Ella paid no mind to Cendy's complaints and had already arrived at Dorsia, the restaurant from the movie American Psycho. Cendy loved the food at this restaurant and always insisted on dining here, so much so that people who didn't know her might think she owned the place.

Cendy was visibly displeased as she followed Ella into the private room.

In the private room, a slender figure had been waiting inside. He now stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing out at the picturesque lakeshore. The weather was splendid, with bright sunlight casting a dream-like beauty on the rippling water.

As Ella and Cendy entered the room, the figure sensed their presence and turned around to face them. A gentle smile adorned his face, and at that moment, the sunlight seemed to create a halo of light around him, enveloping his entire being in a radiant glow.

Ella felt that the jade gemstone was the perfect description of him. Unlike Eden's captivating charm or Lucien's carefully crafted elegance, Winston's aesthetic appeared more natural, exuding a sense of cleanliness and authenticity.

"Were you waiting for a long time?" Ella asked.

"I just arrived," Winston replied.

"Have a seat," Ella gestured.

Winston found a seat and sat down, while Cendy purposefully chose the farthest distance to sit from them. Ella said nothing, and it seemed that Winston didn't mind either.

Once they were all seated, a respectful waiter approached and handed them the menu. The three of them flipped through the menu simultaneously.

Ella asked, "Winston, it's been a while since I've been back. Is there a particular Seattle dish you're craving?"

Winston remained silent, and before he could respond, Cendy chimed in, "I bet there's no chili to eat abroad! Now that you're back in Seattle, you definitely need to have some spicy food."

Winston pursed his lips, still not saying a word. Despite the silence, the three of them knew each other's food preferences very well, having grown up together.

Despite having arrived in Seattle at the age of 8, Winston had originally come from San Francisco, where the food tended to be on the sweeter side, and he had never developed a taste for chili peppers. Even after spending many years in Seattle, he still wasn't fully accustomed to the spiciness of the local cuisine.

Now that he had been away from Seattle for so many years once again, he didn't even need to think twice to know that he couldn't handle the spiciness of the dishes.

Cendy spoke up, waving at the waiter. "I'll have the pickled rabbit, peppered salmon, crispy pork intestines, and… the stir-fried calamari. All extra spicy!"

"Of course," the waiter nodded as he wrote down her order. "Do you want to add any sides? I recommend the sauteed bok choy and–"

"That's fine, but can you serve it cold? And load it with chilis!"

"Absolutely, but Miss Summer… All of the dishes you ordered are spicy. I suggest adding a cup of our vegetable soup to–"

"No need," Cendy cut off his kind suggestion. "I just need a beer."

The waiter hesitated for a second, stunned, "Alright. We'll have that right out, ma'am."

"Can you make it quick? I'm starving," Cendy urged, not giving the others a chance to place their orders.

Ella noticed that Winston had also closed the menu, indicating that he wasn't planning to order anything else. Following his lead, she returned the menu to the waitress.

Meanwhile, Cendy was engrossed in her cell phone and didn't seem interested in joining Ella and Winston's conversation, appearing quite disconnected from the moment.

Luckily, the meal arrived quickly. In no time at all, the large table was filled with delicious food.

Cendy dug in eagerly, and Ella also took a few bites. It was really spicy, but Ella wasn't too bothered. She'd always had a high spice tolerance.

Winston was a different story. He didn't even pick up his fork.

Ella was about to ask the waiter to reorder, but Cendy abruptly poured her beer into a glass and insisted, "This is a homecoming celebration isn't it? You're not doing it right if you don't drink!"

Ella gave Cendy a sideways glance. Both of them knew very well that Winston couldn't handle alcohol.

However, Winston picked up his glass and decided to join in. "Cheers, then.”

Cendy's attitude changed drastically. At first, she didn't even want to talk to Winston, but now she was drinking vigorously with him, almost as if she was trying to outdrink him on purpose!

"Eat something," Ella insisted, unable to watch Winston drink himself silly. She was concerned that he might end up falling onto the table if he kept going.

Winston nodded in agreement, feeling his stomach turn uncomfortably. He reluctantly picked up his fork and tried to eat a small piece of meat, but as soon as he swallowed, he started coughing, and his face turned red.

Ella rushed to bring him water, and Winston took a few sips, but he continued to cough.

"After all these years, you still can't handle spicy food!" Cendy mocked sarcastically.

Winston tried to brush it off, saying, "I just accidentally choked."

Immediately after his response, he picked up another piece of meat and ate it, this time managing to keep a straight face.

Cendy narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything else. She continued eating quietly.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

As Lydia entered the room, everyone turned their heads to watch her.

Cendy frowned at the sight of her. While she liked Lucien well enough, she deeply despised his sister.

During their school days, Lydia and Cendy weren't even in the same class, and Lydia was a year younger. It wasn't clear how their feud began, but every time the saw each other, their arguments almost escalated into physical fights.

"Winston, how come you didn't even contact me when you came back? If my friend hadn't spotted you here, I wouldn't have known you were in town," Lydia complained.

Winston responded coldly, "I just got back not long ago, and I've been a bit busy."

"Busy with what? Working at Chase?" Lydia mouthed off.

Cendy's hair stood on end.

"No, I own a small company with a friend. I'm planning to start my own business," Winston clarified.

"Really? I guess you're not like other people. You know, the kind who would just stay home and mooch off their old man's money. The ones that do nothing but go to clubs and fool around all the time..." Lydia taunted.

"Are you talking about yourself?" Cendy bit back.

"What are you talking about?!" Lydia angrily retorted, denying the accusation. "When did I ever go to a nightclub?!"

"I have proof," Cendy said as she pulled out her cell phone. On the screen was a picture of Lydia in a drunken state at the bar.

"Who's this guy holding you? He's pretty good-looking," Cendy remarked as she examined the photo.

She held it up to Winston, "Look at how handsome– Ah!"

Cendy screamed as Lydia snatched her phone away.

She glared at Lydia, "Give it back!"

Lydia scoffed and without any hesitation, she opened a small window and threw Cendy's phone out into the lake outside.

"You fucking bitch!" Cendy exploded with anger. She lunged and grabbed Lydia by the hair.

Lydia shrieked at the sudden pain and grabbed Cindy's hair as well, backhanding her.

All of that pent-up aggression from their school years was poured into this fight, and it was not pretty.

Eventually, Lydia couldn't stand the pain anymore, and she yelled, "Ella! Help!"

Ella smiled indifferently.

In her past life, Ella always stopped Cendy from teaching Lydia a lesson. Lydia was Lucien's sister, so it was Ella's job as her sister-in-law to protect her.

Now? Ella was more than happy to watch her suffer.

Lydia doesn't get to cry for help when she's the one that started it.