“Now use those legs,” he continued smoothly, “stand up, and walk out of here. You already drank your coffee and had your little chat. I need to talk to my wife.”
The tension around the table became suffocating.
Amara looked at Maverick with an embarrassed expression, clearly mortified by the situation.
Maverick didn’t answer Elias immediately. Instead, he looked at Amara.
Their eyes met for a brief second, a silent understanding passing between them.
Amara was the first to break the silence.
“I’m really sorry about this,” she said quietly.
Maverick’s expression softened slightly as he stood up from his chair.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “It’s not your fault that a stalker can’t leave you alone.”
Amara immediately rose to her feet too, following him.
Maverick gave her a faint smile.
“We’ll meet another day,” he said. “A proper date this time. I don’t think we’ll be able to have a conversation today anyway.”
Amara nodded awkwardly.
“Sure… that sounds good. I’ll treat you to dinner next time.”
The second those words left her mouth, Elias suddenly stopped tapping his foot.
His eyes locked onto her instantly.
“Why would you treat him to dinner?”
Then he turned toward Maverick.
“I’ll treat you instead. Whenever you want to eat, call my assistant. I’ll arrange the restaurant for you. Order as much as you want.”
He paused before adding very clearly, his meaning impossible to misunderstand.
“Alone.”
Maverick simply stared at Elias with cold eyes before stepping away from the table. Then, with one final glance at Amara, he turned and walked out of the restaurant.
Amara watched his back disappear through the glass doors.
The second he was gone, she whipped around toward Elias. Her eyes burned with anger.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” she snapped.
Elias stared back at her silently.
His jaw clenched tightly for a brief second, the muscle ticking near his cheek as though he was holding himself back. Instead of answering her, he suddenly turned his head toward the restaurant staff and lifted two fingers in the air.
A waiter hurried over immediately.
Elias pulled out a card and handed it to him without looking away from Amara.
“Clear the bill,” he ordered coldly. “Give the card back to my assistant later.”
