CHAPTER 62: UNINVITED THIRD SEAT

That’s where the complicated relationship between them began. Maybe it was because they shared a first-time experience, an unspoken bond formed between them, pulling them closer and keeping their connection alive. It all came to an end when Bianca found out about Rafael’s engagement to Miranda.

Meanwhile, Adrian, who had just entered the steakhouse, suddenly stopped in his tracks as his eyes caught sight of something. His eyes narrowed. His brow furrowed as he saw a woman and a man sitting across from each other, deeply engaged in conversation. The sight immediately darkened his mood.

But a voice in his head urged him not to jump to conclusions. Trying to calm himself, Adrian took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He did it several times until he felt composed. Once he managed to steady himself, Adrian—wearing an expression that was hard to read, walked toward the table where Bianca and Rafael were sitting.

Because Bianca was sitting with her back to Adrian, she couldn’t see that he was now walking toward their table. But Rafael was a different story. If Bianca couldn’t see Adrian, Rafael had already noticed his friend the moment Adrian stepped into the restaurant.

Their table’s position, not too far from the entrance, made it easy for Rafael to see anyone coming in and out of the restaurant. Still, his attention wasn’t always fixed there.

Yet, Adrian’s presence, someone who naturally drew attention was impossible for Raf to ignore. As Adrian scanned the room looking for someone or something, Rafael quickly turned his gaze away, pretending not to see his friend. He felt a little nervous for some reason, worried Adrian might notice his meeting with Bianca, even though there was no reason to hide it.

"Adrian," Rafael immediately stood as Adrian approached them.

Rafael’s voice made Bianca, who had been sipping her drink, stop and quickly twist her neck backward.

"Adrian," she said, surprised, already standing up herself.

A pang of guilt hit her for having lunch with Rafael without letting Adrian know first.

"Raf," Adrian, now standing beside Bianca, greeted Rafael with a small nod. He then wrapped an arm around Bianca’s waist and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek.

"Babe,"

Bianca, still a little dazed from Adrian’s sudden appearance, just froze. She only fully came back to herself when Adrian took his seat beside her. She quickly returned to her chair.

"Zak’s been trying to reach you, Raf. That kid has been calling you non-stop, but your phone’s dead," Adrian started, making sure Bianca didn’t feel awkward about his sudden arrival.

"My phone ran out of battery. Why’s he looking for me?"

"Wants to have lunch together."

"Lunch?"

"Yeah. I’m waiting for him here. We planned to have lunch together, and he was going to invite you too, but your phone wasn’t on." Adrian offered a faint smile.

Though briefly surprised and slightly annoyed, Adrian chose to trust Bianca. He knew she had her reasons for meeting Rafael without telling him first. And honestly, he trusted Rafael too. His friend wasn’t the type to stab anyone in the back.

Bianca, who remained silent while listening to the conversation between Adrian and Rafa, cursed her own foolishness in her mind. She had forgotten that when she was still Adrian’s secretary, the three men often arranged lunches together at this steakhouse. She hadn’t considered the high chance that she and Rafael could run into Adrian and Zak here.

Then she realized she had forgotten—at that time, she actually knew Adrian’s schedule and where he usually ate, so she and Rafael would often meet at this steakhouse when Adrian was dining somewhere else. But this time... why was she so unlucky?

As a result of her carelessness, she felt like banging her head on the table.

But as Bianca observed, Adrian seemed perfectly calm. His expression didn’t show any anger or displeasure. The man didn’t even seem jealous. Yet, Bianca didn’t feel relieved. Instead, she felt anxious. She worried that Adrian might have misunderstood and was just pretending to act normal.

Perhaps because of her growing anxiety, Bianca suddenly felt nauseous. She looked at the two men and forced a faint smile.

"Excuse me... I think I need to go to the restroom for a moment," she said quietly.

Adrian, who had been talking to Rafael, immediately turned to her, concern in his voice. "Are you okay, babe?"

"It’s nothing. Just... women’s stuff," Bianca replied with a small shake of her head, trying to sound casual.

Rafael, witnessing their closeness, gave a stiff, polite smile.

Without further questions, Bianca quickly stood up, leaving the two men alone at the table.

When they were finally alone, Adrian leaned back slightly and said, cutting straight to the point, "So, Raf, since it’s just the two of us now, there’s something I need to talk to you about."

The look on Adrian’s face told Rafael this wasn’t going to be a light conversation. Somehow, he could already guess what Adrian was about to bring up.

"I know about your past with my wife," Adrian said quietly, his tone weighted.

Just as Rafael suspected, Adrian wanted to talk about his history with Bianca. He sighed, leaning forward and resting his right hand on the table.

"Listen, Adrian, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea," Rafael began, his voice steady. "Meeting Bianca today doesn’t mean anything. What we had is over, we broke up long before you married her."

He paused, exhaling before continuing. "She asked to see me because she didn’t want me to slip up again like I did in Bali. She didn’t want you misunderstanding, and neither do I."

Rafael leaned back slightly, his gaze firm. "I’m not trying to take Bianca away from you, Adrian. I’d never do that to you. Our friendship isn’t that shallow."

He gave a faint, almost tired smile. "And honestly... as much as the breakup hurt, our friendship is just as important to me. I don’t want to lose a friend like you, Adrian," Rafael explained sincerely from the bottom of his heart.

***