NovelEnglish
Ian sat across from Maja, their table barely four feet wide.
Judith sat beside him, her expression souring the moment she saw Maja.
Things between her and Ian had been going well recently. Her father was supposed to visit Greenfield, but given
Judith’s improving health, he had postponed his trip.
Judith’s older brother had been trying to negotiate a marriage between the two families, eager to announce it to
their social circle, but Ian was hesitant.
Judith clung tightly to Ian, shooting Maja an unfriendly look.
Unfazed, Maja continued her conversation with Director Drew about the script.
The waiter brought their food, featuring seasonal specialties that were the restaurant’s signature dishes. The most
famous was a sea turtle, seaweed soup, and crab. They were reputedly the best in the country.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtAfter chatting with Director Drew for a while, Maja reached for a piece of crab, but her fork collided with Ian’s.
Without looking up, he passed the crab to Judith.
A smile played on Judith’s lips, as she shot Maja a triumphant look.
“Thanks, Ian. I’ve heard this place serves the best crab. I’ve wanted to try it for a while.”
Maja didn’t retaliate. She moved her fork to pick another piece, but Ian had already claimed it for himself.
Maja frowned slightly. The plates were small, and each only contained two pieces of crab.
She had heard about the delicious crab here and couldn’t resist trying, but now the remaining pieces were closer to
Director Drew. To reach them, she would have to stand up, which wouldn’t look good in front of the others, who
were more interested in conversation than food.
Ian could have easily picked the pieces closer to him, but he chose the ones nearest to Maja.
Maja took a deep breath, put down her fork, and started ladling the turtle soup.
But then someone stepped on her foot, causing her to spill the soup on the table and drop the bowl.
Suppressing her anger, she turned to Director Drew with an apologetic smile.
“Sorry, Director Drew. I’ll call the waiter to clean this up.”
He waved her off, “No worries.”
Maja got up, not looking at Ian, and left the private dining room to call the waiter.
She went to the restroom to clean up the soup stains on her suit pants.
As she was about to finish, she noticed a figure in the mirror. Ian was leaning against the restroom door, watching
her clean her pants.
He was about to light a cigarette but changed his mind.
Maja tossed the wet wipe and walked past him, but he grabbed her wrist.
The next moment, her hand slapped across his face.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThe mark from the previous slap had just faded, and now there was a fresh one.
“Are you insane?”
She was shaking with rage, unable to stay calm in his presence.
And for him to follow her to the restroom, it didn’t look like he was backing off.
But their last encounter had ended badly, hadn’t it? Wasn’t he disgusted with her?
And now, bringing Judith to this event and treating her like this in a place where others couldn’t see, what was he
trying to do? Did he want to embarrass her on purpose?
Ian touched his cheek, knowing that she hadn’t held back with that slap.
He roughly pulled her back and shut the restroom door.
“Let go of me!”
Maja began to struggle, wishing she could bite his head off.
Ian held her wrists behind her back, his voice calm.
“As a pregnant woman, don’t you know that you shouldn’t eat crab or turtle soup? Your baby’s health is already
unstable. Are you trying to miscarry?”
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