Trouble in Paradise



Just as I was about to tum Nicholas down, the waiter knocked and brought in the dishes I ordered.

I frowned. "Did you bring the wrong dishes? This isn't what I ordered."

I was starving and had ordered butter-poached lobster tails, seared scallops, sous vide short ribs, and king crab legs with herb garlic butter. I had also ordered lobster bisque for both Douglas and me.

But what was in front of us was a spread of plain foods that I never ordered.

The room grew tense. The waiter, looking flustered, kept rechecking the menu. "No, madam, this is correct..."

"I changed your order," Nicholas cut in, his voice restrained. "The doctor said you just woke up. Your first meal shouldn't be so heavy."

I turned and looked at him intently. Had he come all this way just to monitor what I ate?

"Well, Mr. Hawk is being thoughtful. He is doing this for your health. Please, do try them," Douglas chimed in, eager to smooth things over.

"Ms. Jones, these are all nourishing foods-chicken and brown rice salad, oatmeal with berries, and pumpkin soup. These are excellent for recovery."

"Fine, I guess," I said, deciding that food was food as long as it filled me up.

Nicholas watched me, picking up on my reluctance. "I'll cook what you wanted for dinner."

The appetite I had mustered up vanished with his words. I put down my fork and stared at him, as if I could bore a hole right through him.

"Nicholas, I think there might be a misunderstanding. I'm grateful you saved me, and I'll repay you in any other way you suggest-just not in the way you seem to expect."

Nicholas's heart tightened. His voice was low as he said, "I want to talk to you."

Douglas stood up abruptly. He had wanted to leave for a long time. Being stared at by Nicholas like that, he couldn't enjoy his food at all. It was too awkward.

"You two continue, Ms. Jones. I'll wait for you outside."

"Wait. I'm coming with you," I called out to Douglas.Content is © by NôvelDrama.Org.

Nicholas quickly moved in front of me and blocked my path. He gently held down my hand that was clutching my bag. His gaze dropped, dull and gray.

"At least finish your meal. I won't bring up anything else."

Just as Nicholas finished speaking, my stomach betrayed me with an audible growl. I flushed, sitting down under his lead.

I called Douglas back. "Come back and eat. It'll go to waste if we don't."

Douglas's expression froze. He sat back down, forcing a smile.

"Mr. Hawk ordered a lot. We won't finish it all. Perhaps you could join us, Mr. Hawk?"

With that, Douglas handed him a pair of utensils. Nicholas took them without hesitation and sat on the outer edge of the table.

The meal was awkward and silent. Yet Nicholas kept leaning in my direction whenever he reached for food. He would place each piece onto my plate while leaving his own empty.

"Nicholas, I can reach just fine."

I shifted my plate away, leaning slightly to make my point, but he acted as if he hadn't noticed.

'It's fine. Eat up. The doctor said you're still weak."

I let out a quiet sigh, watching him as if I were looking into a mirror.

The way he was acting now... wasn't it exactly how I used to be?

I had once gone out of my way to be near him, careful with every detail to avoid leaving any bad impression. If he had shown even a fraction of this warmth back then, maybe I would have been even more hopelessly devoted.

I wouldn't have doubted him, nor would there have been the fallout that came later.

But Nicholas, where was that version of me now? She had long gone, lost in the past.