Chapter 15
Every word he spoke felt like a sharp knife stabbing into Tom’s heart.
Tom’s face had unknowingly turned a visibly gloomy shade and it seemed to grow darker by the second. Before Jeff could finish his praise about the couple, he interrupted coldly. “I have urgent business at noon too. Let’s postpone this meal for another day.”
“Alright, Mr. Howard, take care then.” Jeff only reminded him once, “Once you’re done, don’t forget to send me the photo requirements, and I’ll forward them to Ms. Lawson.”
Jeff thought it was their first time meeting.
Tom either didn’t hear him or deliberately chose not to respond. He didn’t even glance back and walked away at a quick pace.
Jeff had gotten along with him earlier, but now he acted like a completely different person. Confused, he wondered, what had happened? Did anyone offend him?
At the same time, as Sean was driving, he had similar questions, though he directed them at Jane. “What’s wrong? You don’t look well.”
Jané didn’t respond directly. She relaxed and said, “I think it’s just the change in the weather, it’s a bit cold.”
Sean didn’t think much of it. “How about we have something hot for lunch? Mr. Westwood mentioned wanting barbecue, and we could bring ingredients to his place, enjoy some steaming hot food, and you might feel warmer after the meal.”
It was a fitting suggestion for the season.
Not wanting to disappoint him, Jane went along with him to the supermarket to buy ingredients. When they arrived at Mr. Westwood’s house, it was just in time for the meal.
Mr. Westwood was delighted to see them bring their own ingredients.
“You arrived at just the right time.” He took the items to the kitchen and smiled at Jane, saying, “Your brother’s here too. It’s a rare occasion for us to all eat together, so stay a while.”
Sean instinctively looked at the person beside him.
“Sure,” Jane responded with a smile, her expression unchanged. She then went into the kitchen to help with the ingredients. Once everything was ready, she headed into the dining room.
At that point, Sean and Tom had already been sitting for a while, ignoring each other as though the other wasn’t
there.
The barbecue on the table was steaming hot, but the people around it were unusually quiet, no one initiating any
conversation.
The sound of Sean using cutlery to divide the food was the only sound that could be heard.
Jane sat between Sean and Mr. Westwood, intending to avoid Tom. But when she looked up, she found herself sitting directly across from him.
Tom stared at her for a while before suddenly, with polite formality, addressing Mr. Westwood, “Mr. Westwood, I’m wondering how Jane has been living abroad. Has her work and life been going smoothly?”
He could have asked Jane directly, but he chose to go around her.
