Chapter 69
Suzy had been quietly keeping one ear tuned to the conversation behind her.
After the two women finished speaking, about half a minute passed before the woman named Hannah spoke again.
This time, her voice was completely different—soft, syrupy, and sweet, nothing like the sharp tone she had used moments earlier.
"Richard? It’s me. When are you coming over? Olivia and I are already here waiting for you."
"Mm-hmm... okay, hurry up. I really want to see you."
...
When the call ended, Hannah’s voice immediately returned to its normal tone.
She looked smugly at the woman across from her. "Richard’s coming in a bit."
"See? That’s why you’re the best, Hannah," Olivia said with a grin. "I told you—once you act cute, Richard can’t resist."
"Alright, enough about that. Let’s order."
Hannah picked up the menu, only to discover that Olivia had already ordered a huge pile of dishes.
She frowned. "Olivia, didn’t you order too much? There’s no way we can finish all this."
Olivia waved her hand dismissively. "What’s the problem? If we can’t finish it, we’ll just pack it up and take it home to reheat later."
Hannah thought about it for a moment and nodded.
The weather was so unbearably hot these days that she didn’t want to go out every day anyway. Having leftovers at home might actually be convenient.
Olivia continued casually, "Besides, Richard’s the one paying later. Why are you worrying about it for him?"
Persuaded, Hannah added several more dishes to the order.
"Have you heard enough?" Leonard waved his hand in front of Suzy’s face.
Suzy snapped back to reality and realized that both Leonard and Thomas were staring at her.
She gave an awkward laugh. "Why are you both looking at me like that?"
Leonard leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Suzy... what’s going on with you?"
She had been paying far too much attention to the two women behind them. It struck Leonard as odd.
Suzy waved it off. "It’s just gossip..."
Leonard raised an eyebrow. "Since when were you this interested in gossip?"
Suzy couldn’t answer that.
Leonard patted her shoulder. "Alright, just eat."
Suzy nodded, but she still kept part of her attention focused on the conversation behind them.
After all, this involved Richard Stone. Opportunities to overhear something like this didn’t come often.
About ten minutes later, Suzy heard Hannah’s voice again—this time filled with delight.
"Richard! You’re finally here. What took you so long?"
Her tone began with a hint of arrogance, but she forced it into a sweet, coquettish lilt by the end.
"Got delayed by something," Richard replied calmly.
He glanced at their table. Hannah and Olivia were sitting across from each other.
A playful smile curved at the corner of Richard’s lips.
Instead of sitting beside Hannah, he took the seat next to Olivia.
Hannah’s face instantly turned green.
Olivia, on the other hand, looked thrilled as she glanced at Richard beside her.
Hannah discreetly dug her nails into the back of her own hand before forcing a smile.
"Richard... are you sure you didn’t take the wrong seat?"
"No," Richard said lightly. "I wanted to sit here."
The tension at their table was impossible to miss.
Even Suzy and Leonard couldn’t help turning around to look.
From Leonard’s angle, he could see Richard’s face clearly.
"Him?" Leonard said in surprise.
So that was the unlucky rich guy those gold diggers had set their sights on.
Leonard’s gaze flickered thoughtfully as he recalled Suzy’s unusual behavior earlier.
He remembered seeing Richard once before at the airport.
Back then, Richard had driven away in a luxury car—with a woman in the passenger seat.
And that woman definitely wasn’t either of the two sitting here now.
If he already had a girlfriend yet still tangled himself up with other women... Then he wasn’t exactly a decent person either.
The more Leonard thought about Suzy’s unusual attention toward Richard Stone, the heavier a sense of pressure settled in his chest.
Don’t tell me... Suzy still hasn’t gotten over that man?
Even though she had denied it every time, instinctive reactions didn’t lie.
The more Leonard thought about it, the darker his expression became.
That guy looked like a total playboy. His Suzy deserved someone far better.
Suddenly, Suzy stood up. "Uncle, I’m going to the restroom."
At the table, only Leonard and Thomas remained. Leonard let out a long sigh.
Thomas glanced at him. "What’s wrong?"
Leonard shifted over to sit beside Thomas and poured himself a glass of ice-cold beer.
Then he lifted his chin subtly toward Richard’s table.
Thomas looked puzzled.
Leonard lowered his voice. "I think Suzy has a crush on that guy."
Thomas’s expression remained calm, but his grip on his fork tightened slightly.
Lowering his gaze, he asked quietly, "What do you mean?"
Leonard, already eager to share his suspicions, began explaining slowly.
"Didn’t you notice Suzy has been paying attention to that table the whole time?"
"I noticed," Thomas said.
Leonard continued, "She said she was just listening to gossip, but the moment that guy showed up, I knew it wasn’t that simple!"
"When Suzy and I first returned to A City, we saw that man at the airport too. She kept staring at him back then."
Thomas fell silent for a moment before adding, "Suzy and I also saw those three in the underground garage earlier."
Leonard suddenly felt as if everything had clicked into place.
Case solved.
All of Suzy’s strange behavior revolved around that man named Richard.
So she must have recognized those two women earlier and realized they were with him.
But that only made Leonard more worried.
That man clearly looked like a flirt.
"No. Absolutely not," Leonard said firmly. "I can’t let Suzy end up with someone like him."
Thomas lightly tapped his index finger against the table and asked evenly, "Why?"
Leonard snorted. "That guy’s bad news. Sure, he’s handsome, but he already has a girlfriend and he’s still messing around with other women... tsk."
"What are you planning to do then?" Thomas asked.
Leonard thought seriously for a moment. "I’ll introduce Suzy to someone better. What do you think?"
Thomas replied flatly, "Not a great idea."
Suddenly, Leonard’s eyes lit up. He slapped the table. "Wait! Don’t we have a ready-made candidate right here?"
Thomas’s heart tightened slightly. "What do you mean?"
"I’ve got friends who probably know someone suitable. I’ll message them now," Leonard said, already pulling out his phone in a hurry.
Thomas’s shoulders tensed again.
While typing a message to Adam Bennet, Leonard muttered, "Honestly, Thomas, you’re not bad yourself... but your looks probably aren’t Suzy’s type."
That was Leonard’s honest assessment. After all, Thomas and Richard looked completely different.
Thomas had the rugged look of a hardened man—sharp features, tall build, broad shoulders.
Richard, on the other hand, had a more refined, delicate sort of handsomeness—what people might bluntly call a pretty boy.
Leonard figured Suzy probably preferred the refined type. On that point alone, Thomas was already eliminated.
Someone who might actually match her preferences would be Adam Bennet. He happened to be around Suzy’s age, too, which meant they’d likely have more in common.
Thomas exhaled quietly.
Then he reached out. In the next second, Leonard’s phone was already in his hand.
Leonard blinked, startled, frowning. "Thomas? What are you doing?"
He was about to send the message.
Thomas glanced toward the entrance and said calmly, "She’s coming back."