The Clutches Of Hell Novel

Chapter 122

Victoria was stunned for a moment before she turned to look at the hand’s owner. Christian was protecting her forehead with his hand, but he allowed his own head to crash on the front seat. There was a conspicuous red spot on his forehead, and she couldn’t help but think he hurt himself badly. Text © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.

“I’m grabbing the seat to avoid crashing into the front seat. I wasn’t trying to protect you. Don’t delude yourself.” He tilted his head to cast her a quick glance before he drew his hand away. Curling his fingers as the tips grazed at each other, he could feel the faint heat from her body on them.

In the front seats, Janice rested one of her hands on her hip while another was pointing at Matthew, accusing him of his poor driving skills. Meanwhile, the man gestured at the cars in front of them with a resigned look, trying to explain. None of them had noticed what happened to the passengers in the back seats.

Even if Christian didn’t claim his stance, Victoria had never thought of another reason. She drew her gaze away and hummed in understanding before the silence hung in the air.

Before this, Christian was staring straight in front, but he couldn’t focus and his body was straightened up. Hearing her reply with only a hum, he furrowed his brows and dropped his shoulders. Leaning backward at the chair, he couldn’t make out the reason for the frustration building in his chest.

The accident in front wasn’t as serious as they thought. Since the car owners settled the matter between them, the flow of traffic began to smooth out like before.

At first, Janice would complain about the clients of the agency to Matthew. As she slowly shifted her focus to the mobile game on her phone and stopped talking, the car fell into silence.

The silence made the repressing atmosphere in the car ever more insufferable.

Sticking close to the door on her side, Victoria was feeling both mentally and physically uncomfortable as time passed at a slow pace. The car finally rolled to a stop, and she could already feel the soreness on her neck.

She reached out to the back of her neck and gave it a massage as she studied their destination before her, which was a street where restaurants of different cuisines were located.

“There are a few restaurants I’ll recommend to try out here. We can choose from the cajun shrimp, grilled fish, Sichuan cuisine, Japanese cuisine, or the noodle house. Which one do you like?” Matthew turned to Janice, his eyes full of tenderness.

She was already drooling and her eyes were sparkling with excitement. “Can I have all of them?”

He tapped her forehead with his fingers before he steered his attention toward Victoria. “Mis Coleman, the dinner is our token of apology to you, so you should decide our menu tonight.”

“Cajun Shrimp.” No lights were on inside the car when Victoria threw a glance at Christian’s injured leg from the corner of her eye. Among the dim lights, her lips curled in amusement as she decided on a restaurant that didn’t serve food suitable for a patient.

Matthew clicked his tongue as he shot the passengers in the backseats with a mocking look. After he found a spot to park, he led the others toward the said restaurant.

The lights were illuminating the night after the sun went down. As the nightlife was yet to begin, there weren’t many people on the street.

After the group found the target, the restaurant owner told them the bad news of all private rooms being occupied at the moment but they could choose to cater there without waiting at the cost of lack of privacy.

Janice was a hothead, so she agreed with the suggestion without hesitation as she pointed to a table for four people in the middle. “Let’s sit over there.”

Victoria was used to eating in a private room or the corner seat, but she only pursed her lips without any contradiction when she saw the table Janice was pointing at.

“It feels stressful to eat in the middle. We’ll sit at the table in the southeast.” Christian cast her a look before he headed toward the table for six people in the said direction.

Matthew had no opinions on it, so he followed behind Christian to the table.

Janice stomped her feet in anger and harrumphed to express her unwillingness before she joined Victoria to walk over there and take a seat.

“Christian told me that Miss Coleman likes the Cajun Shrimp before, but I didn’t quite believe him at that time.” When the group was ordering their food, Matthew threw a topic at Victoria for conversation. “I can see he was speaking the truth.”

Taken aback by the statement, she cast a quick glance at Christian subconsciously, but she turned her attention back to the menu in front of her without a reply.

Christian pursed his lips. “I’ll remember the food preferences of the people around me as a habit. You like French cuisine, my mother likes sweet and sour food, and…” He stopped for a moment and added another sentence on purpose. “Bella has a light taste.”

As he finished his words, he sneakily threw a glance at Victoria.

Even though Christian was answering Matthew, Victoria knew the words were coming for her. There was no other meaning than implying that she wasn’t a special person in his heart.

She curled her lips mockingly before she raised her head to the waiter and ordered the food, “Twelve creamy garlic scallops. More garlic, please.”

Christian disliked garlic and couldn’t bear it even if he was only smelling them.

He remained with a neutral expression like he usually was when he heard the order while Matthew couldn’t help but turn to Victoria with a troubled look.

“Victoria, are you sure you can finish twelve of them?”

Victoria chuckled, but her tone remained casual. “I’ll take them home if I can’t finish.”

Not long after they ordered their food, a female voice that didn’t bother to hide her disdain from the exit reached them. “What kind of food can this shabby shop serve us? Are you sure the hygiene is guaranteed?”

It was none other than Scarlett.

It was none other than Scarlett.

After that, they heard Bella’s gentle voice. “Scarlett, don’t you like Cajun Shrimp the most? Since this restaurant has good ratings, why don’t you try it out first? We can switch restaurants if you don’t like them.”

Victoria was sitting at a spot where she only needed to raise her head to see the situation at the entrance.

At first, the waiters at the door were smiling professionally, but their smiles faded a little after they heard the harsh comments.novelxo.com fast update

Scarlett came into Victoria’s view first, followed by Bella in her wheelchair, and Lucas, who was pushing the wheelchair.

The waiter was trying to persuade them that the restaurant was serving delicious food and that its hygiene was guaranteed. However, Scarlett made a disgusted look after she grazed her finger on the table near her.

“You can go somewhere bigger if you’re not happy with the size of the restaurant. What’s the point of degrading them?” Janice slammed her hands on the table as she rose to her feet and yelled at the woman. “You haven’t spent even a penny, but you think of yourself as a V.I.P. Do you have no shame?”

Her remarks caught the trio’s attention. Scarlett’s expression changed and she was about to strike back, but Bella interrupted, “Miss Mooney, you misunderstood the situation. Scarlett is only prioritizing hygiene. She didn’t mean to cause difficulties to others.”

Janice’s expression sank but she decided against engaging in a quarrel.

Lucas’ gaze skipped over the others and landed on Victoria. Then, a longing yet complicated look emerged on his face. When his eyes shifted to Christian, who was sitting next to her, his expression was replaced by a look of conspicuous anger and disdain.

Victoria ignored Lucas’ gaze as she poured a glass of free orange juice provided by the restaurant for herself. Taking a sip, she didn’t taste the expected sourness or sweetness, but the bitterness of the situation that even found a way to drench deep into her soul.

“My friend is a straightforward person. I apologize to you if her words offended you. Please forgive us.” Bella looked at the two waiters and spoke with sincerity.

The waiters accepted her apology as Bella wasn’t only pretty, she also spoke gently and was showing a good attitude. They then explained to the group, “The private rooms are full. You need to wait about

one hour if you want to eat in the private room, but you can order now if you decide to eat here.”

Scarlett wasn’t pleased with the options, but she decided to keep her silence.

Victoria sneered when nobody’s attention was on her. If she had never experienced the accident two years ago, she would have been deceived by Bella like the waiters and had a good impression of her.

“We know the customers over there, so we’ll join them.” Bella smiled at the waiters and gently informed them.