Chapter 38 Ramen Date
Finished
The shop owner glanced over twice before snapping back to her duties and guiding them to their seats. “What’ll you have?”
Azalea turned to Hubert, sitting across from her. “What do you want, Mr. Lennox?”
“As they say, it’s your party.”
“Okay, one Volcano Seafood Risotto and one grilled chicken salad,” said Azalea. The owner nodded and quickly went back to the kitchen.
Hubert raised an eyebrow. He knew Azalea was tight on cash, but there was no way she’d be so cheap that she’d take the priciest option for herself while leaving the cheapest for him.
Feeling his gaze, Azalea flushed slightly. Aside from the first time he took her out to eat, this was the first time they’d shared a meal like this, face to face.
“Mr. Lennox, what are you staring at?”
“You, obviously.” His blunt answer caught Azalea mid–sip, making her choke on her water.
She coughed violently, while Hubert gave her a mock–annoyed look and patted her back.
“You know it’s mostly kids who choke on water, yes?”
His look wasn’t just playful–it was genuinely teasing.
You think I wanted to choke myself? Are you listening to yourself?
Frustrated, Azalea shot him a sideways glare.
Though her eyes showed a hint of reproach after the coughing fit, the expression came off more like playful whining than real anger.
Under her gaze, Hubert rubbed his fingers absentmindedly, a slow smile creeping onto his face. She was beyond adorable. He almost wanted to pinch her.
“Here’s your order!” The owner brought over their food swiftly.
From the moment Azalea entered the joint, the owner had been trying to figure out their connection, stealing glances while working. With years of experience, she was almost sure these two were a couple.
Azalea’s appetite was no joke. The risotto was ridiculously good, but it was spicy–that was the shop’s signature dish.
She nudged the risotto toward Hubert. “You can have this.”
The owner shot a sharp look at Hubert, her eyes mixing disbelief with a hint of reprimand. “I say, young man, you’re old enough to have a job, aren’t you? Yet here you are, bringing your … highschool–age girlfriend to a cheap joint only to have her eat salad?”
Then she turned her gaze toward Azalea, her tone no less direct. “My dear girl, you’re barely of age. You need to be careful about who you trust. Don’t get taken in just because someone seems friendly.”
Her bluntness left no room for doubt–as if she was outright accusing Hubert of being some sort of villain who lured an innocent girl away from safety.
Hubert found it both amusing and awkward to be painted as a schemer preying on innocent girls. Azalea’s cheeks flushed, and she quickly waved off the misunderstanding. “No, you’ve got it all wrong–we’re not like that. He’s family.”
Hubert, her boyfriend? That idea alone sent a chill down Azalea’s spine. Anyone who could survive dating Hubert had to be seriously intimidating.
“Yeah, she’s my niece,” Hubert said, but seeing Azalea avoid his gaze stirred an odd flicker of irritation inside him.
1/2
5:58 PM PP.
Chapter 38 Ramen Date
The owner glanced around uncertainly, but since Hubert seemed so open and honest, she didn’t press further.
Finished
The moment the owner left, Azalea dropped her head and covered her face with her hands, muttering softly, “Uh…”
Hubert grinned, took a clean fork, rinsed some beef from his bowl in water, and carefully passed it to Azalea. “Call me ‘Uncle Hubert.”
By the time the meal ended, Azalea’s stomach was twisted with nerves.
For reasons nobody quite understood–maybe inspired by the carlier teasing–Hubert insisted they’d known cach other. forever. Calling him “Mr. Lennox” sounded weird, so she should call him “Uncle Hubert,” just like Wylie did.
He was clearly hooked on this whole “family elder” role.
Though feeling teased, Azalea kept her head clear, thinking about the investment ahead, and obediently said, “Uncle Hubert.
“This place is famous for its Volcanic Seafood Risotto,” she added quickly. “I couldn’t afford it before, and I can’t eat it, at least for now. That’s why I needed you to try it out for me, Uncle Hubert.”
After that first time, the new title slipped off her tongue naturally. Wylie was a friend, so calling Hubert “Uncle” didn’t feel strange.
Azalea took it in stride, but Hubert felt a strange pull. Wylie calls him “Uncle” every day, and he doesn’t even feel a damn thing, but hearing Azalea say it? It sounds incredibly sweet.
It seems nephews and nieces are different, after all.
Back at the base, Wylie was still having his meal, oblivious to the fact that his uncle was finding every single fault he had.
Hubert got themselves a bowl of tomato soup. “You might want this soup. It’ll add some flavor to your … very healthy food.”
Steam from the soup drifted lazily around Hubert’s face, shrouding him in a soft, distant haze.
Azalea paused, then quickly lowered her head to eat before Hubert’s curious gaze could catch her.
As she looked down, Hubert’s eyes caught the soft blush behind her ear, and a gentle smile played at his lips. It brought back the memory of the first time he saw her at the orphanage.
He was 18 then–a prodigy who’d skipped many grades and taken over the company. He was there on a charity visit.
The little girl with pigtails was wise beyond her age. While the orphanage buzzed with crying and chaos, she sat quietly in a corner, focused on the sketchbook in her hands.
Send Gifts
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