His jaw locked with jealousy.
Felix blinked in surprise.
“Oh—” His eyes widened slightly. “What a surprise… what is Mrs. Creed doing here?”
Then he noticed the fireworks, the laughter, and Jasper’s closeness with Amara.
A grin appeared on his face.
“They actually look like a happy couple,” he blurted out without thinking. “Like they’re celebrating their hundredth day anniversary or something.”
The second the words left his mouth—
Silence.
A sudden, suffocating chill swept over Felix so sharply that the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
Felix froze.
Slowly… very slowly… he turned his head.
Elias was staring at him.
The glare in his eyes was enough to make Felix’s soul nearly leave his body.
His smile vanished instantly.
“I—” He let out a nervous laugh. “I didn’t mean—”
Elias kept staring.
Felix immediately started shaking his head frantically.
“No, no, y-you misunderstood!” he said quickly. “I wasn’t talking about Mrs. Creed and Mr. Foster. I swear.”
He pointed randomly toward a nearby billboard.
“I was talking about… that.” His finger trembled slightly. “The McDonald’s clown. It looked happy. Like… relationship happy.”
Elias’s expression turned even colder.
Felix nearly cried internally.
“I mean—not relationship. Obviously.” He forced out another awkward laugh. “Just… happy.”
He laughed weakly.
Elias’s glare didn’t soften in the slightest. The cold exhale that left his nose alone was enough to make Felix’s heart sink straight to his stomach.
Without another word, Elias turned away and strode toward the restaurant.
Felix remained rooted to the spot for a full second, utterly devastated.
“I’m definitely getting punished for this,” he muttered miserably under his breath before quickly hurrying after him.
The moment Elias entered the restaurant, his sharp eyes immediately swept across the crowded dining area.
His gaze moved coldly from table to table before finally landing on one particular spot.
