The Unexpected Response To An Offer

Melissa’s POV

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Stephanie’s whisper landed exactly where she intended.

For a moment, I felt the sting of her words. Not because I wanted Sebastian back, but because the woman standing before me seemed determined to turn every wound into another reason to humiliate me.

I slowly lifted my eyes to her face.

I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of looking away. “Are you finished?”

Stephanie’s smile faltered. Her eyes narrowed as though she hadn’t expected me to respond so calmly.

“Excuse me?” she asked, letting out a short, disbelieving laugh. “Did you just ask if I was finished?”

I held her gaze without flinching. “You know what, Stephanie? You’re beginning to bore me.”

My words wiped the smile off her face for a brief moment.

Sebastian let out a disbelieving laugh, shaking his head as though I had just confirmed everything he thought was wrong with me.

“Still pretending you’re better than everyone else, aren’t you?”

I turned to him, my eyes narrowing slightly.

“No, Sebastian. I’m simply refusing to pretend that you’re worth being upset over.”

His smile vanished, and Stephanie’s fingers tightened around his arm. “Watch your mouth, Melissa.”

“Or what?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’ll sleep with my next fiancé, too?”

A few people nearby exchanged startled glances.

Stephanie’s face flushed with anger. “You arrogant little…”

“Enough!” Sebastian snapped, his voice cutting through the restaurant.

I stared at him coldly. “Funny. You never seemed to have this much authority when you were busy lying to me.”

His jaw tightened.

“You’re thirty-one years old, Melissa. A single mother with a failed engagement. And you still think you can stand there and talk to people however you want?”

My fingers curled around my handbag.

There it was again.

My age. My son. My failed relationship.

Apparently, those were the only things Sebastian could use against me.

I drew a slow breath before giving him a thin smile. “Thank you for reminding me why I left you.”

I turned to leave, but Stephanie wasn’t finished.

“Where are you going? Back to your little boy?” She laughed softly. “Honestly, Melissa, I almost feel sorry for him. Imagine growing up knowing your own mother couldn’t even keep a man.”

I stopped and slowly turned around.

“Say whatever you want about me, Stephanie. But don’t you ever use my son to make yourself feel important.”

Her smile widened. “Why? Does the truth hurt?”

“No.” My voice was firm. “Your desperation does.”

Sebastian stepped forward, his expression twisting with anger.

“You really think another man will want you after everything that has happened? No serious man is going to marry a woman with another man’s child.”

I stared at him for a moment before shrugging.

“That’s a decision for the man in question, isn’t it?”

I didn’t wait for his answer. I had wasted enough of my evening on two people who had mistaken my decision to walk away for an invitation to keep hurting me.

All I wanted now was to leave, get into my car, return home to Ethan, and forget this miserable evening had ever happened.

But as I turned towards the exit, my eyes drifted to the corner booth.

And there he was.

The man in the dark blazer.

He sat alone, one arm resting casually on the table, his long fingers curled around a glass of water. His sleeves were pushed up to his forearms, and the expensive watch on his wrist caught the light whenever he moved.

His grey eyes met mine.

Again.

I slowed my steps.

I had noticed him earlier, long before Jake Blackson arrived at my table. I had been passing his table when his voice carried across the short distance.

“If this is another conversation about marriage, save your breath. I’m not interested.”

Sebastian spoke behind me again.

“What’s the matter? Can’t find anyone willing to take you home?”

At that moment, something inside me settled.

Fine.

If Sebastian wanted to believe I was unwanted, perhaps I could give him something else to think about.

My eyes returned to the stranger. He was still watching me, and this time, when our gazes met, he didn’t look away.

Instead, one eyebrow lifted slightly, as though he had noticed my sudden interest in him.

I swallowed.

This is a terrible idea.

I knew that.

I didn’t know his name. I didn’t know what he did for a living or why he was sitting alone. For all I knew, he could be the most insufferable man in New York.

But I also knew one thing.

I couldn’t bear to lose in front of Sebastian and Stephanie.

