faded into the background.
Knock... Knock... Knock...
The sudden sound of knocking abruptly shattered the strange tension hanging between Gideon and Ashley, yanking both of them back to reality. Almost at the same time, they instinctively looked away from each other as though nothing unusual had happened between them moments ago.
The restaurant manager quickly stepped forward and opened the private room’s door, revealing a middle-aged man standing outside. The moment the man saw Gideon, his eyes brightened noticeably before he entered with an eager smile plastered across his face. He stopped just behind Gideon’s seat, his posture carrying a careful mix of humility and respect.
"Mr. Walker, hello. It’s truly nice to see you here..." the man greeted warmly.
His tone was flattering, almost overly so, as though afraid of offending Gideon in the slightest.
"I happened to see you arrive earlier. I’m staying in the private room next door, so I came over to pay my respects," he continued with an obsequious smile. "I hope you won’t find my visit too presumptuous..."
As he spoke, the man’s attitude remained exceedingly polite, his behavior making it obvious that Gideon’s status was not something ordinary people could casually approach.
The interruption left Gideon feeling both annoyed and oddly relieved at the same time. A part of him was irritated that the moment between him and Ashley had been broken so abruptly, yet another part was grateful for it because he knew that if he had continued staring at her any longer, he might have lost control over himself.
Unfortunately for the newcomer, Gideon’s conflicted mood immediately found an outlet. The warmth and restraint that had briefly softened his demeanor vanished almost instantly as he lifted his eyes toward the man standing behind him.
His gaze turned cold and oppressive once more, carrying a clear trace of irritation that made the atmosphere inside the room noticeably heavier. The intimidating aura surrounding him flared again, sharp enough to make the overly eager guest stiffen subconsciously under the pressure.
Meanwhile, Ashley quietly took advantage of the sudden shift in attention to calm herself down. Turning slightly away from Gideon, she directed her focus toward Gideon’s special assistant and politely asked whether any of their guest had allergies or dietary restrictions so she could avoid ordering unsuitable dishes.
Fortunately, the assistant appeared to be extremely meticulous in his preparations. After briefly checking the information he had already gathered beforehand, he respectfully informed her that none of the guests had allergies or special dietary requirements.
Not long after, Gideon dismissed the man without uttering many words at all. In truth, he barely needed to speak. A single indifferent glance from him was enough to make the visitor understand that he was no longer welcome to linger. The man quickly excused himself with an awkward smile before retreating from the private room.
Only then did Gideon lean back into his seat once more, his posture calm and composed again, though the tension lingering beneath his expression had yet to completely fade.
"Manager, what’s today’s specialty?" Ashley suddenly asked.
The restaurant manager, who had been silently standing near the door while sweating bullets internally, nearly jolted when he heard her call for him. At that moment, he wished nothing more than to disappear into the background unnoticed.
The longer he stood there, the more he realized he had likely made a terrible mistake earlier. In his eagerness to flatter Gideon and accommodate his expected guest, he had opened the private room door without properly receiving Gideon’s signal first, ultimately interrupting the atmosphere inside.
Judging from the oppressive tension that had filled the room afterward, the manager was certain Gideon had been displeased.
"I-I..." the manager stammered instinctively.
His eyes subconsciously darted toward Gideon, and he gulped nervously under the man’s cold presence before quickly forcing himself to answer professionally.
"Today, we have freshly imported halibut, A5 Matsuzaka Wagyu beef, bluefin tuna, baby eel, and newly acquired Almas caviar," he reported carefully, clasping his hands neatly in front of him. "Our chefs can prepare all of the ingredients according to your preferred instructions and taste."
Despite maintaining a respectful posture, the manager’s back was already damp with cold sweat as he tried his best not to offend Gideon any further.
"Alright, we’ll go for the Traditional Angulas a la Bilbaína, pan-seared tuna steak, charcoal-seared Matsuzaka A5 Wagyu beef, and the restaurant’s signature dishes..." Ashley said after briefly browsing through the selections on the ordering tablet.
Her slender fingers moved smoothly across the screen as she finalized several choices before handing the tablet back to Gideon.
"Do you have anything else you want to add? I already selected the restaurant’s signature dishes on the tablet," she added politely.
Gideon glanced at her instead of the tablet in her hand.
"No, I’ll leave this to you," he replied.
Perhaps even he himself did not realize it, but his usually cold and imposing voice had unconsciously softened when speaking to her. The subtle gentleness in his tone stood out so clearly that the restaurant manager instantly lowered his head further, inwardly confirming the suspicions he had already formed about the relationship between the two.
Someone like Gideon Augustus Walker was not a man who treated others with such patience and indulgence without reason.
