Chapter 271 – Packed
The poolside restaurant sprawled out in a sun-drenched terrace overlooking the city, umbrellas casting dappled shade across gleaming tables. It smelled like seared tuna, charred steak fat, mango sorbet, and sunscreen with too much coconut in it. The chatter was light, lazy—until they stepped in.
Then silence.
Well, not silence exactly. But a shift. Heads turned. Eyes followed. Laughter dipped just enough to feel like a market crash before it picked up again—sharper, thinner, threaded with whispers.
Ely's gut twisted.
Of course. Of course.
It was packed. Women everywhere. Mostly housewives, lounging like cats in expensive bikinis, the type who treated their diamonds like pool toys. A few recognizable celebrities, faces made for magazines, tossing their hair like they were perpetually on camera. And the rest? Models, influencers, or maybe someone's affair imported straight from a weekday lunch break.
And Ely could guess why.
