Chapter 52 - Invasive Gaze

"Wow, with these jackets that we are wearing, we looked so out of place!" WINS heard his companion commented.

Indeed, the people dining inside the ROSEN CLUB were few but all of them were wearing suits and dresses. It could be seen that these people came here for formal dining.

However, the three of them were the only people in a casual attire!

"Hi! Welcome to the ROSEN CLUB! May I ask for your membership card please?" a man with a bright smile approached the three. Despite their jacket outfits, the tone of the receptionist was still full of respect as he asked for their membership card.

It was known that the restaurant was not only famous because of its food but also because of its exclusivity. Only those who were rich enough would have a chance to dine in the place.

"We are not from here. We don't have membership cards. But, the reservation is under the name of the Chronos squad and our companions are also on their way here," WINS politely told the receptionist.

"Oh! Sorry, this way please. Your reservation is already done, no need for membership card," the receptionist quickly stood straight and guided the three gamers to a more private room where a long table was placed.

The other diners could not help but gave them a questioning look. Not only these three were wearing their jackets, they also have their sunglasses in their face.

"Boss WINS, I want to wear my sunglass but I have a terrible eyebags," WINS companion whispered.

"Even if this place is exclusive, we can't risk and expose our identity. Just ignore them," WINS calmly said.

To say, these three were not just ordinary pro gamers. They had been in gaming industry for quiet some time that their names were already associated with brand deals and endorsements.

They needed to be careful going out and engaging with other establishments that were not affiliated to their sponsors. Otherwise, someone may create an issue to destroy their public image.

The three silently followed the receptionist until they reached to a private room.

"Respected guests, here are our menu. The blue one is our local cuisine. The red one is our regional cuisine. And for the black one, it is international cuisine. Please put a check on your order and I will be back after five minutes," the receptionist handed them three tablets containing various dishes. Each food was labeled according to its price and the font color of the dish description.

"Thank you," WINS slightly bowed his head before looking at the food variants and settled on one of the chairs.

"Boss WINS, what should I order? With so many choices, I don't know what to pick!" one of WINS' companions laughed lightly.

The receptionist closed the door of their room gently and strode back to his post.

"EHEM, who are those guests that you just accepted?" another receptionist asked the man.

"They are the one that was booked by the boss earlier," the man casually answered.

"OH! Thank goodness that you did not chase them away!" his companion muttered in surprise.

"Why would I chase them away?" the man looked confused and questioned his colleague.

"Ehhh, it's because I overheard it when they answered that they have no membership card. I thought you will decline them," his companion answered with a knowing smile.

"I am not like you. Hmph! You must be careful when dealing with these rich people. They are like sheep in wolf's clothing. Some of them wanted to stay lowkey and pretend to look ordinary," the man stated and went straight to the telephone on his desk. He pressed a speed dial and it was automatically connected to an auto-response voicemail.

"Rosen is not available at the moment, please leave a message after the tone... tooot!"

"Ehh, boss it's about the guests that you have booked. The three of them already arrived but the young master is not yet here." the man quickly reported.

~

Meanwhile, the young master whom the receptionist had mentioned was still in the car having a moment with Claire's company...

"You do realize that your hand is still in my wrist, don't you?" Claire spoke mildly. Their ride was caught at a red light and had to stop in the middle of the road.

Clark looked straight on the traffic signal ahead of them and just nodded his head in acknowledgment of Claire's query.

He was well aware that his hand was still on the lady's wrist. But for some reason, he does not want to let go.

"And here I thought you are a dying fan of the FAB_Gamers squad. You could have shared a ride with your idols rather than pulling me with you." Claire continued to speak as the man sat silently next to her.

The pedestrian lane was surprisingly almost empty. There was only a man holding a leash on a dog crossing the street. Claire's eyes followed the figure until the man reached the opposite side of the road.

"I could have," Clark briefly replied. At that moment, his eyes wore countless emotions but even Claire could not tell what he was thinking.

"Then why didn't you? It was once in a blue moon chance," Claire commented.

"Nahh, I'm all good," Clark chuckled as his grip on her became tighter.

"Suit yourself," Claire muttered and slumped her body on her seat. She finally stopped pulling out her wrist from the gentle grip of Clark.

With the two of them sitting next to each other, she could easily smell the signature cologne of Clark lingering on the car. She tried to busy herself from looking outside the window but there was also nothing interesting to look at.

'This man is so hard to read,' Claire mentally noted and shook her head.

Silence descended between them for a long time. Claire's face looked conflicted as she realized that she could not think of anything other than the masculine smell invading her nose.

The traffic light finally switched from red to green and their car moved swiftly along with the other vehicles.

Her eyes wandered everywhere until she secretly took a glance at the man beside her. As she looked closely, Claire saw a tinge of redness in his ears. "Why is your right ear turned red?" she curiously asked.

"Hmmn, I'm sorting my thoughts," Clark softly responded. His eyes were still fixed in front but she could sense Clark's finger drawing circles against her skin.

She momentarily closed her eyes to gather all her composure. The sensation was almost overwhelming for her to feel.

"Are you nervous about our next match? Psh! I got you bud," Claire attempted to speak normally but her voice had almost turned into a whisper. A mushy feeling started to bubble on her chest.

"I don't know. I am more nervous with this than the next match," Clark matched her tone.

His fingers finally stopped moving and the overwhelming sensation was replaced with an intense burning gaze from his eyes. Claire adjusted her sitting position uncomfortably.

She opened her mouth to speak but suddenly felt her lips went dry. Her tongue absentmindedly licked her lower lip and gently bite it to moisten the surface.

"What are you talking about?" Claire took a courage to meet the boy's gaze.

Her eyes were inquisitive but the other pair of eyes looking at her was invasive.

The more she looked at him, the more she felt that he was gradually invading something deep within her.

Clark breathed some air and gulped. He raised his hand but was also hesitant...

"Nevermind," Clark murmured and looked away.