With

Chapter 29

By now, everyone was starting to head out for lunch, so Calla took her bag and got ready to leave as well.

Alicia came over and offered with a smile, “I’ll buy you a burrito for lunch. How about it?”

“It’s fine. I need to head over to the Riviera,” Calla muttered into Alicia’s ear.

Alicia’s eyes glinted as she stared at Calla and said, “The Riviera? That’s a five–star hotel! You really are the CEO’s wife, huh? Why don’t you bring me along?”

“The Scrooge was the one who told me to come over. Who knows what he’s up to now? Come along, if you want. I could do with some moral support,” Calla declared in all

seriousness.

“Let’s forget about it. I’ve always been afraid of authority figures, you know. You can head over by yourself. I’ll see you later!” Alicia said before hurrying off in a flash.

Calla shook her head before heading over to the Riviera.

It was a five–star hotel situated across the street from Atlas. The food served at the hotel restaurant was excellent, but the prices were no joke either. Calla only ever frequented the hotel restaurant during major gatherings. It was not the kind of place she could afford dining at regularly.

Once she got to the second floor, she saw Simon waiting for her. He was the only one in Atlas who knew about her relationship with Mercer.

“Mr. Garland’s over here, Mrs. Garland,” Simon said as he led Calla to the Premiere

Lounge.

Before heading in, Calla said to Simon with a smile, “You can just use my name, Mr.

Beck.”

She felt awkward about being addressed as Mrs. Garland. Who knew what would happen in the future? Mercer could divorce her once she gave birth to the baby. She didn’t know how long she would stay married to him, and it would be troublesome if Simon had to keep changing the way he addressed her.

However, Simon smiled and said, “You’re Mrs. Garland now. Mr. Garland won’t mind if I address you as such.”

For some reason, Calla’s heart clenched. She wondered if Mercer was the one who instructed Simon to address her as Mrs. Garland.

Calla gave Simon a faint smile before entering the private dining room.

The room was spacious and tastefully furnished in a vintage–style decor. The large

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dining table, which could fit 12, was already laden with food, but no one was sitting there.

After looking around, Calla saw a man in a black vest standing by the window and looking out at the city.

Mercer seemed to have heard her footsteps. He glanced behind him before snuffing out his cigarette on the ashtray. Then, he said to her, “Let’s eat.”

He sat down at the head of the table. Meanwhile, Calla hesitated due to the number of available seats. In the end, she chose to sit down on his left.

Mercer was brought up with the belief that one shouldn’t talk while eating. Thus, he sat up straight and slowly ate his food, his mannerisms refined and elegant.

Calla felt a little nervous. The atmosphere in the room was a little suffocating to her. She preferred being able to chat freely and have fun while eating.

Nevertheless, it was always good to be adaptable. She would change her ways to cater to him. She mockingly thought that was what wives were supposed to do, right? Picking up her cutlery, she looked at the food and immediately frowned. The food on the table was light and simple. There were a variety of salads and soups–all vegetarian. Calla was flabbergasted. She very much preferred eating meat over vegetables, and she was starving right now. Why did Mercer ask her to come all the way to a five–star hotel just to eat a bunch of salads? Was he being stingy, or was he a vegetarian?

If he were indeed a vegetarian, did that mean she would have to suffer along with him by going on a meatless diet?

D

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