"Sure," Jessie Sterling nodded. "There’s a French restaurant called Kiol. Caviar with crab at is their signature dish. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it."
Shawn Stuart had only said what he did to hit on Jessie Sterling. Of course, he had to pretend they had the sa taste. Otherwise, how could he naturally ask her to dinner later?
"Of course I’ve heard of it. It’s very famous," Shawn Stuart said with a smile and a nod. "Their caviar is very fresh, and the texture is excellent."
That was what he said, but only Shawn Stuart knew in his heart that he had never even heard of this French restaurant called Kiol.
The things he was saying were just generic platitudes, the kind that seed foolproof.
Jessie Sterling looked as if she’d been completely fooled by his words. Her eyes lit up, as if she felt she’d found a kindred spirit.
"Really?" Jessie asked. "The restaurant is actually pretty niche."
Shawn Stuart’s expression didn’t change. "Really. For a French restaurant in this country, their food is very authentic. As for it being niche, it’s probably because locals aren’t used to the taste."
Just as Shawn Stuart was thinking he could now appropriately suggest that he and Jessie go grab a bite to eat on their own tonight, he saw the smile on her face deepen.
"You’re right, it is a very niche restaurant. So niche, in fact, that it was acquired," Jessie said with a grin. "Do you know who acquired it?"
Shawn Stuart frowned. ’How would I know?’
He’d barely even heard of the French restaurant Jessie had ntioned.
"I’m not too clear on that..."
Jessie said, "What a coincidence. It was acquired by Sanctum." Seeing the look of surprise and embarrassnt on his face, Jessie continued with a grin, "So, one of the signature dishes at Sanctum’s restaurants is caviar with crab at. However, I don’t really eat caviar, so I never order it."
At this point, Shawn Stuart wasn’t just embarrassed. He also felt a flicker of humiliation and anger from having his lie exposed.
But looking at Jessie Sterling’s beaming face, he found it impossible to get angry at her.
"Is that so? I’d actually never heard that," Shawn Stuart said, trying to change the subject.
But Jessie Sterling was determined to teach him a lesson.
She wasn’t usually the type to press an advantage, but this young lady hadn’t forgotten how this man had slandered her online.
Besides, she detested greasy n who got lecherous at the sight of a woman, only to try and corner them later. If she didn’t get so payback for herself, Jessie worried she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.
So, eting Shawn Stuart’s eyes, the smile in hers only deepened.
"Oh, you didn’t know? You really should have. If you were a fan of Kiol, you would know that its owner is friends with Sanctum’s co-owner, Ivan Hudson. Kiol wasn’t acquired because business was bad. The owner’s wife fell ill last year, so he had to return to France to be by her side. His business here was just a side project for fun—he opened Kiol simply because he wanted to enjoy a bite of authentic French food whenever he ca to China. When he finally rged the restaurant into Sanctum, he posted notices in the restaurant for months in advance, hoping that the custors who loved dining at Kiol would still have a place to go."
Jessie Sterling delivered this speech slowly and deliberately, her eyes fixed on Shawn Stuart the entire ti.
Before, she would never have done sothing to put soone on the spot like this. But to be slandered and not fight back, to pretend nothing happened and coexist peacefully with the slanderer—Jessie felt she just couldn’t do it.
’I would despise myself for it.’
Not a single one of Jessie Sterling’s words explicitly accused Shawn Stuart of lying, nor did a single syllable insult him. But to his ears, every word seed to form a mocking mouth, laughing raucously beside him.
In an instant, Shawn Stuart’s face turned beet-red.
It was hard to say whether he felt more humiliation or fury in that mont.
After hearing Jessie’s speech, Yvonne Rhodes realized why Jessie had stopped her earlier, and she burst out laughing.
"So, Shawn Stuart, do you actually know which restaurant Kiol is or not?" Yvonne Rhodes pressed, acting as if she hadn’t noticed his predicant.
Shawn Stuart glared at Yvonne Rhodes, but while Yvonne looked amiable, she wasn’t the least bit intimidated by him and glared right back without hesitation.
Seeing the situation getting awkward, a few of the male artists sitting next to Shawn Stuart—the sa ones who had been egging him on earlier—couldn’t help but try to smooth things over in what they considered a "thoughtful" way. "Maybe Shawn got it wrong, or maybe this young lady misrembered? Haha, are you joking, miss? You even know who Sanctum’s co-owner is? That’s taking the joke a bit far, don’t you think?"
"Yeah, exactly. Don’t go scaring our Shawn like that, miss. Our Shawn is a simple guy. After what you said, he’s getting all shy and doesn’t know what to say to you."
Mochi and Bella couldn’t stand it anymore. The only tough thing about these n was their mouths—they could argue that black was white.
Mochi was about to go in for the kill when a rich, llow male voice suddenly ca from behind them—
"Jessie Sterling?"
In that instant, everyone at the table turned their gaze toward the man standing a short distance away.
Hearing her na called, Jessie Sterling was also quite surprised and couldn’t help but turn to look.
When she saw who it was, she raised her eyebrows in surprise. She looked genuinely taken aback.
In that short mont, Ivan Hudson had already strode over to her.
"It really is you." Ivan Hudson hadn’t expected to see Jessie Sterling while doing his rounds today. His gaze swept over the faces at Jessie’s table before quickly returning to her, showing no interest in getting to know them or making conversation. He looked only at Jessie. "Here for dinner with friends?"
"Not exactly. Our website is holding its annual event here," Jessie explained.
She sighed internally. ’This is my secret identity! Is my cover about to be blown just like that?’
Of course, Ivan Hudson had no idea what website was holding its annual eting at Sanctum. Unless it was a publicly listed company with significant weight in its circle, it wouldn’t be on his radar. Clearly, Manhui was not among those that required his attention.
However, the assistant behind Ivan Hudson stepped forward and whispered a brief explanation, and Ivan nodded in understanding.
"In that case, put today’s expenses on my tab," Ivan Hudson said.
Jessie let out a small "Huh?" then, snapping out of it, quickly waved her hands. "I couldn’t possibly let you do that."
Ivan Hudson looked unconcerned. "You’re a Sanctum shareholder now. Just consider this a welco party for you joining us. It’s not much money anyway."
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