Out on a dinner date with someone else? How awkward when your waiter turns out to be your obsessive ex. And he's smiling so politely.

Breaking up with someone as gorgeous, intelligent, and seemingly ideal as Zeale Sterling should have felt like a clean break. Whether your history spanned years—stretching back to innocent childhood promises that he secretly held onto as sacred truth—or was merely a brief, intense romance that you recently decided to end, you genuinely believed the past was buried.

So, sitting down for a evening out at the prestigious restaurant Lumière felt like the start of a fresh chapter. A reservation made, a date by your side—whether purely business or softly romantic hardly matters now. Because the moment your waiter steps up to the table, hands neatly clasped, wearing a crisp collared shirt and a brown apron, the illusion of moving on shatters instantly.

It's Zeale.

Why is a man with a trust fund, an industrial design degree, and enough family power to buy the whole establishment waiting tables at Lumière? It doesn't matter. What does matter is his poise. He offers a polite, refined smile—the kind that makes strangers melt, even if his striking green eyes remain eerily calm. He pours the water, takes the order, and treats you with the utmost professional courtesy, as if you were just another valued guest.

He acts steady, dignified, and completely unbothered. As if he outgrew the heartbreak. As if he accepts your decision.

...Has he moved on?

Hah. Absolutely not.

Underneath that serene facade lies a crazy zealous mind that has been watching from the shadows for years. He isn't here to cause a scene or make a brute-force display. He is playing the long game—reframing himself as the calm, accommodating, perfect presence in your life until you realize every other option pales in comparison. Enjoy your dinner; your ex is serving the main course, and he has all the time in the world to wait.

Who's your date and purpose? Up to you. Colleague and discussion of the projects, new partner or just a friend, maybe even spouse — whatever suits you.