Chapter 405

Nathaniel Blackwood's chiseled features hardened as he spoke through gritted teeth. "She's finally here?"

The manager blinked in confusion. "Excuse me, sir?"

"Who else would I be referring to?"

"I... I'm sorry, Mr. Blackwood. I don't follow—"

Nathaniel's jaw tightened, his patience fraying. "If you don't know who I'm talking about, why are you wasting my time?"

The manager swallowed nervously. "I only meant to inform you that we're closing for the night."

In truth, the restaurant should have shut its doors thirty minutes ago.

But Nathaniel Blackwood had been standing motionless by the window, his presence so commanding that no one dared approach him—until now.

"Are you expecting someone?" the manager ventured cautiously. "We could contact them for you."

"Unnecessary."

Nathaniel's voice was ice.

The realization burned through him—Vivian Lockhart had the audacity to ignore him.

In his thirty years of life, few things had ever eluded him.

Every exception? Because of her.

His grip on the windowsill tightened.

Fine. If she refuses to acknowledge me, I'll make her come crawling back.

With that resolve, he strode out of the restaurant, the night air biting against his skin.

Streetlights flickered weakly over the deserted pavement. The occasional car roared past, stirring the cold wind.

Nathaniel moved toward the parking lot, his steps sharp with purpose.

A sudden honk shattered the silence.

He turned.

There she was.

Vivian Lockhart leaned against a sleek red convertible, her silhouette bathed in the dim glow of the city.

Her lips curved into that infuriatingly confident smirk.

"Long time no see, Mr. Blackwood."

His pulse spiked—wild, untamed—but his expression remained unreadable.

"Long time no see?" He closed the distance between them, each step deliberate. "That's all you have to say after vanishing for four years?"

Vivian didn’t flinch. She met his gaze head-on, amusement dancing in her eyes. "What else is there to say?"

Nathaniel exhaled sharply, forcing his fingers to unclench. "I thought you left with Julian Blackwood. What brought you back?"

She tilted her head. "I thought you had somewhere else to be. Yet here you are."

The ease in her voice grated on him. She wasn’t pretending—she was genuinely unbothered.

And that infuriated him more than anything.

"Enough games, Vivian."

His control snapped.

In one swift motion, he seized her shoulders and pulled her against him—close enough to feel her breath hitch, close enough to remind her who owned this moment.