Page 194 of Hate Mates

“Glad you finally solved the mystery.”

“More like I caught the other nurses gossiping about you.”

Kai raised an eyebrow. “You’ve piqued my interest. I love hearing what people say about me when I’m not around. It’s when they’re the sincerest.”

She waved it off with her right hand. “It was just things they found online. Nurses become extra nosy whenever we get a hot patient.” Amelie zipped her lips upon realizing she had just called this man ‘hot.’

Kai didn’t react to the unintentional compliment. “What did they find?”

“Is it true you’re, like, a zillionaire?” Once more, she looked horrified as soon as the words left her lips, realizing it was an inappropriate question.

The servers arrived with our order, saving Kai from answering the question. Amelie looked miserable with herself. Her attempt at casual conversation was failing because she had been starstruck since discovering his accomplishments.

While other men might be threatened by their wives being slightly enamored by a ‘hot,’ wealthy man, our relationship was more evolved than petty jealousy. We were high school sweethearts and married right out of college. She was from a rich family and out of my league in every way. Once upon a time, I was convinced I could close the social gap between us. I had a knack for travel photography in college and even won several competitions. I sold some pieces to collectors and had big plans to travel the world to create a portfolio. But then my parents passed away in a fatal car accident, and I settled for a job that covered health insurance for five.

I had grown bitter over time, and my beautiful wife had started to notice. This wasn’t the life I had envisioned for us at twenty-three, and I worried Amelie would eventually resent me for dragging her into this pit stain.

Nonetheless, she had stuck with me. We had been together for seven years, and she was still the person I was most excitedto see. We were comfortable enough to tease one another if we suspected the other was harboring a harmless crush. Because Amelie had a theory that even God himself couldn’t break us up, so what was a mere mortal?

Rather than feel threatened, I felt bad for my wife. Though she came from a prominent family, Amelie hadn’t met someone of Kai’s caliber. None of us had. He was in his early thirties and had made waves. It was normal to be starstruck.

Yet here I was, making things worse, silently contemplating over random observations. Kai had been nothing but generous throughout dinner. To be gracious, Amelie and I kept our order to a minimum, but Kai insisted on adding several more dishes, ordering numerous rounds of cocktails and the most expensive wines on the menu.

I kept calm, showing no traces of astonishment as the waiters dropped off the types of dishes I had never dared to dream of—caviar, lobster, tomahawk steak, crabs, oysters, bluefin tuna, and truffles to top it off.

Suddenly, I wanted to kick myself. Why was I squandering away a good time by second guessing a nice gesture? It had been eons since I took my wife out on town.

I decided to put away my unfound suspicions and come to my wife’s rescue. I playfully chucked her under the chin. “What else did the nurses find from the mighty Google other than Kai’s net worth?”

She gave me a grateful look. “Lots of things, except for the one thing they wanted to find.” Her eyes lingered on Kai. “You have never been photographed with a date. Reclusive tech mogul who had never been linked to a woman… or a man; it’s bound to cause some curiosity.”

“Does that make me more interesting?” he asked.

“Most definitely. The nurses lost it when they found out about this dinner. They’ll hound me about it and riot if I don’t give them something juicy.”

That made him laugh. “It seems a person is only valued for their personal life, not their professional accomplishments.”

“Or, perhaps they were interested in your personal life because they were impressed by your professional one,” she countered.

“You have a way with words, Ms. Valentine.”

“It’s Mrs. DuBois,” Amelie corrected offhandedly when Kai addressed her by her maiden name. “And I’m simply providing you with a different perspective.”

It was weird Kai knew Amelie’s maiden name. She had changed it after we got married, but perhaps she never updated the paperwork at the hospital. The name change process was complicated to say the least.

Kai turned to me. “I’m curious about your take. Do you think someone’s preference in partner has an impact on their personality, life, and accomplishments?”

I shrugged. “It does paint a picture. Do you have a type?”

He didn’t answer.

“Oh, I know.” Amelie leaned forward enthusiastically. “Who’s your celebrity crush?”

“Hm. I can’t think of anyone. Do you have a celebrity crush, Stefan?” Kai asked, turning the tables on me. “Maybe I can steal yours.”

I discreetly assessed him. I thought we had broken the ice, but his comment was full of innuendoes.

Maybe I can steal yours.

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