Chapter 86
Once everyone was seated, they chatted while ordering food. Matteo passed the menu to Raven and asked her to order. Raven took it and asked, “What do you want to eat?” Matteo replied, “It’s up to you.”
The nearby diners smiled, commenting, “Mr. Wilson and Miss Brown really get along well.” Raven smiled slightly and, knowing Matteo’s preferences, ordered several dishes for him. Logan and Lauren watched, both smiling. Johnny also held the menu and asked Freya about her preferences.
Hearing the nearby conversation, he glanced over, then looked at Freya. Her expression was unremarkable. When she saw Johnny asking, she discussed the menu with him and ordered two dishes.
Seeing Freya's calm demeanor, Lauren and Logan were temporarily relieved. Noticing their attention on Freya, Raven knew their thoughts. She leaned over and whispered, “Don’t worry, with Matteo here, she won’t dare cause trouble.” Freya would surely hesitate to create a scene, knowing it would upset Matteo. Given their marital dynamic, Freya wouldn't risk provoking him; further irritating him would only increase his dislike.
Lauren relaxed slightly after hearing this. However, she remained concerned that Matteo might be too kind to Raven, a situation Freya might struggle with.
Freya, however, disregarded their concerns. She barely paid attention to their side of the table, engrossed in conversation with Professor Liam, who sat beside her.
Professor Liam, aware of Freya's presence at the exhibition, had greeted her earlier. They'd enjoyed a pleasant conversation at the previous banquet and had since wished to speak again, but their schedules had been too demanding. Seizing this opportunity, he began chatting with Freya shortly after they sat down.
The large table allowed for discreet conversation, and to avoid disturbing others, they kept their voices low.
Seeing Professor Liam happily chatting with Freya, Raven and Lauren assumed Freya was simply asking professional questions and paid little attention.
Those seated on the other side of Professor Liam teased, “Old Liam, you really can’t change your professional habits. Even while eating, you can’t stop talking!”
Another person chimed in, laughing, “Right? Earlier in the exhibition hall, Old Liam also chatted with Miss Brown for a long time.”
When the conversation turned to them, Professor Liam smiled but didn't engage further, saying, “Usually, when I talk about technical things, you all relegate me to your engineers. Now I'm not talking to you, and suddenly you can't stand it?”
Someone looked at Raven, then at Freya, and said, “I didn’t expect young women nowadays to be so interested in AI and programming. The times have really changed.”
“Isn’t that true?” Another person added. “Old Liam was just saying in the exhibition hall that there’s more and more talent these days. He’s optimistic about our country’s future, haha.”
“Miss Brown is a talented graduate from a world-class university, so she must be part of that rising talent!”
Hearing the compliments, Raven smiled modestly, “You all are too kind.”
Matteo’s high status naturally drew more attention to Raven as his companion. Freya, while beautiful, was merely an employee at Johnny’s company, lacking a noteworthy background, so she received less attention.
When the food arrived, Raven used her chopsticks to serve Matteo, who readily accepted. Conversation then opened up, gradually shifting to the future development of some of the exhibition's exhibits.
Someone remarked, “By the way, Mr. Wilson, your company’s self-driving car seems to complement Mr. Gray’s company’s intelligent traffic programming language. It makes me eager to know—are you planning to collaborate?”