Silas glanced at me, then picked up the menu. "Let's order."
Julian opened his menu, trying to ease the tension. "Anthea, what would you like? The roasted lamb here is excellent. Should I order you some?"
"Sure, than—"
"No." Silas cut in, tone certain. "The lamb here has parsley. It'll make her sick."
My fingers froze. Six years ago, when I was pregnant, I couldn't stand parsley. The smell made me nauseous. Even after having Olei, I still hated it. I didn't think Silas would remember a detail like that.
"Really?" Julian looked at me, surprised. "Sorry, I didn't know."
"It's fine. People change." I forced my voice to stay level. "I can handle parsley now."
I lied on purpose—just to contradict Silas. It made me feel like I'd escaped his control. I turned to the waiter and told him to add the lamb.
Silas's gaze darkened. Then he looked at me, voice low. "Noted."
He didn't push. He just ordered several dishes that clearly matched my old preferences—and kid-friendly options for Olei. I stared at those familiar dishes, emotions tangled. Then irritation flared. This was Julian's dinner. But Silas acted like he was hosting.
"How thoughtful of you, Mr. Thorne." My voice had an edge. "Why not order something for yourself?"
"Don't need to." He closed the menu and met my eyes. "I like whatever you like."
His gaze was invasive. I looked away—and saw Julian's strained expression.
"Sorry," I whispered to Julian.
This was supposed to be just the two of us.
"It's okay." Julian smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about it."
He paused, glancing at Olei sitting quietly, and tried to engage. "Olei, what would you like to drink? How about a strawberry milkshake? Kids usually like sweet stuff, right?"
Olei nodded. Julian told the waiter to add the milkshake. I ordered Olei a chocolate mousse. He liked that.
The whole meal was torture. Silas kept steering every topic Julian raised back to Olei. At first, I was happy—learning about my son's life. But gradually, I realized Silas was doing it on purpose. Every time Julian tried to talk to me, Silas cut in.
"This chocolate mousse looks great." Julian watched Olei finish his entrée and dig into dessert, face blissful. "Anthea, I remember you like chocolate cake too. There's a dessert café nearby—we should go sometime. They make really good pastries."
I was about to say yes—Julian deserved that after this mess.
But Silas hijacked the conversation again. "Too much sugar's bad for teeth. I monitor Olei's dessert intake. Last month, he lost a tooth—"
Julian went quiet. His smile grew more and more strained.
"Enough!" I finally snapped, dropping my utensils and standing. "Mr. Thorne, can we talk? Outside?"
Silas raised an eyebrow but followed me out. We stopped at a quiet corner down the block.
"What the hell do you want?" I kept my voice low, but fury leaked through. "You investigate me? Follow me? Wasn't that enough? Now you have to ruin my social life too?"
"That man looks at you wrong," Silas said calmly. "You're not even a couple, and he brings you to a romantic restaurant on Valentine's Day."
"So what? That's my business. You don't get to control it!" His presumption made me shake with anger. My voice rose. "You think this is fun? Wrecking my dinner? Humiliating my friend?"
Silas didn't answer right away. He stepped closer. Familiar pressure closed around me.
"I don't want to see you with another man!" His answer was blunt. Brutal.
