Harriet gasped when the bottle was slammed down on the table. The sound echoed through the bar as he finally spoke, his deep voice cutting through the chatter.
“If the lady says she doesn’t drink, then she doesn’t.”
Silence fell instantly. No one dared to argue. He wasn’t someone people associated with—he carried himself like a ghost. For most here, this was the very first time they had even heard his voice.
Harriet’s heart raced. She knew it was time to leave. Quickly, she pushed her chair back.
“I’ll be going now,” she stammered, her voice unsteady. “And… thank you for the food.”
She hurried out of the bar, looking desperately for a taxi. But her chest tightened when she remembered the way he had looked at her while drinking—those eyes, that stare. It was the same piercing weight sh
