Chapter 118 - What A Cliche? (1/2)

That night, Halia arrived at the Michelin-starred restaurant where she was having dinner with Emerson's family.

It was a quiet, dimly lit restaurant with only a few tables. In the middle of the restaurant, there was an open kitchen where the chef was cooking. The chef was a celebrity in his field and he often appeared on television shows, so Halia was a little excited to see him. Most days, his apprentices ran the restaurant and it was rare to catch a glimpse of the man, but since the owners of the casino were there, he had to ensure that they received the best quality food, straight from his hands. So, he decided to head the kitchen that day.

As Halia watched the man cook, she suddenly felt an arm on her shoulder, ”Daniel is one of the best chefs here in Macau. You're in for a treat!”

Halia quickly turned and noticed Emerson standing beside her.

Emerson ran his eyes up and down her body and smiled. ”You look beautiful,” he said.

A couple of hours ago, when Halia was still in her hotel room trying to pick out an outfit for dinner, there was a knock on her door.

It was a staff from the dress shop she visited earlier.

”This is a gift from President Wu,” the young woman said as she handed Halia a box with a beautiful silver ribbon on it.

Halia wanted to reject the gift, but it had already been paid for and the staff were instructed to burn it if she didn't take it. So, she had no choice but to accept the gift. After taking it into her room, she opened the box with curiosity and discovered a dress sitting inside.

It was the white lace dress she had tried on earlier.

At first, she didn't want to wear the dress in case Emerson misunderstood, but she had already spent an hour trying to find a suitable outfit with no luck, so she lifted the dress out of the box and looked at it with hesitation. In the end, she decided to wear it.

Emerson grabbed Halia's hand and placed a kiss on it before he hooked it around his arm and started leading her towards the table that his family had reserved.

”Oh, Haili, it's nice to see you again,” Emerson's father said as he stood up to greet her.

Emerson's mother also nodded politely.

Sitting next to Emerson's parents were another old couple. Halia recognized the chubby man: it was Emerson's uncle, Everett Pang. ”This is my uncle and auntie,” Emerson introduced.

The man looked at Halia in surprise as he shook her hand. He didn't realize she was so close to Emerson.

After finishing with the introductions, Emerson pulled out a chair next to his mother and gestured for Halia to sit down. He then walked around the long table and sat opposite her with a smile. ”I'm really glad you're here. Otherwise, I would have been the only single person surrounded by couples,” he whispered.