Reaching out, Kris Cooper clasped Vera Wave’s small hand in his palm, gently tightening his fingers. His thumb lightly pinched the back of her hand.

"Let’s go, let’s head inside."

The two walked into the restaurant together, immediately greeted by staff who inquired and then led them inside.

This restaurant had both indoor and outdoor dining areas, and since it was early summer, with the weather not too hot, dining outside was most suitable. Tommy Taylor had booked an outdoor spot.

It was a pavilion stretching into a pool, offering a transparent view with complete privacy.

Kris Cooper and Vera Wave walked to the corridor leading to the pavilion, with Vera looking sideward at the scenery, involuntarily recalling past events.

"In the summers, Dad loved bringing me here to eat. We’d eat and fish at the same time, it was so fun..."

Thinking of past times with her father brought a certain radiance to Vera’s face, "Look, right here... Dad used to love sitting here... I’d curl up in his arms, and every time, I’d pull the line in hastily wanting to see, so Dad seldom caught fish, but he was never angry with me."

Fingers softly brushed the railing nearby, the smile on Vera’s face gradually faded.

When her father was alive, she used to come here often with him, but now... the scenery remained, yet things had changed.

Kris Cooper squeezed her hand gently in consolation.

"Vera?!"

"Oh..." Vera snapped back to reality, "Let’s go, they... they seem to have arrived!"

Kris Cooper turned his face in the direction she was looking, and sure enough, he saw two figures standing in the pavilion not far ahead.

A man and a woman, the man dressed in a dark suit, the woman in a water-blue long dress, it was Nathan Leafcastle and Sally Dalton.

At this moment, Nathan Leafcastle and Sally Dalton had also seen Vera and company, Sally Dalton immediately smiled, welcoming them.

"Mr. Cooper, Vera... you’ve come."

Vera always had a good impression of Sally Dalton, so she promptly moved forward to greet her with a handshake.

"You guys arrived so early, really sorry to keep you waiting."

"No worries."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Sally Dalton also shook hands with Kris Cooper and then stepped back, holding Nathan Leafcastle’s arm.

"Just now, Nathan was talking about how you guys used to eat and fish here, I really think that’s so interesting."

"Yeah!" Vera laughed, "We were all just kids then, always playing around."

While the two women spoke, the two men raised their eyes to look at each other.

With their eyes meeting, Nathan Leafcastle slightly curved his lips, while Kris Cooper raised an eyebrow.

Noticing the slightly awkward atmosphere between the two, Vera and Sally Dalton took the initiative to ease the tension.

"Shall we sit down?" Sally Dalton suggested.

Vera nodded immediately, "Yes... let’s sit and talk."

Each woman led her man into the pavilion, with Nathan Leafcastle and Kris Cooper gentlemanly pulling out chairs for their respective ladies.

Vera gestured for Sally Dalton to sit first, then moved to the chair Kris Cooper had pulled out, preparing to sit down.

"Better sit over here!" Kris Cooper raised his hand to block her arm, pulling out the chair on the left, next to Sally Dalton, "That side might get a bit sunny later."

The pavilion was surrounded by eaves, sufficiently large to prevent sun exposure inside.