Chapter 125: Caviar on the menu

Meanwhile, Tom was with Stella.

Stella had told her driver to take her to a secluded place under a bridge by the river, where the road bent away from ordinary traffic and the water moved quietly below.

By the time Tom arrived, the driver had already stepped down and walked some distance away. The area was empty. No passersby, no unnecessary eyes. Just the sound of river flowing and doing its business without caring about what was going on in its surrounding...

Tom had come with a small bag in hand, opened the rear door, and settled in beside her.

Stella was sitting comfortably in the seat, looking every bit of her usual elegance and even some more. She had on a heavy makeup which suited her just right. However, there was a faint tiredness underneath the gorgeous face, the kind that came after smiling through cameras and formal conversations.

Tom stared at her for a split second before opening his mouth to talk again after the casual pleasantries.

"I’m sorry," he said again. "I won’t leave you hanging like that again."

Stella looked him for a moment, her eyes moving over his face as if checking whether the words were useful or just repeated noise. Then she exhaled. "You can stop apologizing now."

Tom’s mouth curved into an appreciative smile. "Alright. Now that I’ve been forgiven, I should feed you."

That made her brows lift. "Feed me?"

"I know you’re hungry," he said, adjusting the bag on his lap. "You went through that signing without breakfast and lunch."

Stella turned slightly toward him, surprised. "How do you know that?"

"Because you’re conscious of your body shape, like every other celebrity." Tom opened the bag as he spoke, careful with the packaging. "You mentioned it once, casually. You said you wouldn’t eat before an event so the pictures would come out great." He glanced at her as he added;

"I’m certain the pictures would come out great. Now, you can eat."

Stella stared at him, caught between disbelief and genuine impression. A detail that small should have disappeared into all the other things people forgot after hearing them. Instead, he had kept it and brought it back at the exact moment it mattered.

"You remembered that?"

"I have a great memory." he replied simply.

Her lips pressed together, half amused. "Then I have to be careful what I tell you from now on."

"You shouldn’t tell me what you don’t want me to remember."Tom said, chuckled then brought out the caviar set.

Bree had chosen that for him at an expensive restaurant. She had maintained that someone of Stella’s status would love it.

And indeed, she was correct. When Stella saw it, her expression softened into a bigger smile.

"You came very prepared." She said.

"I hope it’s something you like?" he asked.

"Of course," Stella replied.

"Good." He prepared a small bite and lifted it to her mouth. Stella accepted it without looking away from him, one hand resting lightly against the seat between them. The quiet of the car made the moment feel narrower, more private. Outside, the river continued its activity. Inside, Tom fed her bit by bit, watching the tension in her shoulders ease as the hunger she had ignored all morning finally met something elegant enough for her standards.

After a moment, the System opened across his vision.

```

[RELATIONSHIP METER — STELLA MARCHETTI]

Affection +3%

Current Affection: 38%

```

Tom absorbed the update without letting it show on his face and continued as if the moment still belonged only to the two of them. He prepared another bite, waited until she was ready, and fed her again. There was no rush in his hands. No attempt to turn the silence into something else. Just attention, steady and complete.

When she had taken enough, he opened the champagne, poured carefully, and held a glass toward her.

"Congratulations. ’Bold You suits you’." he said cheerfully.

Stella accepted the glass, her eyes warmly fixed on his;

"And congratulations to you too. L×L model." She took a sip, then added, "I already saw pictures from the event online."

Tom smiled. "That fast?"

"Yeah." Her gaze dipped briefly, mischievous over the rim of the glass then she added; "Now everybody will be seeing what you packed under there."

A low laugh escaped Tom’s chest.

"Ah ah, what a way to put that."

"I’m serious. Those campaign pictures are not going to be shy."

Stella said, though the smile tugging on her lips betrayed her supposed serious words.

"I’ll survive."

"I’m sure you will. I have no doubt." she replied.

Before the moment could stretch much further, Stella’s phone beeped. She checked the screen, and the shift in her expression was immediate. The time she could spare had been spent, fully.

"My PA, They need me for the next event now." she told Tom.

Tom nodded without argument. "Alright, you should go."

Stella held his gaze a second longer, as if confirming that the damage from the previous day had been handled well enough for now.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Tom took an Uber home.

By the time he got in, Bree had already left. The house felt quieter for her absence, but her work remained behind her. He went straight to his room, opened the wardrobe, and stopped, his eyes beaming with joy.

Everything they bought had been arranged with careful order. Suits were hung by cut and color. Casual wear filled out the shelves beneath, folded and placed where they could be reached without digging. Shoes were paired and set in a straight line, some formal, some lower and easier for ordinary movement. Bree had insisted on choosing what stayed in line with current style, and it showed. Nothing looked random. Nothing looked like an afterthought. The wardrobe finally matched the direction his life was taking.

Tom ran his fingers once along the edge of a jacket sleeve, breathed in, then walked away to sit on the edge of the bed.

At that moment, the System dinged.

```

[DAILY TASK COMPLETE]

Restore the drop in Stella Marchetti’s Relationship Stability.

Status: Completed

[RELATIONSHIP METER — STELLA MARCHETTI]

Affection: 38%

Loyalty: 25%

Stability: 30%

```

A second prompt followed immediately.

[Ready to check the rewards?]

Tom sat up straighter, excitement cutting through the remnant calm of the afternoon.

The mysterious key...

He had been waiting for that one more than the charm boost. Whatever surprise the System had prepared this time, he couldn’t wait to see it.