Taking a steadying breath, I adjusted my handbag and walked towards his table.

Up close, his features were even more striking. His dark hair was neatly styled, his jaw sharply defined, and his grey eyes held a composure that made it difficult to tell what he was thinking.

He set his glass down.

“Hello,” I said.

He made no attempt to stand or offer his hand. He simply leaned back slightly and waited, his eyes fixed on me.

The silence stretched, and I felt the first flicker of nervousness creep into my chest.

But I refused to let it show. “Are you unmarried?”

For the first time, something changed in his expression.

His eyebrows rose slightly as he studied my face for several seconds, as though trying to decide whether I was serious or had simply asked the wrong question.

Then he glanced briefly at the people watching us. When his eyes returned to mine, the corner of his mouth lifted.

“And?”

I drew a breath. “You’re unmarried, and I’m single. If you don’t mind that I already have a child, we can get married.”

The stranger went still.

His fingers stopped moving against the glass.

For a moment, he simply stared at me. Then he placed the glass on the table with deliberate care. “Get married?”

“Yes.”

“To each other?”

I nearly rolled my eyes. “No, to the people watching us. Of course, to each other.”

A faint smile touched his lips, but it disappeared so quickly that I couldn’t be certain it had been there. “Do you usually propose to men you’ve never met?”

“Only when the occasion calls for it.”

“And what occasion would that be?”

I glanced over my shoulder.

Sebastian and Stephanie were staring at us. Jake had twisted around in his chair, his mouth slightly open.

When I faced the stranger again, I raised my chin. “The occasion where a man needs to be reminded that the world doesn’t revolve around him.”

The stranger followed my glance. His gaze settled on Sebastian for a brief moment before returning to me. “Your ex?”

“Unfortunately,” I replied.

“And you want to marry me to make him jealous?”

My lips pressed together. He was observant. Annoyingly so.

“I want to marry you because I asked you a question, and you haven’t answered it.”

He let out a quiet breath that might have been a laugh before leaning forward and resting his forearms on the table.

His expression grew more serious. “What’s your name?”

“Melissa Ashgrove.”

He repeated it slowly. “Melissa Ashgrove.”

Something about the way he said my name made my stomach flutter, though I couldn’t explain why.

His gaze drifted towards Sebastian, who was now approaching our table with an expression of disbelief and fury.

“Have you gone insane, Melissa?” Sebastian shouted. Several diners turned to look, but I ignored him, even when he stopped beside my chair. “Melissa! I’m talking to you!”

I kept my eyes on the man in front of me. “Will you marry me?”

The question hung between us.

The stranger looked at me for a moment before slowly standing.

His height caught me by surprise, but I refused to step back. He adjusted his blazer, his gaze moving over my face as though searching for the smallest sign of hesitation.

He found none.

Or perhaps he found exactly what he wanted.

A smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth.

“Yes.”

I froze, wondering if I had heard him correctly.

“I’ll marry you.”

A gasp swept through the restaurant, and Stephanie’s mouth fell open.

Sebastian stared at the stranger as though he had just announced that he intended to purchase the entire building. Even Jake had risen halfway from his chair.

“Are you both crazy?” Sebastian shouted.

“Melissa, you don’t even know this man!”

I finally turned my head and looked at Sebastian with mild irritation.

Before I could respond, the stranger reached for my hand. His fingers closed around mine, warm and firm. “Shall we go, love?”

My heart gave an unexpected little jump.

I looked down at our joined hands, then up at his face.

He was smiling, not broadly, but enough to suggest that he knew precisely what he was doing.

Though I had no idea what that was, I wasn’t about to question him with every eye in the restaurant fixed on us.

“Of course,” I replied.

The stranger turned towards Sebastian, and his smile disappeared.

“Now, move out of the way.”

Sebastian stepped aside, apparently too stunned to respond immediately.

“Melissa!” he shouted after us. “When this ridiculous performance is over, don’t come crawling back to me!”

The stranger didn’t slow down. He merely tightened his fingers around mine and answered without turning around.

“That day will never come.” And we walked out together.