Chapter 313: Decorum or Not

Oliver didn’t even blink. He slowly turned his head toward Xavier, his expression remaining maddeningly serene as if he were looking at a particularly noisy piece of medical equipment.

"Threatening to expose my location to clients is statistically ineffective, Master Reed," Oliver stated flatly, adjusting his white coat with absolute composure. "They lack the initial authority to command my schedule."

"They don’t. But I own thirty percent of the board that funds your private laboratory’s research quota," Xavier shot back smoothly, his voice dropping into something dark. He leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest as his dark eyes pinned the doctor to his seat. "I suggest you run a cost-benefit analysis on continuing this conversation before I officially request a budget review."

A heavy, suffocating silence fell over the table.

For the first time since he had sat down, Oliver’s jaw gave a tiny, subtle twitch. His clinical mind immediately ran the calculations—and for all his scientific arrogance, he knew Xavier wasn’t bluffing.

He was a billionaire himself; he had amased a lot of wealth but he was currently pouring all that wealth into his bunker reinforcement. But while all that money was sent into his own personal use, someone still needed to pay for his research. And Xavier was included into that sum of ’someone’.

Slowly, Oliver pushed his chair back, the legs scraping quietly against the floor. He stood up in a single, fluid motion, smoothing down his dark trousers and adjusting his coat without a single hint of shame.

"A temporary retreat to preserve research funding is the only logical choice," Oliver murmured, his gaze shifting back to April. His eyes lingered on her face for a long, quiet second, holding that unnerving intensity. "We will conduct our review of the data at a more opportune time, Miss April."

"I’ll hold you to it, Doctor," April replied smoothly, her lips curving into a faint, mischievous smile as she watched him pull his mask back on.

Oliver gave a slight, formal nod, turned on his heel, and walked calmly back toward the main dining room, leaving the secluded balcony once more to the two of them.

Xavier let out a heavy, harsh breath through his nose, rubbing his temples as the quiet finally returned. "I apologize for the interruption, April. Men like him... they have no sense of decorum."

April let out a soft, amused laugh, resting her elbows back on the tablecloth. Underneath, her bare feet comfortably stretched out against the floor, completely free of the stilettos.

"Decorum or not, you handled it quite well, Xavier," April noted, her dark eyes twinkling under the flickering candlelight. "Using your corporate power to defend a date... very authoritative of you."

Xavier’s cheeks flushed a instant, vivid crimson, his broad shoulders dropping as his tough, possessive facade completely dissolved back into his usual flustered, devoted self.

"I... I just wanted tonight to be about us," Xavier rasped out softly, reaching across the table to gently catch her hand in his. His warm fingers wrapped around hers, his thumb lightly stroking her skin with immense tenderness. "The others are too much background noise."

April looked down at their joined hands, feeling the steady, comforting heat radiating from his palm.

"Then let’s make sure it stays that way," April murmured softly, giving his hand an affectionate squeeze. "Now... tell me what else you ordered for us before we were so rudely interrupted."

The rest of the dinner proceeded smoothly, the quiet atmosphere on the balcony finally returning to the peaceful warmth Xavier had originally envisioned. Dessert arrived—a rich, decadent creation that April savored down to the very last bite, taking her time with every forkful while Xavier watched her with that same hopelessly smitten, devoted gaze.

Near the end of the meal, her phone vibrated quietly against the tablecloth. April picked it up to see a text from Emily, letting her know she was already on her way back to the estate.

A quiet sense of relief settled in April’s chest; it seemed Emily’s own date had gone fine, which meant one less variable to worry about for the night.

Xavier looked down at the empty plates, a quiet, reluctant sigh escaping his lips. He desperately wished this moment could stretch on just a little longer—that time would freeze so it could stay just the two of them.

He knew with absolute certainty that the moment morning arrived, the others would flock around her again like attention-seeking flies, carving away her focus bit by bit.

"Shall we?" Xavier asked softly, a tender, reluctant smile on his face as he began to push his chair back, intending to kneel down and help her back into those towering, uncomfortable stilettos.

But before his chair could even scrape the floor, a low, rumbling voice echoed from the dark entrance of the balcony.

"My, my... would you look at that? The little birdie was right."

Xavier froze instantly. The soft, radiant warmth in his face vanished, his jaw locking so tight a muscle twitched in his cheek, his dark eyes instantly contorting into a cold, lethal glare.

April turned her head smoothly toward the sound.

A tall, broad figure strolled lazily into the soft candlelight, moving with the dangerous, effortless grace of a predator. He completely ignored Xavier’s murderous stare, stepping straight past the table until he was standing directly behind April’s chair.

Slowly, two hands dropped onto her shoulders, his fingers resting firmly against her white shirt. He leaned down until his breath brushed hot and heavy against the shell of her ear, his deep voice dropping into an intimately dark whisper.

"How’ve you been, sweetheart? Did you miss me?"

Nat’s low, rumbling voice echoed in her ear, laced with that unmistakable, wild arrogance that always seemed to turn every room he walked into upside down. He wasn’t just wearing his usual casual unbuttoned shirt; this time, he wore a dark leather jacket over the unbuttoned shirt, wearing a silver chain, one she had never seen before.

The pendant was an ’A’—a stark twin to the ’A’ necklace resting against April’s own chest.

Xavier snapped to his feet so fast his chair screeched against the floorboards.

"Get your hands off her, Nat," Xavier spat, his voice laced with pure venom. The saintly, gentle demeanor he had maintained all evening completely shattered, replaced by the sheer, protective rage of a man whose territory had just been invaded.

Nat didn’t budge. He simply grinned, his sharp eyes flicking over to Xavier with effortless, mocking amusement. He kept his hands comfortably resting on April’s shoulders, his thumbs lightly caressing the fabric of her coat.

"Easy there, Reed. You look like you’re about to pop a vein," Nat drawled, his lips curling into a sharp, predatory smirk. "I was just out enjoying the night when a little birdie told me my woman was having dinner at my favorite spot. You didn’t really think you could keep her all to yourself tonight, did you?"

"Your woman?" Xavier’s voice scraped like rock against steel, his hand slamming down onto the table as he stood up, his dark eyes flashing with pure, lethal fury. How dare Nat repeatedly make that statement over and over?

April leaned her head back slightly against her chair, looking up at Nat’s smirking face with her signature, unbothered calm, though her mind was already calculating just how chaotic this balcony was about to get.

"You came late, Nat," April murmured smoothly, "And you missed dessert."

"Really?" he asked, though it didn’t really sound like a question at all. "Well, it’s fine," he added, his large hand sliding up from her shoulder to catch the soft skin of her neck. He wasn’t squeezing—just applying a smooth pressure as his fingers slid further up to cup her jaw, pushing her chin up just enough for her lips to be right where he wanted them to be. "I can have it right here."

Without giving Xavier a single second to step in, Nat leaned down and captured April’s lips in a deep, possessive kiss right in front of him.