Rachel instinctively glanced over to see who had stopped her. It was Tyler.

She figured it was just a coincidence. Maybe Tyler liked beef too. But the plate was full, and she wasn’t petty enough to fight over food. So Rachel withdrew her fork and generously gave it up to him.

Tyler took the slice of beef.

Rachel thought, “Okay, that one’s his. Now it’s my turn.”

Just as she reached out again, Tyler’s fork pressed hers down once more.

This time, Rachel was sure it wasn’t a coincidence. She gave him a strange look, but since she was allergic to beef, she couldn’t exactly ask him if he was doing this on purpose.

She awkwardly pulled away. There was still plenty of beef on the plate. She didn’t believe Tyler would eat it all.

She turned her attention to the other dishes, trying to bide her time.

Meanwhile, Sasha kept throwing Yvette suggestive glances. “Yvette, pour Mr. Hunt a drink. Help him feel welcome.”

Yvette immediately reached for the wineglass in front of her and started pouring for Tyler, but he lifted a hand to stop her. Yvette’s hand froze midair awkwardly.

Tyler remained polite, but his voice was cold as usual. “No, thanks. I’ll be driving.”

Sasha jumped in immediately. “That’s easy to solve. You can just stay over tonight. We’ve got plenty of guest rooms. Or if you’re not used to staying here, we can have the driver take you home.”

She was afraid Tyler would refuse. In her mind, as long as he drank, the rest of the night would fall into place. After all, she had gotten Jim drunk all those years ago. How else would she have married him so easily?

Tyler didn’t budge. “No, thanks. I don’t drink unless it’s a business event.”

His tone left no room for persuasion.

Sasha and Yvette exchanged glances. Since he’d made it clear, they couldn’t push it any further.

Yvette reluctantly put the wineglass back on the table.

Rachel saw the opening and quickly reached out with her fork again. She was just about to grab a small slice of beef when she heard Tyler’s voice.

“Yvette, would you mind passing me the beef?”

Yvette had just returned to her seat in defeat. The second Tyler spoke to her, her eyes lit up again. “Of course. Mr. Hunt, if you like beef, you should’ve said so earlier. Mrs. Jones makes the best beef.”

She quickly picked up her fork and began moving some beef to Tyler’s plate.

Tyler looked up. “Can I have the whole thing?”

Everyone was momentarily stunned at this, but they quickly recovered.

Jim exclaimed cheerfully, “Of course. Yvette, just pass the whole plate to Mr. Hunt!”

“Okay,” Yvette responded brightly. She placed the entire plate of beef in front of Tyler.

Rachel sat dumbfounded in her chair. She turned to glare at Tyler for stealing her food.

“Seriously? Do you like beef that much? You had to take the whole plate?”

Chapter 288 +25 BONUS

Dinner continued, but Rachel felt like she had a wad of cotton stuck in her chest. All she’d wanted was one tiny bite. Surely that wouldn’t have hurt anyone.

Tyler just had to eat the entire plate of beef.

William’s phone rang. He picked it up and politely excused himself from the table. “Sorry, I need to take this.”

He stepped out to the courtyard. The call was from Samantha.

His brow immediately furrowed, and a flicker of irritation crossed his face.

When did Samantha get so clingy? Lately, she had been calling constantly. If he missed one call, she’d call twenty more times.