Chapter 6 I Really Want to Devour You

After Elodie and Lester bailed, Alice plopped down on the bed, sneering to herself.

Elodie just couldn't handle seeing her outshine Clara.

She'd never forget the jealousy in Elodie's eyes when she return to the Savoy Villa, and Elodie's smug look when she showed up in that hideous, over-the-top outfit the nex day.

She lost her mom at five, and Lester, calling her a bad luck charm, shipped her off to the sticks. Not long after, her stepmom Elodie and Clara, who was her age, moved in.

Alice grew up eating whatever the neighbors gave her until she was eight, then her teacher took her in.

When she turned twenty, on her birthday, Lester showed up in the countryside. She was visiting the neighbors who'd raised her. Lester, all teary-eyed, apologized and wanted to bring her home.

Moved by Lester's "sincere" act, she talked it over with her teacher and went back to Loshanda with him.

Honestly, Alice didn't expect to get along with the Savoy Family, considering Lester had ditched her before.

But people always craved family. So even though Alice knew Lester had abandoned her, she still held onto a sliver of hope.

Of course, her return to Loshanda wasn't just about family. It was also about a guy.

But after coming back, she found out the real reason Lester wanted her back.

The Savoy Family's company was tanking. Lester, using the fact that her grandpa had once saved Dash, hoped to set up a marriage with the Howard Family.

Dash valued loyalty and gratitude. So he agreed to let her grandson Oliver, who fit the age bill, fulfill the marriage contract.

Alice already had someone she liked, so she wasn't about to marry Oliver and decided to make herself look hideous.

The first time Oliver saw her, he looked like he'd swallowed a lemon.

Meanwhile, Clara's pretty face looked even more stunning.

Since Oliver couldn't dodge the arranged marriage, he naturally picked Clara.

Oliver and Clara were super close in private and even hooked up. They thought Alice was clueless. During the three months back at the Savoy Family, after Clara's constant provocations and Lester's favoritism towards Clara, Alice had no more illusions about this family.

Alice staged the kidnapping not just to break off the engagement with Oliver and expose his thing with Clara, but also to get closer to the guy she had her eye on, Oliver's uncle, Henry!

Taking a deep breath, Alice opened her bag and started munching on breakfast. No way was she letting a bunch of jerks ruin her mood.

At noon, Henry was having lunch with a business partner at the Royal Orchid Restaurant. While waiting for the elevator, he heard something.

"Clara loves the food here. This morning, I went to see that witch Alice, and she actually had breakfast from a fancy restaurant. Does she deserve it?" Elodie craned her neck like a snooty peacock.

"Definitely not." Zoey Cooper snorted, "That witch has no education, no manners. If it weren't for her pretty face and her potential in the Savoy Family's marriage deal, I'd have sent her back to the sticks."

"By the way, Mom. The heir of the Johnson Family is back from abroad. Should we set something up?" Elodie grinned.

Zoey looked at her. "You mean Mr. Johnson, the one who was rumored to have abused his girlfriend and then went abroad to lay low?"

Elodie smiled, "Yep, that's him."

Zoey nodded, "Alright, have Lester contact the Johnson Family and bring that witch Alice along."

They had no clue someone else was eavesdropping on every word.

The elevator door opened. Henry and his crew stepped in.

Since there were too many people, Elodie and Zoey had to wait for the next one.

Once in the private room, Henry sat at the head of the table, his eyes dark and serious. He glanced at Ethan, who got the hint and leaned in.

After Henry whispered something, Ethan nodded and left the room.

Elodie and Zoey sat by the big floor-to-ceiling windows, all prim and proper, looking every bit the wealthy women they were.

Elodie waved her hand. "Waiter! Order, please."

The waiter was about to head over when the manager stepped in and went over himself.

Elodie smoothed her perfectly styled hair and grinned smugly, "Looks like the manager remembers us and is ready to give us the VIP treatment."

Even though Zoey was over sixty, she looked like time had barely touched her. She smiled wide, "Of course, no high-end place can ignore Oliver's influence." As the manager got to their table, Elodie spoke up, "I'll have the steak."

"We don't have it."

"Okay, foie gras then."

"We don't have it."

"Salmon?"

"We don't have it."

Elodie was taken aback. "What's the deal? Are these dishes not available today?"

The manager put on a professional fake smile and said, "I'm sorry, but from now on, our restaurant won't serve anyone from the Savoy Family."

"What?" Elodie's voice went up a notch, and she angrily slapped the table. "What are you talking about?"

The manager smiled, "Orders from above. Please leave."

Elodie immediately called Clara, "Clara, your grandma and I are at the Royal Orchid Restaurant trying to order for you, but there's a problem. They said they won't serve anyone from the Savoy Family. Can you ask Oliver if there's some misunderstanding?"

Clara frowned and said, "Mom, hang on. I'll ask Oliver."

After hanging up, Elodie glared at the manager, "You better think twice. How dare you offend me!"

Hearing her words, the manager's face darkened, and he waved his hand, "Security, get these two out!"

Four security guards rushed over and escorted Zoey and Elodie out of the restaurant. Elodie had never been so humiliated. Just as she was about to storm back in to confront the manager, she saw him putting up a sign at the main entrance.

The sign read: [Pets and the Savoys Are Not Admitted!]

Zoey was shaking with anger, "This is an outrageous insult. What's going on?"

Elodie pursed her lips, "Mom, don't worry. Clara is asking Oliver."

On the other end, Clara told Oliver about the situation. Oliver immediately checked with the manager and found out that the order came straight from the top.

Oliver was lying on the bed, wincing in pain with every move.

His face was full of embarrassment, "Clara, I asked. This order came from the top."

Tears streamed down Clara's face. "Oliver, why is this happening? Alice bullies me, and now outsiders are bullying me too."

"Forget it, don't be sad. The owner of the Royal Orchid Restaurant is very mysterious. There's nothing I can do. Have your mom order from somewhere else."

Clara nodded, "Alright then."

After getting Clara's call, Elodie was in a foul mood.

She figured Lester must've pissed off the owner of the Royal Orchid Restaurant, causing them this embarrassment, so she called Lester and gave him an earful.

After the rant, Elodie looked at the manager and said, "We won't come back. Take down the sign!"

The manager smiled, "I'm sorry, ma'am. Our boss said the sign stays up for forty-nine days!"

Forty-nine days?

Wouldn't the Savoy Family's dignity be completely trashed?

Just as Elodie was about to step forward, several burly security guards blocked her.

Zoey knew they couldn't afford to mess with them. After all, she'd heard the owner of the Royal Orchid Restaurant was a tough character. She tugged Elodie's hand. "Let's go. We'll order somewhere else."

Meanwhile, inside the private room.

Henry lowered his eyes and kept staring at Alice's profile picture on Facebook. After a long while, he sent a message.

Henry: [What do you want to eat?]

He looked at the chat box and waited for a long time before Alice replied: [Anything is fine.]

Imagining Alice pondering over what to eat at that moment, he couldn't help but chuckle.

The people at the table exchanged glances. They'd never seen Henry so gentle before and couldn't help but wonder who he was messaging. Could it be Henry's girlfriend?

Henry didn't reply to Alice again and decided to order some of his favorite foods.

After putting away his phone, he looked up, his cold demeanor snapping back into place.

What he didn't know was that Alice originally wanted to send: [I really want you!]