Chapter 154: Accept the fact ..
Jessica wheeled Davis back to the dining hall, her heart thudding in her chest. The moment they stepped through the doorway, every pair of eyes at the table turned toward them.
It felt as if the entire room was holding its breath, waiting for something to unfold. They weren’t just looking at Davis, though. They were looking at her.
Her cheeks flushed crimson with embarrassment as she felt the weight of their gaze. It was as though their eyes were peeling her open, searching for every little detail about what had kept them so long in the kitchen. What had happened between them?
Jessica tried to ignore the heavy silence that followed them. She didn’t expect Davis to be so unfazed, but there he was—his expression a perfect mask of stoicism. He didn’t seem to care that everyone was staring, or if they were reading into their delay.
If anything, he seemed to enjoy the discomfort, though he kept it hidden behind his composed exterior.
As they made their way to the table, Jessica wheeled him to the seat at the right hand of Elliot Raven, the patriarch of the group. She took her own seat beside him, her movements stiff as she tried to keep her embarrassment in check.
But it was hard to shake the feeling that everyone knew. They could sense something had changed. The quiet smirks on their faces made it clear that they were no strangers to reading between the lines.
The clink of cutlery was the only sound that broke the silence as dinner was finally served. It was a quiet moment before Elliot cleared his throat lightly, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
His eyes shifted around the table, taking in the familiar faces of those he had dined with countless times. But tonight, everything felt different because their identities had changed. His gaze on them filled with emotions simmering just beneath the surface.
Elliot took a deep breath, his shoulders heavy with the weight of the announcement he was about to make.
"This evening," he began, his voice calm but with an edge of something else, "we’ve gathered here like we do every weekend, expecting a little peace after our busy schedules.