Roderick sipped his coffee, his mind replaying the unsettling incident from the previous day. The feeling of being followed by soone lingered like a shadow, refusing to leave his mind.
He frowned, debating whether to bring it up with his uncle. "Should I tell him?" he murmured. "But if I do, he might blow it out of proportion."
He sighed, setting his phone down on the table. Just as his hand left the device, it buzzed. The screen lit up with a familiar na—Elliot.
Roderick’s brows knit together in confusion. "Why is he calling now?" he muttered, staring at the flashing na.
After a brief pause, he swiped to answer.
"Can we et, Rick?" Elliot’s voice ca through, skipping the usual pleasantries.
Roderick blinked, montarily caught off guard. "Uh—sure," he said, trying to mask his surprise.
"La Bella Roma. In an hour," Elliot said briskly before ending the call.
Roderick stared at his phone, the unanswered questions piling up in his mind. "What was that? Why did he call like that?" he muttered.
Roderick rose to his feet, brushing off the lingering unease. He headed to the changing room and slipped into a warm outfit, perfect for the chilly weather. Grabbing his motorcycle keys, he realized it had been a long ti since he last rode it. Taking his helt, he strode confidently out of the room.
As he descended the stairs, he spotted his grandfather sitting in the living room, reading the morning newspaper.
"Good morning, Grandpa," Roderick greeted warmly. "I’ll be heading out and might co back late. Please let Mom know not to worry."
Aleksis lowered his paper and regarded him with concern. "Alright, but drive carefully, son," he replied, his tone tinged with worry as he watched Roderick disappear out the front door.
Once outside, Roderick inserted the key into the bike’s ignition, the engine roaring to life after a brief hesitation. Sliding on his helt, he mounted the bike and sped off toward the restaurant.
Upon arriving, he skillfully maneuvered into the parking area, applying the brakes with precision. Removing his helt, he handed the bike keys to the valet waiting nearby. With a brisk nod, Roderick turned and walked toward the revolving entrance.
anwhile, at the restaurant, Nora was stepping out alongside Demitri. "Thank you, Mr. Velkazh," she said softly, a grateful smile lighting up her face.
Demitri gave her a slight nod, his gaze distracted as a sleek car parked nearby caught his attention. Despite its idling engine, no one stepped out.
Nora tilted her head, noticing his sudden stillness. "Is sothing wrong?" she asked.
"Hmm," Demitri humd, his expression sharpening. "Nothing," he said quickly, watching as she headed back inside. But unease gnawed at him. He instinctively pulled out his phone as he murmured to himself, "Why does it feel like soone is trailing Roderick?"
Demitri dialed Aiden’s number, the line connecting almost imdiately.
"What’s up, Demitri?" Aiden answered, his voice slightly breathless, likely from his treadmill workout.
"I think soone’s following Roderick," Demitri said. "Since Lucius is out of town, I think you and Roger need to look into it."
"What?" Aiden’s tone shifted, concern replacing his usual casual deanor. He stopped the treadmill and stepped off, wiping his face with the towel hanging around his neck.
"I don’t have all the details yet, but I saw sothing suspicious. It’s better to be cautious. I’m sending the picture of the car’s number plate, which seems dubious to ," Demitri added.
"Alright, I’ll get Roger and see what we can find," Aiden assured him. "Send your location. We will be there right away," he stated.
"Sure." Demitri hung up the call and quickly sent his location, followed the photo of the car’s number plate, which he just took.
"I hope it’s not sothing serious," Demitri mumbled to himself.
~~~~
Inside the restaurant, Roderick made his way to the reserved table on the third floor. As he approached, he spotted Elliot seated at the table. But what truly caught him off guard was the presence of Ivy.
His steps slowed montarily as a hint of realization dawned on him. He had a feeling this wasn’t going to be a casual eting. Masking his surprise, he straightened up and took a seat across from them.
A waiter promptly arrived, ready to take their orders.
"What would you like to eat?" Elliot asked, his gaze shifting between Ivy and Roderick.
Roderick leaned back slightly in his chair. "Anything’s fine. You can decide."
Elliot turned to Ivy next.
"I’ll go with the sa," she said simply, avoiding any unnecessary interaction.
Elliot nodded and placed the order with the waiter before turning his full attention to the table.
There was a brief silence before Elliot finally broke it. "I know I shouldn’t have called you like this," he began, "but I felt I deserved to know the truth."
Roderick t his gaze, sensing the weight behind those words. He glanced at Ivy, who sat quietly, her expression unreadable. "The truth about what?" Roderick asked, though he already had an inkling of where this conversation was headed.
Ivy fidgeted slightly but said nothing, leaving Elliot to continue.
"The truth about you two," Elliot replied.
"My grandfather asked to date Ivy. And we completely refused not in front of the elders, but between each other," Roderick stated. "Now, you have broken up with Ivy, I don’t think I need to explain anything here. The matter was between you and Ivy."
"Of course. Thank you for keeping in dark the day you talked about my relationship suddenly," Elliot said, feeling betrayed.
"Dude, I didn’t keep you in dark. I just didn’t wish to tell you sothing about which I wasn’t even serious. And Ivy and I aren’t official. We are doing this for–" Roderick’s words suddenly cut off as Ivy spoke.
"We are together for my mother’s sake. She got a heart attack, and Elliot, you have lost your right on . I did not tell you because Roderick and I were rely pretending to be together. I was the one, who asked him to help . I thought once you’d give the green signal about our marriage, I’d tell my parents too. But nothing like that happened," Ivy proclaid, her eyes brimming with tears.
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