“Daddy, we’re back!” Isabella spoke up, immediately running back to his seat. Matteo responded, then turned to look at Raven. Only then did he notice that Rex was also there. He spoke up, “Mr. Hardin?”
Rex replied, “I ran into Miss Brown at the door, and since I saw you were here, I came over to greet you.” Matteo shook hands with him, exchanged pleasantries, and then Rex, noticing how well the three of them were getting along, decided not to sit down. Instead, he said, “My friend should be arriving soon, so I’ll leave it for next time.”
Matteo didn’t insist. “Alright.” Rex glanced at Raven again before turning to leave, choosing an empty seat nearby. Matteo’s group spoke quietly, and Rex couldn’t catch what they were saying.
More than twenty minutes later, Matteo’s group was preparing to leave. Before they left, he came over to greet Rex. “Leaving?” Rex asked.
“Yes,” Matteo replied. “See you next time.” As Matteo left, Rex noticed that Raven and Isabella hadn’t left yet, so he asked, “Why aren’t you leaving?”
Raven smiled. “Tingshen is bringing the car around from the underground parking.” The café wasn’t far from the road, but the underground parking lot was large. It was very considerate of Matteo to drive the car over to the side to pick them up. Rex smiled in response.
Raven smiled as well and then asked, “Has your friend come?” Rex shook his head. “Not yet.” Raven lowered her gaze, a hint of understanding flashing in her eyes, but she didn’t press the matter. “Then are you going to wait a little longer?”
Rex replied, “No need.” After chatting for a while, Raven received a call from Matteo. “We should go,” she said. “Alright,” Rex replied.
Just as they were about to leave the café, Isabella suddenly slipped her hand out of Raven’s and looked over to the side. “Isabella?” Isabella felt certain that she had just seen Freya. But there were too many people in front of her, and she was too small and short to catch a clear view. She whispered to Raven, “Aunt Raven, I think I really saw—”
Raven interrupted her, “Your dad’s waiting for us. Let’s go.” Isabella looked again, confirming that she no longer saw Freya. She then followed Raven and left.
Watching them walk away, Rex was just about to leave when he noticed Freya standing not far off to the side. His steps faltered. After a moment, he decided not to pay any attention to it and was about to leave, but then saw that Freya’s gaze was fixed on Raven and Isabella.
At that moment, Freya’s expression and eyes were cold, even distant. Rex couldn’t help but feel that Freya’s gaze toward Raven was full of hostility—as though she were looking at an enemy. From the way she looked at Raven, Rex thought that Freya might even want to do something to Raven. He observed this and thought that Freya was still holding a grudge against Raven.
Rex walked over. Freya was carrying quite a few things—two potted plants and a few home décor items. The décor items were a spur-of-the-moment buy. Since moving into her new place, she had been busy with her own things and hadn’t had time to properly decorate. The place still felt quite empty with few decorations. This time, she came out to buy some plants, and seeing a few items to decorate the living room at the store next door, she decided to pick them up.
Just as she was finishing her shopping, she unexpectedly ran into Raven and Isabella again. After they left, she was about to leave as well when Rex walked over to her and asked, “What are you trying to do?”
Freya stopped in her tracks, a look of confusion in her eyes. “What do you mean?” Rex spoke coldly, “She doesn’t care about you at all. You’re nothing to her, yet you still hold a grudge against her. Does that make any sense to you?”
“She doesn’t care about me?” Freya’s eyes grew cold as she heard this. “You really think so highly of her.” In Rex’s eyes, Raven was perfect in every way.
Before he could say anything, Freya sneered and continued, “So? Are you trying to tell me something? Warn me not to hurt her?” Rex indeed had that intention.
Freya gave a mocking smile before speaking again, “Matteo hasn’t said this to me yet, but you’re already here telling me? What’s your position to say this to me? Are you her secret admirer?” Rex didn’t try to hide his admiration and affection for Raven when talking to Freya.
Hearing this, he responded coldly, “So, what you’re implying is that I should go remind Matteo, and tell him to be wary of you?” At that moment, he recalled the earlier banquet where Matteo had asked Freya to dance. Both he and Jimmy had felt that Matteo’s gesture of asking Freya to dance was, in fact, a subtle warning for her not to target Raven. He couldn’t help but add, “Or do you think Matteo’s warning wasn’t harsh enough for you?”
Freya didn’t respond, merely fixing him with a cold stare. Rex felt the disdain in her eyes. Before he could react, Freya asked, “Are you really the son of Reed Hardin?”
Chapter 198