Chapter 363 Still So Cheeky
For a moment, Courtney was stunned, then she looked at Gale, feeling puzzled.
The car just happened to arrive, so before she could ask what he meant, Gale opened the car door for her.
“Get in. I wish you all the best.”
She smiled. “Thanks.”
As the taxi disappeared around the corner, the faint smile on Gale’s face gradually disappeared, and the remaining bit of shimmer in his eyes grew cold.
Alexander was his best friend. Of course, he hoped that his friend could find the greatest happiness in life, but he still had to think for his sake.
Elijah was so enthusiastic about arranging Cameron’s treatment, so Gale didn’t suspect anything until he overheard the conversation between Cameron’s deputy attending doctor and the nurse on Christmas Eve.
“Let’s reduce the dosage of the medicine for the time being. Mr. Grant said that he hopes that Miss Miller’s treatment can be extended as much as possible so that she can stay in the hospital for a longer period of time.”
“Why?”
“Don’t ask any more questions. Since it’s harmless to the patient, we’ll just do it accordingly.”
When Gale heard this, he pondered for a long time. He could only think of one reason why Elijah would deliberately lengthen the treatment process and delay Cameron from being discharged from the hospital—it was for Courtney.
Courtney had nothing to worry about when she returned to Melrose City, and she now had a new life there, almost completely disconnected from the years she spent in America. So, Elijah was using Cameron’s illness to help him hold onto the last connection between them.
As long as Cameron stayed in America, Courtney would certainly ask him about her situation.
He’s so cunning. Gale worried about Alexander for several days, and he even urged Cameron to cooperate with the treatment and strive to meet the standards of the indicators in the future physical examination so that she could be discharged early and not trouble Alexander.
But despite his considerations, he didn’t expect that Elijah would have this trick up his sleeves.
His marriage with Courtney was still considered legitimate. In America, the divorce procedures were quite cumbersome as they must go through court proceedings, and the divorce would only be approved within a minimum of six months after the application date. If any marital problems weren’t resolved within this period, it would be delayed. The divorce lawsuit could last up to three to five years for many people.
Who would’ve thought that Elijah isn’t as much of a gentleman as he appears to be!
When night fell, Courtney took a taxi to the French restaurant where Gale had reserved a table. The interior was decorated in French-style decor, and as soon as she entered, she could feel the elegant atmosphere.
Elijah waved to her from the window. When she reached their table, he pulled out a chair for her like a gentleman.
Handing her jacket to the waiter, Courtney whispered, “Why did you choose this place? When I first entered, I thought the waiter was going to stop me from coming in. I’m a little too underdressed. I’m not embarrassing you, am I?”
Elijah gave a slight smile. “What, now? Are you still traumatized by your first time here?”
A few years ago, Elijah had invited her to dine at this restaurant too. At that time, Courtney didn’t know that there was a dress etiquette for this restaurant. She went there right after work and was wearing a T-shirt and jeans, so the waiter stopped her, utterly humiliating her.
At the mention of that embarrassing incident, Courtney sneered, “Let’s not bring up the past. Don’t you see that they’ve been keeping up with the times? I didn’t wear a dress today, but they still let me in.”
Elijah looked at the wine menu and said casually, “Of course. Who would dare to stop a friend of the restaurant owner?”
“What?” Courtney was stunned for a few seconds before she understood, then she asked in astonishment, “You bought this restaurant?”
Elijah didn’t deny it.
“Tsk, tsk.” Courtney looked wistful. “This century-old authentic restaurant is going to be wrecked by you. What a shame.”
“Regardless of whether or not it would be wrecked, let’s talk about that after you order your food.”
Elijah called for a waiter, then handed him his menu and ordered the usual.
Courtney opened the menu and pretended to look through it. It was all in French; there wasn’t even a single English sentence. It filled her with anger, just as it did back then.
After a long time, she saw Elijah staring at her from the corner of her eye, appearing as if he was waiting to see her make a joke of herself. Enraged, she immediately closed the menu and stopped looking.
“Since you’ve bought this restaurant, that means I can order anything I want, right?”
Elijah’s eyebrows twitched.
“What would you like?”
“Spicy beef soup.”
Upon hearing this, the waiter next to her was stunned. Even though Courtney’s explanation was quite accurate, how could a proper French restaurant possibly sell spicy beef soup?
Courtney leaned against the chair, looking slightly derisive.
“Mr. Grant, your restaurant isn’t that good after all! You don’t even have spicy beef soup!”
Elijah glanced at the waiter, then mumbled fluently in French. Courtney only understood two words—‘slightly spicy’.
The waiter nodded and solemnly walked away.
Judging from the waiter’s expression, Courtney reckoned he wasn’t going to the kitchen to place an order, but rather, he looked like he was going to the pillbox, as he had the face of a brave man about to fight for his life.
Amused, Courtney laughed. “He probably doesn’t understand what you’re talking about. He might just bring me a bowl of salad with meat.”
Elijah looked helpless.
“You’re about to get married, yet you’re still so cheeky. When you go out to eat with him, are you this shameless too?”
“He’s all right. We’ve even eaten at roadside stalls before. He’s actually not as pretentious as he seems. He’s quite open-minded, so it’s pointless for me to pull such shenanigans with him. It just makes him think I’m an idiot.”
Courtney lowered her head and drank her water, not noticing the complex look in Elijah’s eyes.
When Courtney first met him back then, he was still a poor boy trying to make it as an entrepreneur. Later, he became financially successful, and his company managed to survive the toughest times. His pride grew, and the places he brought her for meals became increasingly prestigious. Every time, it made her feel like she was sitting on needles.
At some point after that, she couldn’t understand the menu and asked the waiter if they had any fried rice, which confused the waiter. In the end, Elijah asked for the manager of the restaurant and forced them to cook her a plate of fried rice.
It was from that time onward that teasing Elijah at high-end restaurants became one of Courtney’s greatest pleasures. She simply felt that Elijah lived life too seriously. Every detail of life was rigidly stitched in accordance with his rules, so she figured he had to have such experiences to bring some excitement to his life.
“Are you used to not having Lilian around?” Courtney suddenly asked.
Elijah concealed his complex emotions and said faintly, “It’s still all right. The new secretary she found is quite efficient. Although she’s a newbie, she’s not much different.”
“If you teach your disciple well, they’ll overtake you someday. Why doesn’t Lilian have a sense of vigilance?”
Courtney was trying to signal Elijah, but he didn’t understand at all. “I’ll be glad if she has her own goals, since she has the ability to achieve them.”
After a moment of silence, Courtney couldn’t bear it, so she made her message clear.
“If she leaves, you’ll have no one around you anymore.”
