Mr. CEO's Substitute Bride-Chapter 1034 - 1030: You Remind Me of a Friend

After resting at home for a few days, Beatrice Hargrave was sent to study with a professional teacher, while Nicholas Croft, despite knowing Henry Hargrave wouldn’t sign his daughter over to him, still wanted to try.

Taking advantage of the lunch break, he found time to visit the venue where Beatrice was training, using the excuse of handling some business to trick Beatrice into going to a restaurant.

Perhaps because Beatrice was the same age as Sophie Foster, while ordering, Nicholas stuck to Sophie’s preferences, opting mostly for spicy and meaty dishes that filled the small table.

"Do you... really like spicy food?" Holding back a vague feeling in her heart, Beatrice asked puzzled.

Nicholas smiled, his gaze falling on the dishes on the table, "A friend of mine used to love spicy food, about your age, so..."

As he spoke, he suddenly raised his eyes, "Don’t you like it? If not, we can reorder."

"No need, it’s fine." Beatrice waved her hand, noticing that Nicholas hadn’t started eating, so she didn’t start either.

For some reason, Beatrice didn’t inquire about the "friend" he mentioned, leaving Nicholas unexpectedly disappointed.

He picked up his chopsticks first, saying, "Let’s eat, the dishes won’t taste good when they’re cold."

Beatrice also picked up her chopsticks, placed a small piece of food on her plate, and then delivered it to her mouth.

While eating, Nicholas secretly observed her, noticing from her elegant eating manner that she was a well-mannered girl, unlike Sophie Foster, who would shove food into her mouth without pause, happily saying that it was the only way to truly enjoy the feast.

Seeing Nicholas occasionally looking in her direction, Beatrice put down her chopsticks, instinctively touched her face with no makeup, then dabbed her lips with a napkin, asking doubtfully, "Is there food on my face?"

"No," Nicholas slightly curved his lips as he picked up a piece of spicy rabbit meat and placed it on Beatrice’s plate.

Beatrice felt confused, "Then why are you looking at me?"

"Because you remind me of a friend," Nicholas said, slightly dazed, looking through her as if seeing someone else.

Beatrice blinked, asking, "A friend close to you?"

Nicholas returned to himself, took a deep breath, lowered his gaze, with an expression that Beatrice couldn’t fathom, "Very close, she... she’s the woman I deeply love."

Beatrice’s hands on the table tightened involuntarily, she smiled and said, "Aren’t you worried I’ll tell my sister this?"

Nicholas suddenly raised his eyes, looking seriously at Beatrice, "Hannah Hargrave and I are just collaborators."

"But..." Beatrice’s intertwined fingers fidgeted, echoing the thrill in her heart, "Everyone in the family says you’re her fiancé."

"That’s what they assume." Nicholas lowered his gaze again, his expression turning colder, as he picked up his chopsticks and placed fish belly into Beatrice’s plate, "Eat more, the pickled fish here is authentic."

Looking at the fish belly in her plate, Beatrice quietly took a breath, picking up her chopsticks to try a piece, three years on, and it’s still the same taste, unchanged, just like... the man opposite her.

While savoring the fish belly, she tentatively asked, "Since you love that woman so much, why did you break up with her?"

Hearing Beatrice’s question, Nicholas paused his movements, raised his eyes to meet Beatrice’s curious gaze, put down his chopsticks, and wiped his fingers with a napkin, sighing, "I didn’t want to break up with her, it was she who didn’t want me anymore."