Steven was a few minutes from home when he decided he wasn’t ready to go back yet.

The meeting had gone well and the agreement was signed and the acquisition was in motion, and all of that deserved something more than the sofa and the controller. And he also didn’t want to cook.

He saw a restaurant on the right side of the road. He signalled, pulled into the small parking area beside it, and cut the engine.

He got out, pocketed the key fob, and walked toward the entrance.

He was two steps from the door when an unfamiliar voice came from behind him.

"Steven Craig?"

He turned and he saw a woman standing a short distance back, watching him with a smile filled with curiosity.

She looked to be somewhere in her mid twenties.

She nodded to herself when he turned, as if confirming something she had already decided.

"I thought so," she said. "Your back looked familiar, so I took a guess."

Steven looked at her for a moment, trying to figure out where he knew her from but nothing in his memory connected to her face.

She caught the strange look on his face and she smiled in realisation.

"I haven’t introduced myself," she said. "My apologies." She stepped forward and extended her hand. "Victoria Ashford. I was at the gathering last night. I watched the whole exchange between you and Drew from across the room."

Steven understood immediately and he took her hand.

"Steven Craig," he said. "It’s good to meet you."

"And you," she said. Her eyes moved briefly to the restaurant entrance and back to him. "It looks like you’re here to eat. I’m alone, as it happens. I don’t suppose you’d mind the company?"

Steven looked at her for a moment. She had asked it directly and without pretence, which he appreciated. He answered in the same manner.

"I appreciate the offer," he said politely. "But I unfortunately can’t."

Victoria’s smile stiffened at the edges for a fraction of a second but she recovered it smoothly.

"Oh?" she said, the single syllable carrying a question beneath it.

"Are you in a relationship?" she asked.

Steven simply nodded.

"Oh," she said again, and this time the word landed differently.

"It was a pleasure meeting you," Steven said pleasantly. "I’ll go on ahead. Enjoy your lunch."

He turned and walked to the entrance, pushing the door open and stepping inside.

Behind him, Victoria stood where she was for a moment, with her mouth open, as she has meant to say something but watching Steven walk away without looking back, she decided it could wait until they were both leaving.

She walked to the entrance and went in.

***

Steven was shown to a table near the window and settled in. A server appeared, took his order without fuss, and left.

He picked up his phone and typed out a message to Lena.

Steven: Agreement is signed.

Her reply came within a minute.

Lena: Congratulations.🎉. How did it go?

Steven: Better than expected. Holt was straightforward.

Lena: That’s good. Congratulations, once more. In seven days, the restaurant will be yours.

Steven: Yeah. I can’t wait. The server’s here. I’ll chat you later. Take care of yourself.

Lena: You too. Love you.

Steven: Love you.

He set the phone face down on the table as the server arrived with his order.

He ate his meal, taking his time, looking out through the window at the afternoon street.

The food was good. Simple and well-executed, which was exactly what he had wanted.

When he was done, he set his cutlery down and caught the attention of a passing server, gesturing for the bill. The server nodded and reappeared a minute later, not with a folder but with a card terminal held in both hands.

Steven reached into his pocket and produced the Reserve Card.

Across the restaurant, Victoria had been watching him out of curiosity, while she thought of what she was going to say to him. She had been composing it in her mind while she ate, something casual that might open a longer conversation.

But when Steven placed the card against the terminal, the composure she had maintained since the parking lot dissolved in an instant, and her eyes went wide in realisation.

She blinked once, as if the image needed to resolve itself into something that made more sense. Then the surprise gave way to something shock. She sat with it for a moment, very still, her fork resting untouched against the edge of her plate. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Steven caught the change in her expression from the corner of his vision but he didn’t turn to look. He took the card back from the server, nodded his thanks, and stood.

Victoria signalled for her own server before Steven had reached the door.

He pushed through the entrance without looking back.

He walked to his car, got in, and began steering out of the parking area. He was at the exit, waiting for a gap in the traffic, when he checked the rearview mirror and saw Victoria emerge from the restaurant, like she had been in a hurry.

He saw her look around for his car, then sighting him at the exit. She stood at the spot, like she was contemplating something.

Steven didn’t pay much attention to her, as he finally got the gap he had been waiting for. He pulled out into the traffic and pressed the accelerator.

Victoria stood there for a moment. Then she turned, walked back to her car, and got in. She reached into her bag before she had even sat down. Her phone was in her hand as the door closed, and she started typing.

She clicked on send and a minute later, her phone started blowing up with messages, causing her to smile in satisfaction.

And she started typing again.

***

Meanwhile, Steven drove toward River Oaks, the afternoon city moving past the windows, having no idea that the fact that he’s a JP Morgan Reserve Card holder was spreading in a particular group.