CHAPTER 46: THE TASTE OF THE PAST

"M-man, don’t you trust us?" Calyx asked, trying to sound casual but inwardly nervous. "Do we look like we’re hiding something from you?"

Rome turned and stared at Calyx, his expression unreadable.

"Not really," he said coldly. "But it feels like one of you is."

He gave a shrug, brushing it off like it didn’t matter. "Anyway, as long as it doesn’t involve me, I don’t care."

With that, Rome turned on his heel and walked straight to his car.

"I’ll be the one choosing the restaurant," he called over his shoulder. "Just follow me, Alpheus. The rest of you—come if you want."

He climbed into his car and started the engine.

Dave, Alpheus, Calyx, and Alfonso looked at each other the moment Rome drove off, all letting out a collective sigh of relief.

"Does that guy have a sixth sense or something?" Calyx muttered. "How the hell did he know we’re hiding something?"

"Maybe because of you, idiot," Alfonso shot back. "Out of all of us, you’ve got the loosest mouth. He probably picked up on it from the way you were acting."

"What are you talking about?" Calyx frowned. "I was careful with everything I said and did! I made sure not to let anything slip."

"Oh really? Who was the genius who suggested we all go to a bar—in the middle of the blazing sun?" Dave said, raising a brow as he opened his car door. "Only you would come up with something that suspicious. Tsk."

"What—?!" Calyx began to protest, but Alfonso clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"I get you, bro, so don’t stress about it. You’ll just give yourself a headache if you overthink. Let’s go," Alfonso said with a smirk before climbing into Alpheus’s car.

"Hey, guys—" Calyx was about to protest again.

"Come on, guys! Let’s follow Rome before he ditches us!" Alpheus called out as he got into the driver’s seat.

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Moments later...

"What’s your order, sirs?" Sylvia asked flatly, staring blankly at the five men seated in the restaurant where she worked.

She didn’t bother hiding the deadly glare she was giving them, making it nearly impossible for four of them to look her in the eye.

Instead, they all simultaneously turned their heads toward Rome—the very reason they were there in the first place.

Rome, on the other hand, just sat casually, his eyes fixed on Sylvia. Not once did he glance away from her, even though Sylvia didn’t return the look he was giving her.

"Uhmm... I’ll have the Sole Meunière à la Truffe, please," Alfonso said before quickly averting his gaze.

"I-I’ll j-just order the Soufflé Grand Marnier.." Calyx stammered.

"Do you have A5 Wagyu Teppanyaki? I’ll take that if it’s available. Thanks." Dave added.

Sylvia’s expression remained unreadable, but her eyes narrowed.

"Are you being sarcastic right now, or what?" she asked dryly.

"Huh? W-why? Did we... did we do something wrong?" Calyx asked nervously.

Sylvia clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"Tsk. You walked into a Filipino restaurant and expected to be served French and Japanese gourmet dishes? Are you serious right now?" she snapped, her sarcasm barely concealed.

"Pffft—haha-ha..ha!"

Alpheus couldn’t hold back his laughter at the sight of his friends squirming under Sylvia’s glare. But the moment she turned her eyes on him, his laughter died instantly, and he straightened up in an instant.

"And you, sir?" Sylvia asked sharply. "You’re not planning to order Caviar Nigiri for lunch too, are you?"

"H-haha, of course not!" Alpheus replied with an awkward chuckle. "I mean, I would love some Caviar Nigiri, but I’m not as dumb as my friends to actually try ordering that here. I’ll just have the usual—pork adobo with coffee."

His friends immediately turned to glare at Alpheus, betrayal written all over their faces.

"This isn’t your first time coming here?" Alfonso asked Alpheus.

Alpheus glanced briefly at Rome, who was giving him a cold look, before quickly averting his gaze.

"Y-yes... I always have my l-lunch here... and the food tastes great," Alpheus replied, his voice faltering slightly. Then, after a short pause, he looked up at Sylvia. "Now that I think about it, are you the one who cooks the food here?"

Sylvia simply raised a brow at him.

"My job here is just washing dishes and waiting tables. And now you expect me to cook too?" she snapped, unable to hold back her sarcasm.

"Pfftt—"

At that moment, the four of them suddenly turned to Rome.

"Ehem... ehem..."

Though he had looked cold and unreadable earlier, seeing Alpheus and the others casually chatting with Sylvia stirred something in him. He couldn’t help but chuckle after watching his friends get roasted by her.

He had come here wanting to see her... to hear her voice again. And yet, the attention she gave wasn’t for him—but for his friends.

Tsk. What was he even thinking? He should be angry at her. But instead, his emotions were all over the place—confused, conflicted, and more than anything, frustrated.

"Tsk... And you, sir? What’s your order?" Sylvia asked, rolling her eyes at him.

"I’ll just have the usual as well." Rome finally said.

The other four raised their brows at him.

Sylvia’s brows furrowed even deeper.

"Usual? Even you, Rome?" Calyx remarked meaningfully, narrowing his eyes at both him and Sylvia.

"Yes. As usual." Rome repeated, then looked straight into Sylvia’s eyes.

"The usual—the one you used to cook for me. I want you to serve it to me."

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Sylvia’s Point of View

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What... the hell?

"Huh... h-haha... what a joke, sir. You must be dreaming if you really think I used to cook for you." I forced a dry laugh and tried to keep my face neutral.

Stay calm, Sylvia... He’s just trying to get under your skin. Don’t let him see you’re affected.

I kept repeating that to myself over and over, even as I felt my tightly bottled-up emotions beginning to rise—anger that I had tried so hard to suppress.

"Oh? But I still remember the taste of your cooking back then. I’ve been craving it today." Rome leaned forward on the table, resting his chin on one hand as he looked at me intently.

"Name your price if you want. I’ll pay—just as long as you’re the one who cooks it."

The moment those words left his mouth, all four of his friends let out a chorus of whistles.

My hands clenched into fists under the table before I could stop myself.

If we weren’t in a restaurant, and if there weren’t so many people watching, I probably would’ve punched him by now.

I needed to stay calm, no matter how pissed off I was.

Deep breaths, Sylvia. Just pretend he’s some lunatic who isn’t worth your time or attention...

"Sylvia! What are you still doing there!? We have a line of customers waiting to be served!"

My boss’s sharp voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

It was the busy hour, and now, thanks to Rome and his friends, the crowd had only grown worse.

"W-wait, Sir. I’ll just take their order."

I turned to face the five men.

"So, what would you like to order, sirs? We have a menu you can check."

"We don’t serve fancy French dishes or overpriced meals like the ones you’re probably used to. But we do have good food here—hopefully something your high-class stomachs can handle."

I couldn’t help but be sarcastic as I handed them the menu. What do you expect from guys born with silver spoons? They probably don’t even recognize these kinds of dishes.

Calyx scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he accepted the menu and scanned it.

"We haven’t tried any of these before. Maybe you can just cook something for us? Like the ones you used to make for Rome?"

The moment he said that, all eyes turned to Calyx—and then an uncomfortable silence fell over the table.

I shot him a sharp glare. I’m doing my best not to explode, but he’s clearly testing my patience.