The Unveiling of Secret Queen

Chapter 1082: Chapter 1082: A Friend Has Already Bought the Bill Ahead

Caryn Zachmann seemed to have said something to Audrick Zachmann over the phone. When Audrick came back, his mood was heavy and somber. Noticing that Nathalie Quinlan had set down her chopsticks, he followed suit, seemingly without appetite, and got up, asking, ”Nathalie, are you done? If you are, I’ll go settle the bill.”

”Let me do it, let me do it. How could I let the two of you pay while I’m here?” Stanley Zachmann quickly stood up, blocking his way as if to insist on paying himself.

Watching the two of them bicker about who should pay, Nathalie sat up straight. Her dark, clear eyes, though laced with weariness from lack of sleep, remained calm as she said, ”You don’t need to fight over it. A friend of mine already paid the bill.”

The two men, Stanley and Audrick, froze simultaneously, their argument abruptly halted.

Neither of them made any further move to leave.

Audrick was the first to recover, giving a light laugh. ”Nathalie, how is it that you have friends everywhere you go? Your social circle is just too impressive.”

Even in the Illegal Zone, it was the same.

Mr. Wafford had mentioned that they were able to resolve the issue with the chip smoothly because Nathalie had sought help from someone she knew.

And here in Beijing, even during a simple hot pot meal, Nathalie had a friend volunteer to cover the bill...

Audrick couldn’t quite put into words the complex emotions stirring inside him. What could he say? For the first time in his life, growing up in Beijing as a privileged young master, Audrick experienced what it felt like to have someone ”watching his back” when he went out.

And the one who had his back wasn’t anyone else—it was his own little sister!

Tilting his head, he couldn’t help teasing, though it was all in good fun. Then, his tone turned hearty and bright: ”Is your friend eating here too? Next time, invite them to join us. I’ll treat! It wouldn’t sit right with me if we took their generosity for free.”

Nathalie merely shifted her pose, stood up, and grabbed the backpack she’d tossed aside earlier when she sat down. With an effortless aura, she cast Audrick a casual glance and said, ”We’ll see next time.”

It was only halfway through the meal that Nathalie noticed Govert Griffin’s message informing her that the bill was already taken care of. She tried transferring the money to him, but Govert refused to accept it.

Nathalie half-closed her eyes, her gaze still groggy from lack of sleep.

She knew perfectly well why Govert wouldn’t take the money. Most likely, it was out of respect for the connections between Sadam Vinson and Amadeus Yancey.

But principles were principles. Like Audrick, she wasn’t keen on taking things from others for free—friends included. One couldn’t keep taking advantage of others, or the friendship itself would lose its meaning.

Letting her thoughts settle, Nathalie raised her head again. Her porcelain-white, oval face struck with its exquisite features, the smooth contours of her jawline particularly stunning: ”Where are you heading next?”

”I’m going back to take a shower. I’ve been staying at the hotel these past few days and haven’t had the chance to properly wash up,” Audrick replied, then turned the question back to Nathalie. ”What about you?”

Stanley also looked at Nathalie with genuine curiosity. ”Yeah, Nathalie, what about you?”

Nathalie’s backpack was nearly weightless with how little she had packed. She held it in one hand while the other hand lifted to pull down the brim of her hat, her fair wrist briefly exposed from under her sleeve. Her tone was casual, almost indifferent: ”I’m going home to sleep!”

She hadn’t been sleeping well lately, and her mood was far from great. It was almost certain she wasn’t going anywhere. The first thing on her list was to head back to her apartment and catch up on rest before dealing with anything else.

”...” Stanley hesitated briefly before stepping in. ”Let me take you home.”

After saying that, he glanced at Nathalie fondly. He had the urge to reach out and pat her on the head but held back, worried the gesture might come off as overly abrupt or intrusive. Instead, he reined it in, though his gaze remained filled with tender affection. ”I’ll drop you off at home first, then head to the school after.”

Seeing Nathalie’s eyes shift toward him, he explained, ”I still have some follow-up reports to write. I can’t leave everything to Mr. Wafford.”

After all, Jackson Wafford wasn’t from this field of expertise. With both of them collaborating on it, they could better figure out the right way to complete the reports.