Chapter 485 Jessica Doesn't Like Fried Ribs
The waiter respectfully said at the door, "Usually, the first floor is used for banquets. Occasionally, someone might book a single table on the first floor. Most guests prefer to dine in private rooms on the second or fifth floor. The private rooms vary in size to meet different needs."
Jessica hadn't entered yet when Eugene, tired of waiting, came out to pick her. Upon seeing Jessica and Gabriel as he exited the elevator, he immediately smiled and approached, "Welcome. The roads are slippery in the snow, and traffic must have been bad.?"
The waiter quietly stepped aside. Eugene reached out to pat Jessica on the shoulder, like a father meeting his daughter for a meal. However, before his hand could touch her, Jessica subtly avoided it.
Jessica acted as if she hadn't seen his hand, turned to look around, and glanced at the waiters and servers passing by. She then asked indifferently, "Which floor?"
Jessica and Gabriel arrived at the hotel ten minutes earlier than the agreed time. She had no intention of engaging with Eugene's preliminaries.
"The third floor. If you're not satisfied, we can switch to another room or move to the fifth floor, which owns larger private rooms," Eugene said, smiling at Gabriel and nodding, "It's really kind of you, Mr. Harriman, to join us for a meal with my daughter."
Gabriel glanced at Eugene, his expression calm and indifferent, and returned a cold nod.
"Let's go upstairs and talk while sitting," Eugene said, turning towards the elevator.
Jessica followed and asked before entering the elevator, "Anyone else?"
"No, it's just me today. No outsiders," Eugene said, looking at Jessica and giving Gabriel a meaningful glance when he mentioned no outsiders.
However, both Gabriel and Jessica ignored his attempt to include them as insiders and entered the elevator without any expression.
Each private room on the third floor owneda unique name. The one Eugene booked had a vintage style, but the decorations on the sandalwood shelves were different from other rooms. There were various large conch shells of different styles and colors, giving the room a unique charm. The blue gauze curtains and drapes swayed slightly under the air conditioning, resembling ocean waves.
There was indeed no one else. Before Eugene could invite them to sit, Jessica had already taken a seat at the table without any courtesy.
Gabriel took the knitted scarf she had removed.
Seeing that neither of them intended to take off their coats, it was clear they tended to listen what Eugene intended to say first. If the topic was uninteresting or unacceptable, they would leave immediately.
Eugene sat down with a smile and said to Gabriel, "I've already ordered the dishes; they should be coming soon."
Then he looked at Jessica, "Is there anything else you'd like to eat? I can call the waiter to order more."
"No need, I don't have much appetite," Jessica said, finding Eugene's constant smile, which was usually directed at her with a stern face, extremely annoying. Her voice turned colder, "I've always been easy to feed since I was a child. As long as I don't starve."
Eugene's smile faltered as he looked at Jessica.
Jessica looked back at him without any expression.
Dating back when they were in Xyleria, he had repeatedly abandoned her for Trinity, that unclear daughter. Throughout her years in the Jenner Estate in Xyleria, she had never seen Eugene acted so enthuastically as he did now.
He had never smiled at her, nor spoken a kind word as a father, let alone accompanying, teaching, comforting, or showing any affection to her.
Now, it was unclear whether he had changed in the Washington business circle or jsut needed her as a trump card, making him so eager.
Whatever the reason was, it could never be the father-daughter affection.
The atmosphere at the table was cold and awkward. Eugene kept trying to chat with her, but Jessica either remained silent or rebutted him into silence.
Gabriel ignored or responded indifferently to Eugene's attempts at conversation. Although he was skilled in social situations and usually the center of attention, he didn't intend to control the situation today. His presence was so strong that Eugene couldn't maintain a proper demeanor whenever Jessica rebutted him.
The waiter knocked and entered to serve the dishes. Three people brought in over a dozen dishes, but almost none were Jessica's favorites.
Seeing the dishes, Jessica, who hadn't smiled since entering, suddenly laughed.
It was really coincidental that all the dishes served perfectly avoided her preferences. Her own father didn't even know what she liked to eat or her preferred flavors.
Finally, a plate of fried ribs was served.
Gabriel glanced at the dishes on the table and then at the newly served ribs, his eyes cold and unreadable.
Jessica didn't like fried food; she preferred stewed.
Indeed, the entire table avoided her preferences.
The two exchanged a look, each understanding the other's smile.
"Alright, the dishes are all here," Eugene said, not even bringing an assistant today. He called the waiter to open a bottle of good wine and poured some for Gabriel and Jessica.
"I have a voice interview with the TV station tonight, so I won't drink," Jessica said bluntly, even pushing the wine glass away. "We were waiting for the food earlier. Now that it's here, let's get to the point. I'm busy."
"It's already five o'clock. Let's eat something first. It's just a chat between father and daughter," Eugene said, smiling as he got up and placed a piece of fried rib on Jessica's plate. "I noticed you looked at the ribs earlier. Do you like ribs? Eat more if you like; the food here is good. Everyone likes it."
Seeing the rib placed on her plate, Jessica looked down at it, her lips curling slightly. But the smile was clearly not genuine.
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