Chapter 27

Elaine tried to pull her hand back, but Marcus was gripping it tightly, showing no sign of letting go. A wave of unease and nervousness hit her hard—she'd totally trapped herself with that one sentence just now. Marcus definitely caught that. "I didn't know you liked eating stuff like this," his gaze intense, eyes locked onto her like spotlights. Elaine knew damn well now wasn't the time to waver. Best strategy? Meet his eyes, stand her ground, and act like nothing's wrong. After giving herself a quick mental pep talk, she flashed him a cheery smile. "You're always buried in work. Feels like it's been forever since we had dinner together, huh?" From Audrey's memories, they'd basically never shared a meal. Elaine couldn't help wondering—what would Marcus think after hearing that? Would he maybe, just maybe, feel even a tiny bit bad? But honestly, she highly doubted it. If he had an ounce of guilt, he wouldn't have treated her that way in the first place. So she casually added, "Eating a