New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

The meal proceeded normally after this, with Gabriel serving them and the talks broaching different subjects. Gabriel kept reading the room every few minutes, focusing on some areas or others at various times as he kept an open read on the three people at his table.

Alex kept his more profound thoughts under lock, letting only surface thoughts about the food and ambience through. He knew Gabriel had caught on when he tried asking about something other than the food, and Alex replied perfunctorily.

His face had changed when he heard the same thoughts as before, Alex's mind not even wavering at the strange question he had asked.

Gabriel had asked him about what brought a nouveau-rich into his restaurant after the incident with his home invasion. He had played it off, saying it was all over the news, but Alex knew it was false.

Of course, he couldn't act fazed.

"If I let everything that happens to me change my style of life, I let the people who attacked me win. It's better to let the dust fall and keep on living, don't you think?"

Alex kept his thoughts as platonic about this as possible, so Gabriel wouldn't notice he was locking him out. But the face change told him he was onto him.

He tried pushing the subject further, but Alex interrupted him.

"I'm glad we stopped here for lunch today. It has been quite the experience. The food and service were great, and I'm glad we met. It was a pleasure, Gabriel. Sadly, Kary and I have other things to do today, and we can't take any more of your time."

The food on their plates was long gone, and they were ready to pay the bill and leave. Of course, Alex was only doing this to leave before Gabriel could glean more details about them from Kary's and Guylaine's exposed thoughts.

"Are you sure? You won't have any dessert? We make one of the best gelatos in town," Gabriel said, taking a sad face.

Guylaine was about to ask if they could have dessert, but Kary quickly caught on to Alex's intentions and insisted they had things to do.

"Very well, then. Don't worry about the bill today. Meeting you was all the payment I needed. I'll take care of it. You three have a wonderful day," Gabriel said, smiling at them.

"How generous of you," Guylaine said, looking at him with stars in her eyes.

"Of course, Ms. Guylaine. Meeting you was more than worth a few plates of food," he replied, taking her hand and kissing the back of it.

Guylaine blushed as Gabriel walked away, taking a round around his restaurant while Alex, Kary, and Guylaine left.

Once they were gone, he stopped next to Emerest.

"I think one of them is onto us. Tell the boys to be careful on tonight's operation. It's a big one, and I don't want anything to go awry," he whispered to his manager.

"Yes, sir," Emerest replied, his eyes going icy cold momentarily.

He walked into the kitchen, a busboy replacing him temporarily at the entrance, and came face to face with the cooks.

The kitchen staff seldom stepped into the dining area and with good reason.

Most of them looked like hardened criminals, with tattoos covering most of their visible skin and scars proudly displayed on them. The cooks looked at Emerest in silence.

He only came into the kitchen when the boss had orders for them that he couldn't tell them himself.

"All right, gentlemen. Tonight's reservation might have a plus one, and we heard it's a person with difficult tastes. We need to make the meal with extra caution and tone the flavours down to the most subtle we can. Understood?"

"Yes, manager!" the kitchen staff said in chorus.

Nodding slowly, Emerest left the kitchen to take back his usual post.

As he walked up front again, he noticed the trio step into a limousine, and the young turned to look at him.

Alex gave the manager a friendly smile, mouthing something he couldn't understand before sitting in the vehicle himself.

Emerest looked at him with a murderous glare, but reined himself in before he scared away other customers.

"Welcome to Roland's Bistro. Did you have a reservation?" he asked the next customer in line, returning to his day job.

Meanwhile, Alex felt the killing intent as he stepped into the limo and laughed to himself.

'I knew he wasn't just a floor manager. That guy has killed before, and not just once. I'm sure I'll see him soon enough,' he thought.

"Any other place you would like to go, sir?" Gilbert asked the window between them lowered.

"No, thank you, Gilbert. Bring us home. Guylaine has a long drive home, and I wouldn't want to keep her for too long."

"Aye, aye, sir," Gilbert replied, closing the window once more and giving them their privacy.

Guylaine huffed.

"Are you that in a hurry to send me on my way?" she asked, giving Alex a stink eye.

"Far from me that intent, Guylaine. But I am tired. It seems I wasn't as ready to go out as I thought," Alex lied, taking an exhausted look.

Guylaine took back her leer as she thought of his previous state.

"I'm sorry. I just assumed you wanted to get rid of me. That was rude of me," she apologized.

Alex waved his hand dismissively.

"No offence taken. I know what you must be thinking. There will never be a good enough person for your daughter, in your eyes, I'm sure. But I don't want to be good enough in your eyes. Just in hers. So, even if you dislike me, I will love her back as long as she loves me."

Guylaine looked at him with a stern gaze before softening her face.

"It's nothing against you, young man. Just a mother's prerogative to keep her daughter safe."

Alex smiled at her before looking out the window and staying quiet on the way home.

Guylaine smiled a bit before turning to her daughter and discussing the coming holidays.

Alex listened with a distracted ear as his mind wandered to what he might find when he investigated later tonight.

'Second night back, and I'm already getting into someone else's business. Getting into trouble so soon after getting out of it has become a bad habit, I guess…'

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