Better Late, But Never His Again novel Chapter 69

Hearing those words, Hazel felt absolutely nothing. Her heart was a barren wasteland. In front of an audience, he had fiercely protected Evelyn's dignity, considering everyone's feelings except his own wife's.

She stared at Julian's righteous, defensive face, realizing she was looking at a complete stranger.

Right on cue, a low, mocking chuckle came from beside her. Marcus let out a lazy sigh. "If you're merely friends, Mr. Hayes, you're severely overstepping your boundaries."

Julian's face flushed with anger, but before he could fire back, Marcus smoothly adjusted his cufflink.

His gaze settled on Hazel, dismissive of the man standing in front of them. "Hazel is my handpicked Lead Researcher. Whatever she does requires my approval, and mine alone. She doesn't need you policing her."

With that, he turned slightly and cast a meaningful look at Hazel. Catching his drift, she fell into step beside him, walking right past Julian.

Left standing in the middle of the dining room, Julian's face looked murderous. Evelyn gave his sleeve a gentle tug, her voice sugary and coaxing, "Julian..."

He finally tore his eyes away, forcing a stiff, unnatural smile for her. "Let's just go back to eating. Ignore them."

Despite his words, he was boiling inside. Throughout the meal, his eyes kept darting across the room to where Hazel was sitting.

Evelyn noticed every single glance. Her eyes began to well with tears. Setting her fork down, she spoke with a perfectly calibrated tremble. "Julian, if you'd rather be having dinner with Hazel, you can just go to her. I know I'm the third wheel here. I should just leave."

She made a show of standing up. Julian panicked, immediately grabbing her hand. "Where are you going?"

Evelyn bit her lip, looking like a shattered victim. Tears pooled in her eyes, though she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

Julian's heart twisted in guilt. He pulled her back into her seat, his tone as gentle as if coaxing a child. "Come on, Evelyn. You have to understand—watching your own wife get that close to another man is an insult to my pride. It's an ego thing, nothing more."

She looked at him with wide, skeptical eyes, a single tear clinging to her lashes. "Do you mean that?"

Julian reached out and playfully tapped her nose, a fond smile breaking through his frustration. "When have I ever lied to you?"

"What? Are you craving shrimp?" A deep, magnetic voice pulled her out of her spiral.

Hazel looked up and met Marcus's slightly upturned eyes.

He was arching a brow at her, a devastating, knowing smirk playing on his lips.

She shook her head, about to decline, but Marcus had already raised his hand. "Waiter. Two plates of shrimp. Peeled."

The waiter scrambled away. Minutes later, two plates of perfectly shelled shrimp were set down in front of them, the pink meat gleaming appetizingly under the lights.

Marcus picked up a piece with his fork, holding it up so the restaurant lighting caught its translucent surface.

He let out a low chuckle, his voice slow and laced with undeniable dominance. "When you have enough money and power, you can have as many people peel your shrimp as you want."