Love and Debt

The restaurant is located in one of the five-star hotels in Northbay City. It was a newly owned restaurant of Emily Blair Nitori-Hulls, the queen of Flousia and Peggy's sister-in-law.

The name Spiral Restaurant is based on the grand staircase at its center. The majestic spiral staircase and the opulence opens up to reveal the stunning 25-foot gold masterpiece. 

The restaurant features an interactive gourmet dining experience with 35 ateliers that give you a taste of dining in 35 different countries in a single place.

Although it can accommodate one hundred guests, the queen closed the place for an exclusive dinner for her friends. It should be a private and secret dinner for the five wealthiest families in Northbay City, but there were paparazzi outside the hotel for some reason.

Nina didn't want to dress up since she felt like it wasn't proper to wear something expensive in front of her friends. But Andrew bought her a new dress and insisted that she wear it.

The dress was a metallic pink sculpted jersey gown framed with a scoop neck, ruched body, and gently flared trumpet skirt. She had never worn an elegant dress for four years since she was kept in the Santelmo mansion. 

As she stepped forward alongside Andrew, her heart pounded like a drum. She felt her sweaty hand and her shaking knees.

She had met with Luke, Alora, Sophie, and Percy the day James decided to give her freedom. Now, she would meet all of her friends, including the Hulls siblings, Kyle and Peggy.

She knew Kyle and Emily were also hurt by what she did. Emily was also pregnant at the time the Mafia attacked the palace. It was the couple's coronation as the new King and Queen of Flousia and was supposed to be the most important day of their country.

Nina bit her lips, stopped for a moment then took a deep breath. She looked at Andrew, who was staring at her, smiling.

"I'm here. I won't go anywhere." He said.

She nodded, closed her eyes, and let out a deep breath again. She looked at the entrance door of the hotel then took another step to move forward.

The hotel staff greeted them, and when they recognized Andrew, a young-looking guy in uniform approached them.

"Mr. Cross, follow me. I will assist you to the restaurant." He said with a gentle smile on his face.

Andrew nodded as they followed the staff towards the elevator.

"Is this owned by Emily?" Nina asked.

The guy looked at her with a frown on his face.

"I mean, Queen Emily?"

The guy nodded. "The Hulls and the Smith's own the hotel."

Nina just nodded and didn't try to ask again. It seemed Emily's dream had come true. She remembered how Emily wanted to have her own restaurant when they were still in high school. And even though she was already the crown princess, she would go back and forth to their country to study and attend princess lessons in Flousia.

The elevator stopped at the twenty-first floor where the restaurant was. The guy smiled and stepped aside when the elevator door opened.

"I know where the restaurant is. You could leave us. Thank you." Andrew said.

Nina's heart started to pound again, and it felt like she had something on her stomach to the point that she wanted to puke.

"Hey. Are you sure you're okay with this? We could still back out?" Andrew whispered.

They were already standing by the restaurant's entrance door, and they could hear some laughter inside.

"N-No. Sooner or later, I will have to face them. So it's now or never." She said.

Andrew nodded before pushing the door.

When they walked inside, there was silence. Nina saw Sophie and Percy walking towards them.

Andrew squeezed her hand when she tensed. She wasn't sure how to act or react in front of Nina and Percy. She was like a statue standing beside Andrew.

Sophie just smiled at her while Andrew and Percy greeted each other.

"Where's Brie?" Percy asked.

"She's at home. Let's set another date with the kids." Andrew answered.

Percy smiled then turned his gaze to Nina. He smiled slightly but didn't say a word.

"Let's eat. Alora is starving." Sophie whispered.

Nina felt like her heart would burst out from her chest when she saw Peggy sitting on the left side of the dining table. Beside her was her husband, Jayden Richards.

She wanted to sit on the same side as Peggy at the end of the table, but Nina saw Luke staring at Andrew, and she knew that he wanted them to sit across Peggy and Jayden.

Nina couldn't look at Peggy when they sat down on the other side. Her hands were shaking under the table, and she bowed her head while biting her lip.

The silence was deafening, yet no one dared to start a conversation. The men were exchanging glances while the women were either making themselves busy or just sitting quietly.

"So Nina, how are you?" It was Emily who broke the silence after a few minutes.

Nina was startled and tilted her chin up to look at her friend. She wanted to cry when she set her eyes on Emily. She was now the current queen of Flousia, and she looked so regal in her silver dress.

"I-I-I'm f-fine. H-How about you?" She stammered when she asked Emily.

The queen smiled. "We're okay. Kyle and I were great."

Nina slightly smiled. 

Then another silence. 

Nina bowed her head again and waited for anyone to talk, but she knew she had to start the conversation. She bit her lip again and let out a deep breath. She gulped before turning her gaze to Peggy.

"Peggy, I'm sorry." Nina said with a gentle voice.

Peggy looked at her, and Nina saw the disappointment in her friend's eyes. She turned to Jayden, who wasn't looking at her. Then to Emily and Kyle.

"I'm sorry." She whispered in a shaky voice.

She was trying not to cry, but tears suddenly fell from her eyes.