My Husband's Affair My Anniversary Gift (Lily and David) novel Chapter 286

On the second floor of the restaurant, near the wide window, Rogan stood with a cigarette between his fingers.

Smoke curled lazily around him as he looked down without much interest. Then his eyes paused.

He leaned slightly forward and tilted his chin toward the street below.

“Hey,” he said, glancing sideways at Jabco, who was beside him. “Isn’t that your secretary?”

Jabco frowned and followed Rogan’s gaze.

Down there, near the crowded food stall, Riyana sat at a small table. She was laughing, her head tilted slightly as she spoke to the man across from her.

It was the same man. The one he had seen her with before.

Jabco’s eyes darkened without him realizing it.

The street below was loud and alive. Voices, laughter, clattering plates. The smell of spices floated in the air. Riyana lifted her hand and gently pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. The movement was small, careless, natural.

The evening light softened her pale skin, making it glow in a way Jabco had never really noticed before.

She leaned closer to the menu, pointing at something, saying a few words to the man beside her. He nodded, listening closely. Then Riyana smiled and raised her hand to call the waiter.

That smile hit Jabco harder than he expected.

Rogan let out a low chuckle.

“Looks like your secretary is living quite happily,” he said. “No nonstop work pressure. No boss breathing down her neck.”

Jabco didn’t reply.

He crushed the cigarette in the ashtray, his jaw tight, and turned away from the window. Without another word, he walked out of the private room.

Rogan watched him leave, then looked back down at the street, a knowing look in his eyes.

At the food stall, Riyana looked at the plate John had ordered and frowned slightly.

“Are you sure you can handle this?” she asked, concern clear in her voice. “We’re not teenagers anymore.”

John laughed, clearly amused.

“Come on. We survived it back then.”

Riyana shook her head.

“Barely. You always cried halfway through.”

“That was strategy,” John said with a grin. “Let’s see if I’ve improved.”

She still looked worried.

“This one is really spicy,” she warned. “Even back then, none of us could finish it.”

Before John could reply, the waiter’s loud voice cut through the noise.

“Careful, careful! Hot food coming through!”

A large dish of seafood noodles with clams was placed on the table, steam rising thickly from it.

Riyana instinctively pulled her hands back.

“Be careful,” she said again. “Don’t burn yourself.”

John picked up his chopsticks, eyes shining with challenge.

“Alright,” he said. “Let’s do this.”

Riyana watched him closely, half amused, half worried, unaware that from above, someone else had been watching her with far more complicated feelings.

“Try this,” John said suddenly.

Before Riyana could react, he lifted his chopsticks and held them close to her lips.

She froze.

The stall noise faded for a second, replaced by the sudden awareness of how close he was. Riyana leaned back slightly, eyes flicking to the noodles.

“You know I’m not good with spicy food,” she said, her voice softer than usual.

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