His Naughty Lessons-Chapter 263: Hangry

** Harper **

What was even more surprising, however, was the fact that Tyler didn’t seem to be flattered at all by being called "handsome". On the contrary, the shock on his face gradually turned into ... something in between displeased suspicion and slow realization.

"Chelsea, right?" He smiled at last, though it sounded like he was speaking through gritted teeth. "Very nice to meet you, indeed," he replied, stressing every word with a strange tone that was even more grumpy and sarcastic than how he talked to Eli earlier.

Suddenly, Harper remembered the equally strange vibe that Chelsea gave them last weekend at brunch, and the doubly oddness finally clicked together. "Have you guys met before or something?" she asked, darting questioning looks between her brother and her bestie.

"Nope, of course not," Tyler answered immediately, and he pursed his lips as he took his seat.

Chelsea, on the other hand, chuckled as she sat down next to the surly guy. "I think your brother is just acting up cuz he’s too hungry. Or hangry." She leaned across the table and added in a whisper in Harper’s direction, "Let’s order him some food quickly. Pasta always helps with PMS in my experience."

Harper: "..."

She exchanged a look with Eli. Her boyfriend, looking equally baffled and dubious about the current situation, shrugged.

Alright. They could simply pretend that they didn’t have one hundred questions and suspicions about what was going on here.

Following her friend’s advice, Harper cleared her throat and reached for the menu on the table. "Ok, then let’s take a look at their recommendations of the day? Feel free to splurge and try whatever you like, it’s Eli’s treat this time for welcoming a brand new member to our little circle in town."

She gave Eli a wink, hinting that she was stealing every opportunity to get her brother to warm up to the host’s presence.

"Oh, in that case, I’m definitely getting this heritage wine I’ve been eyeing since I got here." Somewhat unsurprisingly, it was Chelsea who jumped on the offer at once. "I’ve always wanted to try a good Sassicaia, but my wallet told me to stay wise. Thanks in advance, Mr. Billionaire Heir!"

Tyler looked up from his menu, and Harper wondered if it was for being taken aback by Eli’s title or for being shocked that he himself, the ultimate foodie and wine snob, liked Sassicaias too.

"Be my guest and get a whole bottle if you like." Eli smiled back generously. "And since you’ve already studied the full menu in depth, any recommendations for the rest of us?"

"Of course! You asked the right person." With a mysterious grin, Chelsea pulled out a separate menu from the bottom of the sheets that they hadn’t gotten to yet. "They actually have some really creative cocktails here, in addition to the serious wines. You guys should get this Lovebirds Duo, it’s like custom made perfectly just for you two."

Lovebirds Duo? That piqued Harper’s interest. She nudged closer to Eli, peeking at the menu that Chelsea just handed to him.

It was a creative cocktail served in a special glass, split down the center into two halves so that each side held its own drink — Aperol Spritz in one, Negroni in the other. Both were bright red with only slightly different shades, and the curve of the glass on the outside made the whole ensemble look like an artsy sculpture of a heart, two halves becoming one.

"Aww, that’s so cute!" Harper marveled.

"Let’s do it," Eli agreed.

"Told you it’s made just for you!" Chelsea said proudly.

"It looks so cheap and silly," Tyler mumbled.

Everyone else shot him a deadly glare.

Tyler: "... I mean, so chic and sweetly."

Then he immediately buried his head back into the menu.

"... Alright, let’s get my brother something classy and proper that suits him better instead." Perhaps served with a huge dash of bitters, too, though Harper kindly kept that thought to herself. "How about a round of Prosecco for a toast? New job, new home, new friends ... I think the occasion deserves something sparkly for a celebration."

Thankfully, the grumpy brother didn’t protest this time. So Harper placed their drink orders, got a tray of assorted olives and bread to go with it, and continued to browse the entrée options as everyone leisurely nibbled on the snacks.

"So, Tyler, right?" Chelsea was the first to start chatting again when their two hosts were busy leaning against each other and pointing at the menu in front of the other person. "Harper said you work in finance as well? Congrats on the new job and the move — what do you do exactly?"

Harper, busy trying to convince Eli to split a braised veal and risotto with her so that they could compare the restaurant’s cooking skills to his, looked up from the menu with a casual interest. Tyler hadn’t been too detailed about his interview the last time he was here, so even she didn’t know exactly what the job title he was interviewing for was.

"One could say management or administrative," Tyler replied. "The position I’m hired for was newly created for me, with no predecessors at the company, so they don’t have an official title for it yet. I’m hoping they’ll get that sorted out before I officially start in a few days."

Hmm. Interesting.

"Interesting," Chelsea voiced the same opinion with curiosity. "Is it a small company you’re starting at? I haven’t seen new positions being created just for new hires like that, but I suppose it must not be uncommon when firms expand or get merged."

"It’s a local investment bank that’s been pushing aggressively into the regional market, kind of like where Sterling Trust was a few years ago." Talking about his new job was apparently putting Tyler in a better mood now, as he was visibly looking less grumpy and getting more chatty. "The name is Sanderson Funds. Have you heard of it?"

Harper hadn’t, since finance was neither her expertise nor interest. But from the way Chelsea’s mouth fell open ... clearly she had.