Her Return, His Regret

Chapter 16- Lunch

"Lora..." Ryan said through gritted teeth. "How dare you call me a scumbag?"

Even though he was just teasing her after she accused him of stalking her, he didn't expect her to call him that.

Anger bubbled up within him as he glared at Lora.

"Isn't this what scumbags do?" Lora asked calmly. "You have no reason to get so close to me, Mr Kingsley. Please respect yourself and be more professional."

Ryan's jaw clenched before he stepped away from Lora. He scoffed and replied, "Don't be so full of yourself, Miss Lora."

Lora let out a sigh of relief. With Ryan getting so close, it was hard to keep her hatred in check and she didn't want to expose herself.

"I'm not full of myself but I expect the both of us to act professional and not cross the line," Lora stated firmly.

Ryan frowned but he didn't say anything as he tried to calm down from the embarrassment of being rejected.

"Why did you come back to my office anyway? I'm on my way out," Lora said.

She didn't like how Ryan kept giving her attention. He was dangerous.

Ryan finally remembered why he had returned to Lora's office. He glanced at her and remarked, "The chairman would like to meet our new partner, so I came here to invite you for lunch with him." Lora arched an eyebrow and asked, "Is it a business lunch meeting or...?"

"Of course, it's business. Do you want it to be something else?" Ryan replied, his eyes boring into Lora's hazel ones as a side smirk crossed his lips.

For a moment, he was lost in her captivating eyes. That face would always remind him of what he had lost.

Larisa...

However, he recalled that the woman he was looking at wasn't Larisa and came back to his senses. 'Shit, I need to stop comparing the two women. It's not fair to Larisa,' Ryan thought.

He pulled at his tie in frustration and remarked, "Look, don't read too much into it. The chairman always meets our new partners to talk further about the cooperation. I might be the CEO but he's the overall boss." Lora frowned and appeared to be thinking about Ryan's request. 'It has been so long since I saw Grandpa.

Charles Kingsley had been good to Lora when she was married to Ryan six years ago. After receiving unconditional kindness from him in the past, Lora couldn't refuse the old man's request.

She sighed and answered, "I can spare a few minutes for lunch. Is he already at the location or do we have to pick him up?"

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Chapter 16-Lunch

"We will find him at the restaurant," Ryan replied before leading Lora out of the office.

Lora internally sighed as she left her office. She hoped this would be the last time she would be entangled with Ryan.

Meanwhile, Jason just happened to arrive at the company to invite Lora for lunch. However, before he could step out of the car, he saw her leave the company with Ryan and enter his car. Jason's eyes narrowed as he watched Ryan's car drive away. Why was Ryan so interested in Lora? It couldn't be only because she's beautiful and part of a prestigious family.

Ivy was part of a prestigious family too, so why would Ryan pay attention to Lora?

'Am I missing something? Jason thought to himself.

He took out his phone and called someone, saying, "I want you to investigate Ryan and what he's been up to since he became CEO."

At the same time, it didn't take long for Ryan and Lora to arrive at the restaurant.

"Grandpa," Ryan said the moment they walked into the VIP booth and found Charles waiting for them.

Charles glanced at the woman who walked in after Ryan and his eyes widened into saucers. His jaw dropped to the floor in shock. The woman looked exactly like Larisa!

'No wonder my son looked disturbed the other day, this woman looks just like my granddaughter-in-law!' Charles exclaimed in his mind.

He was thrilled to see Lora, regardless of who she was. Her face reminded him of the young lady who tragically lost her life six years ago. Lora saw the old man's expression and smiled before saying politely, "Good afternoon, Mr Kingsley. It's an honour to finally meet you." Although it saddened her, she had no choice but to pretend to be a stranger to the old man.

Charles got over his initial shock and a huge smile was plastered on his face.

"Good afternoon, Miss Davis, take a seat!" He remarked, gesturing with his hand to the chair opposite him. "I wanted to meet our new partner and also, to see what the daughter of the Davis family looks like. Indeed, it is as the news says." "Thank you, Mr Kingsley," Lora replied with a kind smile and took a seat.

Ryan studied Lora's expression once again before taking a seat next to her. Even though they looked like a couple visiting an elder, their hearts couldn't be more far apart.

They ordered the food and as they waited, Charles kept chatting with Lora.

"So, where had you been before your parents found you?" Charles asked.

Lora smiled and replied, "I was abroad, studying design. They had hired a private investigator who found me after a long time."

Chapter 16- Lunch

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Charles nodded. He glanced at his grandson before saying, "Miss Davis must have suffered a lot before her parents found her. She's such a strong woman."

"I tried my best to survive," Lora uttered and Ryan glanced at her.

She was calm and kept answering Charles' personal questions politely. Although she was a bit distant, Ryan could see that she was being friendly towards his grandfather.

"A survivor is what you are! Oh, how life is unpredictable," Charles remarked and added, "I like you, Miss Davis. Do visit this old man from time to time."

"Did you want to discuss the cooperation?" Lora asked, wondering when he would talk about it.

Charles chuckled and pushed a few dishes towards Lora. "I'm sure Ryan has it all under control. I hope you work well together. We've always wanted to work with Davis & Co." Lora nodded and continued to eat.

Suddenly, Ryan's phone rang.

He picked it up and frowned before getting to his feet.

"Grandpa, something happened to Ivy. I need to go-"

"Ryan, we have a guest, it's rude to leave in the middle of lunch," Charles scolded his grandson.

However, Ryan glanced at Lora and said before rushing out, "Get a cab back."

Natie Author

Thank you for reading.