The Inescapable Celibate Heir Chapter 15: Barbecue Always Tastes Better When Someone Else Cooks It

After the party, Ethan and the other three guys trailed behind Victoria.

She was in the center, with the four dudes forming a semicircle around her, like they were guarding a queen.

Victoria soaked up the attention of the onlookers. Even though she had been through the entertainment industry in her past life, she found it a bit overwhelming.

"The party's over, you guys should head out."

Nick chimed in, "Victoria, you hungry? I'll treat you to a feast. What do you feel like eating?"

Eric jumped in, "I don't know if Victoria's hungry, but I sure am. I barely ate dinner 'cause I was rushing to catch your show!"

With that, he and Nick started bickering, and soon they were play-fighting.

Nick yelled, "Eric! A gentleman uses words, not fists. You're wrecking my image in front of my cousin!"

Eric shot back, "Image? Nick, do you even have one?"

Roy cut in, "Ignore them. Victoria, what do you want?"

Ethan nudged Nick aside, making sure they didn't bump into Victoria. "What do you feel like eating?"

Victoria was indeed starving and thought for a moment. "Barbecue."

She hadn't eaten dinner because of the performance, and now she was really hungry.

Victoria pouted and touched her flat stomach.

Ethan noticed and smiled, finding her expressions particularly adorable.

They headed to a charcoal grill spot near Nexus College.

Ethan held the curtain aside, letting Victoria go in first.

Nick followed closely. "Thanks, Ethan, you're quite the gentleman today."

Ethan flicked his hand and went in sideways, the curtain falling back and hitting Nick in the face.

Nick covered his nose, the curtain was soft but pretty heavy. "Ethan, you did that on purpose, didn't you? No respect at all!"

Roy smirked and kicked him. "Looking for respect from Ethan? Nick, are you asking for a beating?"

Eric said, "Ethan knows how to treat a lady. Nick, do you think you qualify?"

Nick was indignant but couldn't argue.

Victoria sat down first, Ethan sat next to her, and Nick on the other side.

When it was time to order, Ethan let Victoria go first.

Victoria didn't hold back and ordered all her favorite dishes, including some mushroom and zucchini sides.

Nick asked, "Victoria, are you ordering for us?"

Victoria replied, "Nope, this is all for me. You guys order your own."

Eric raised his eyebrows and gave a thumbs up. "Victoria, you're awesome!"

Ethan tapped Nick on the head with the menu. "Order double portions; we can afford it."

Victoria interjected. "No need for double portions, you guys order what you like."

Roy chimed in, "We'll eat anything, as long as it's meat."

Eric circled all the meat on the menu. "Ordered. Bring it on; I'm starving!"

The food came quickly, with two grills on the table because of the large group.

Victoria was about to grab the tongs, but Ethan reached out first.

Victoria glanced at him, and he had already placed the meat on the grill. "I'll handle the grilling."

Nick also started grilling with a laugh. "Victoria, with so many guys here, you don't need to lift a finger!"

Ethan gave him a disdainful look.

Eric, after eating a few bites of the appetizer, chewed and swallowed. "Nick, with your skills, I'm afraid you'd send Victoria to the hospital."

Ethan had already grilled a few pieces of meat, cut them into bite-sized pieces, and placed them on Victoria's plate.

Victoria smiled. "Thanks, I won't hold back then."

She dipped the meat in sauce and took a bite. It was juicy and tender.

Victoria's eyes lit up. She grabbed another piece and stuffed it into her mouth, looking at Ethan with admiration and giving him a thumbs up.

"If you like it, eat more," Ethan said with a smile. Seeing her so satisfied, he grilled more enthusiastically, constantly adding meat to Victoria's plate, barely eating himself.

Victoria gestured. "That's enough; there's plenty already. You should eat too. Aren't you hungry?"

Ethan shrugged. "I'm not that hungry."

Soon, Victoria's plate was piled high, but she knew her limits and wouldn't overeat.

Just then, Victoria's phone rang. It was Samuel.

"Samuel," Victoria said, swallowing a bite of meat.

Samuel had just finished working overtime. "Victoria, how was your day at school?"

Victoria replied, "Great, everything went smoothly!"

Samuel asked, "It sounds noisy over there. Are you eating?"

Victoria said, "Yeah, having a barbecue."

Nick heard it was Samuel and shouted, "Samuel, it's me! Victoria is having a barbecue with us!"

"Let me talk to Nick," Samuel said. Victoria handed the phone to Nick.

Nick wiped his mouth. "Samuel, didn't you tell me to take Victoria out more? We're having a barbecue right now."

Samuel's voice suddenly turned serious. "It's late, and instead of taking her home, you're taking her to a noisy place to eat?"

"No, Samuel, we're with Ethan. The barbecue was Victoria's idea," Nick said, feeling wronged.

"Ethan is there too?" Samuel felt a bit relieved. "Make sure to have her back by eleven, or don't bother taking her out next time."

Nick said, "Yes, sir! Mission accepted. Hanging up now, Samuel."

In Samuel's eyes, Nick was unreliable, but Ethan was the most disciplined among them.

For twenty years, Ethan had never been involved with women or played around, and the Smith family had a good reputation.

Ethan was the leader among them, and as long as he was there, no one dared to act recklessly.

So Samuel felt reassured.

Nick handed the phone back to Victoria. "Samuel said to be back by eleven, so we can take our time eating!" Nick's eyebrows danced with joy.

They had a great meal.

After dinner, they took Victoria home.

As she got out of the car, Victoria smiled and said, "Goodbye, I had a great time today."

Ethan said, "I'll pick you up tomorrow."

"What?" Victoria was stunned.

Nick said, "Tomorrow is the weekend, we'll take you out."

Victoria thought for a moment. She hadn't made many friends since coming to Sunhaven and hadn't really gone out. She said, "Alright, see you tomorrow then."

Victoria walked through the gate, and Ethan kept watching her until the door closed.

Nick teased, "Ethan, what are you looking at?"

The driver wanted to laugh but didn't dare. This was the first time Ethan had shown such interest in a girl. He had to report this to Ethan's mother!

Ethan turned and gave Nick a cold look.

Nick thought to himself, 'Don't look at me like that. Victoria is my cousin, after all! You should be nicer to me, right?'