Chapter 337: We Are In Trouble

Mia smiled bitterly. “I know. I’m not blaming her.”

“Hmm… I know.”

“But, Ava, you are also always busy with your fiancé,” Mia continued, giving Ava a knowing look. “You are suddenly very difficult to find whenever you answer his calls, which always happens. As if you are disappearing.”

Ava raised an eyebrow, speechless. “Excuse me, lady!? I am not disappearing when I answer his call.”

“Oh, yes, you are.”

“I just answer his calls because it’s rude not to. That’s called being polite.”

“Sister, you once left me in the middle of a conversation because he said he missed you.”

Ava laughed. “Yeah, he did miss me a lot.”

“He had seen you that morning.”

“That doesn’t mean he couldn’t miss me by dinner.”

Mia rolled her eyes, but seconds later she was smiling again. “See!? This is exactly what I’m talking about.”

Ava picked up her glass and took a sip. She understood what Mia was trying to say, and she couldn’t blame her.

After a few seconds in silence, Ava added, “And Riley is busy with his work. So, yes, things have changed.”

Mia sighed heavily as she looked around the restaurant again. “Everyone has their own life now.”

“That’s life, Mia,” Ava replied calmly. “We have to move forward, whether it’s with work or relationships. People change, circumstances change, and sometimes friendships change too. It doesn’t necessarily mean people stop caring.”

Mia gave her a bitter smile because she wholeheartedly agreed.

“I know. That’s why I envy you and Sienna. You both…” Mia stopped before finishing her sentence because her gaze suddenly landed on someone at the top of the stairs.

Mia blinked, wondering if she had somehow mistaken the person she was seeing. She blinked again, but the man was still there.

‘What the heck, Riley! Why is he here now?’ she thought, looking at Riley, who stood at the top of the stairs, scanning the restaurant as if searching for someone.

Mia stared at him for a few seconds, trying to understand why he had suddenly appeared after being unreachable all day. The timing could not have been worse. The staff had already started eating, and the restaurant had treated his canceled gathering as an excuse to reward everyone.

Then she slowly turned toward Ava, her expression changing as she lowered her voice. “Ava, we’re in trouble.”

Ava frowned in confusion. “In trouble? What do you mean, Mia?”

“R-Riley. He’s coming.”

Ava followed Mia’s gaze and immediately looked toward the stairs. Her eyes widened when she saw Riley walking down and heading directly toward them. She quickly looked at their nearly empty plates before turning back to Mia.

“What the hell? Why is he coming now when we’re almost done?”

Mia stared at Riley as he continued walking toward them, and neither woman could think of a good explanation for what had happened.

They had followed Sienna’s instructions, but Riley had finally decided to show up at the worst possible time, leaving Mia and Ava with the uncomfortable task of dealing with him themselves.

Riley smiled as he pulled out a chair and sat beside Ava. He briefly returned her surprised smile before turning his gaze toward Mia, who was seated across from him.

“I see you’ve already started the party without me,” he said calmly as he picked up an empty glass and poured himself some wine.

“R-Riley… why didn’t you call us back?” Mia asked carefully. The guilt in her eyes was impossible to hide. Although she knew they had followed Sienna’s instructions, Riley had still made the reservation and paid for the entire gathering. Seeing him arrive so late made her feel uncomfortable about how things had turned out.

Instead of answering immediately, Riley lifted the glass to his lips and drank until it was empty. He set it back on the table and glanced around the restaurant.

The staff was still enjoying themselves. Some chatted as they finished their meals, while others laughed together over drinks. What had originally been prepared for Riley and his team had now turned into a dinner for the restaurant employees.

A soft chuckle escaped his lips before he looked back at Mia and Ava.

“I’m sorry. Something happened, and I didn’t have time to check my phone,” Riley explained calmly. However, despite his relaxed expression, there was still a trace of anger in his voice that neither woman failed to notice.

Ava’s expression immediately softened. “Riley, I feel bad now…”

He looked at her but said nothing, allowing her to continue.

“Since I thought you and your team weren’t coming, Sienna and I decided to give the food to the staff. It would have been a shame to throw everything away after the kitchen had already prepared it.”

Ava paused briefly and carefully watched his expression. She wanted to make sure he understood they hadn’t decided to eat his reserved food without considering him.

“We waited for you until eight, Riley… but you didn’t come, and we couldn’t contact you. So, we started letting everyone enjoy dinner instead. I hope you understand.”

She ended with a faint smile, although she was still uncertain about how he would react.

To her surprise, Riley’s expression gradually softened.

“I understand, Ava.” A small smile appeared on his lips as he looked at her. “You don’t have to apologize for that. I’m actually glad you and Sienna decided to let the staff enjoy the dinner.”

Mia and Ava exchanged a quick glance.

Neither of them could understand how Riley could remain so calm about losing such a large amount of money. He had booked the entire restaurant for his team, and the cost was certainly not small. Yet he acted as though it meant nothing to him.

“Thank you, Riley,” Ava finally said with a relieved smile. “Have you had dinner yet?”

“Not yet.” Riley shook his head. “Do you still have anything I can—”

Ava immediately stood up from her chair before he could finish his sentence. “Of course. Wait here. I’ll get you some yummy food.”

Riley chuckled when he saw how quickly her mood had changed. “Thank you, Ava.”

She smiled at him before preparing to leave, but Riley added, “Ah, and bring me another bottle of wine or champagne.”

Ava looked at the empty glass in front of him and raised an eyebrow. “Another bottle?”

“Please.”