The air at the table was thick with unspoken tension as the waiter stepped forward, setting down the sleek, leather-bound nu in front of Daniel.
Daniel, still shaken, quickly snatched it up—desperate to regain even a shred of his composure.
If he couldn’t talk his way out of this humiliation, perhaps money could.
He cleared his throat, feigning confidence as he casually flipped through the pages.
"Dinner’s on ," he announced again, forcing a smirk.
"Let’s call it a... celebration."
Valentina didn’t respond, simply watching him with an unreadable expression.
Serenity, still struggling to mask her disbelief, nodded quickly.
"Yes, of course! It’s the least we can do," she added, her voice lacking its usual sharpness.
Daniel, eager to shift the focus away from his earlier blunder, skimd the nu until his eyes landed on the most expensive dish available.
A high-end, imported seafood platter—priced at an amount that would make most people hesitate.
But he didn’t hesitate.
With a flick of his wrist, he signaled the waiter.
"We’ll take the finest al you have," he declared smoothly. "Make it quick."
The waiter nodded and disappeared, leaving the table in uneasy silence.
Daniel, despite his efforts to appear unaffected, found his gaze continuously drifting toward Valentina.
He couldn’t help it, she was stunning.
More than that—she was captivating in a way that made his chest tighten.
How?
How had the woman he once pitied—mocked, even—beco this?
The realization settled in his gut like a heavy weight.
If he had known...If he had waited...
He might have been the one sitting beside her now.
Not that nobody she had married.
His jaw clenched.
Serenity, sensing his distraction, shifted uncomfortably beside him, her own confidence wavering.
She was no fool—she saw where his attention lay.
At that mont her lips pressed into a thin line.
But before she could speak, the waiter returned, balancing a luxurious silver tray in his hands.
And as he placed their als in front of them, the scent of expensive cuisine filled the air.
A al ant to cover their sha.
A al Daniel hoped would shift the power back into his hands.
But as Valentina lifted her glass with a small, knowing smile—he knew.
No matter how much he spent tonight...
He had already lost.
Daniel leaned back in his chair, twirling the stem of his wine glass between his fingers. His lips curled into a smirk, but there was sothing forced about it—sothing bitter.
"You know, Valentina," he said, feigning casual interest.
"I can’t help but wonder... are you really happy?"
His voice carried a false concern, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly as they studied her.
"If this man is really your husband, then he must be sothing special. Yet, I’ve never heard of him before. I an, is he even from this country?"
Serenity leaned in slightly, adding, "Exactly! He doesn’t look like one of us. And, well... let’s be honest, Valentina. He definitely doesn’t belong with soone like you."
Her words dripped with condescension, carefully veiled behind a faux-sympathetic smile.
Valentina, who had been calm then looked up.
"Yes," she answered simply.
"He’s from here."
Imdiately Daniel’s smirk twitched.
"Really? Then why does he feel... off?" He chuckled, swirling the wine in his glass before taking a slow sip.
"He looks like soone who—how do I put this nicely?—shouldn’t be sitting at this table.
Serenity covered her mouth, giggling.
At that mont Valentina’s jaw tightened a little
She could feel the weight of their words, the way they picked at her marriage as if it were sothing fragile—sothing laughable.
But she wasn’t the sa woman they rembered.
Then She lifted her chin, her gaze eting Daniel’s with quiet strength.
"Tell , Daniel," she said, her voice smooth.
"What exactly should my husband look like?"
Daniel blinked, caught off guard.
Serenity quickly filled the silence.
"Well, soone who matches you, obviously," she said with a saccharine smile.
"Soone who—how do I put this nicely?—fits into our world. A person of status, wealth... class."
Then Valentina let out a soft laugh—low and unimpressed.
"Ah," she mused.
"So you an soone like you?"
Daniel shifted, his jaw tightening.
Valentina took a sip of her water, letting the silence linger before setting her glass down.
"You see, that’s where you’re mistaken."
She leaned forward slightly, her eyes locking onto his with quiet intensity.
"My husband doesn’t need to match your definition of ’worthy.’"
She paused, allowing her words to settle in.
"Because, unlike you, he doesn’t have to prove his value with expensive als and empty words."
imdiately Serenity’s smile faltered.
Daniel, for the second ti that evening, had nothing to say.
Daniel’s smile faltered as he watched the waiters move swiftly, setting down dish after dish with practiced ease. The aroma of expertly prepared cuisine filled the air—truffle-infused lobster bisque, wagyu steak grilled to perfection, rare imported wines, and an array of gourt dishes that Daniel knew weren’t on the restaurant’s regular nu.
His fingers tightened around his glass as he exchanged a confused glance with Serenity. "What’s all this?" he asked, forcing a chuckle. "I already ordered for everyone, I didn’t order this."
One of the waiters, a professionally dressed man with an air of quiet authority, inclined his head respectfully.
"Apologies, sir, but this order was placed prior to your arrival."
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
"Prior to our arrival?" His gaze flickered toward Raymond, who sat there calmly.
"Yes, sir." The waiter gestured toward Raymond.
"Sir Raymond specifically requested these selections from our exclusive VIP nu."
Imdiately Serenity’s expression froze. "VIP nu?" Her voice wavered slightly.
The words hung in the air, heavy with realization. The VIP nu wasn’t just a list of extravagant dishes—it was an unspoken status symbol. Only the wealthiest patrons had access to it.
Daniel blinked rapidly, his mind racing. His initial assumption had been that Raymond was a nobody—a man who had taken a payout to marry Valentina. But now?
Raymond finally set down his glass, his movents slow and deliberate. His sharp gaze t Daniel’s, unreadable yet filled with an unspoken ssage.
"I don’t rely on others to provide for my wife," he said smoothly.
The words were simple, yet they landed like a hamr.
Daniel swallowed hard, struggling to mask his discomfort. The entire situation had flipped on him before he even had a chance to react.
Valentina, who had remained silent, finally picked up her fork. She glanced at Raymond, a small smirk playing on her lips.
"Well," she said, her voice light but carrying an undeniable edge, "since my husband has already taken care of everything, I suppose we should eat."
Serenity, who had been prepared to mock Valentina just monts ago, shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Her confidence, which had been so apparent earlier, now seed to waver.
Raymond gestured toward Daniel’s untouched plate.
"You’re welco to stay, of course," he said with a slight tilt of his head.
"It seems you’ve invited yourself to our table anyway."
Daniel didn’t respond. He simply forced a strained smile, his grip tightening on his utensils.
The al he thought would be his stage for humiliation had turned into an unexpected power play—one that he had already lost.
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