Chapter 48
FREYA
The waiter placed the plates in front of us and served the wine before leaving us in our
us in our meals.
“So is this the date you talked about?” I asked, cuning the ravioli into half. Aiden had called, asking to get lunch together. Obviously I agreed. And there we were getting food at a really nice Italian place.
“No” He smiled into his glass of wine. “This is just lunch, you know where people talk about their day.”
He was teasing. The nerve–I offered a smile of my own. “Oh okay, then. How was your morning?”
“Back to back meetings. He replied in a bored tone.
“Sounds fun.” I mumbled while relishing the taste of the ravioll This had just become my favorite Italian place.
“Hom_How did your day go?”
I paused for a second, thinking about the answer. I had to tell him about Connor and the deal but I wasn’t sure. After that day at lunch I wasn’t sure he would react very kindly to the news that I went to visit him. They had some kind of weird relationship
“Pretty good actually. I muttered carefully.
“Huh?” He leaned back waiting for me to get into details, I swallowed the food in my mouth, allowing myself a second to frame what I was gonna
“I met with Connor Warren Direct, just bluried it right out. And it didn’t seem to do much good either considering the way Aiden stiffened in his sent. Every muscle on his face tightened and I was starting to regret my decision to bring this up at the moment 1 had possibly ruined our lunch which was going perfectly until the very moment.
“Met him where?” he asked in a cold low voice. His face had gone blank, giving nothing away. His guards were up. I just didn’t know why. What was his deal with Connor anyway!
“I went to his office earlier today.” If possible, his expression became even more closed off,
“So, remember that day I went on lunch with him and you sort of peed around me in a circle?” Nothing on his face told me that he heard me, not even a twitch. He just sat there, staring straight into my eyes.
“How do you know him?” That earned me a response from Alden. His jaws clenched.
“What does he want with you?”
I forced myself to let go of the fact that he hadn’t answered my question because it seemed like not replying to what he asked would worsen the tension that was hanging in between us.
“Remember I told you it was about business? He has recently acquired Inks and Pages. Now he wants to remodel it into a bookstore which is also a cafe. He wants me for the cafe part. Still nothing. I wasn’t expecting him to dance and celebrate it with me but damn, anything was better than o very handsome stośc face looking back at you, I felt like I was facing an interrogation
We’ll start with one of the stores right now and from there we can go on. He gave me the papers today”
Still nothing. I sighed exasperated. “Are you gonna say something or what?”
“What do you want me to say?” He drummed his fingers on the table. Twice
“He said you two went to the same college.” Since I was looking for signs so closely, I hadn’t missed the slightest tie in his jaw. Aiden didn’t like this guy, for whatever reasons.
He let a deep breath out. “What else did he say?”
“Nothing But I feel like there’s more?” I was almost guessing for him to change the topic or just, 1 don’t know, not reply maybe.
“We were very close” He looked me dead in the eye: “Then I found him in bed with my girlfriend. End of story.”
the list of top ten things I was expecting him to say. That explains his strong dislike of
of Canner. It also justified his actions
lunch the previous day.
“Jesus” I- do you I can cancel this whole deal with him” From our conversations and the late time I had known Warren, I thought he was a good
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man. Betraying his best friend by having sex with his girlfriend just brought him down a good many spots in my book.
“Why would you do that” Aiden muttered quietly.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. You were all territorial that day and now it actually makes sense
Apparently what I said didn’t sit well with Aiden. His eye twitched, something clouding his face.
“Make no mistake, Freya 1 am territorial. I don’t fucking share,” The low tone of his promise sent a slight shiver up my spine. Some weird mid- century broken part of me actually liked his possessiveness. Was something wrong with me!
“There will be nothing happening between me and Connor.” I felt the need to clarity, mainly because I could understand where he came from Being betrayed by people close to you really does a number on a person.
“Is that right?” His gaze sharpened on me. He was trying to intimidate me, knock me off my balance but
but that w
wouldn’t work. I held eye contact.
Aiden stared for another few seconds before giving a small nod. “Then we don’t have a problem.”
He held his hand out across the table. I put mine in his palm and watched as his fingers rubbed against the skin on my hand. “This is a huge opportunity for you. And if he tries something, you let me know”
With his last sentence his grip on my hand tightened, showing he seriously meant it. I nodded once in response.
“Well in that case, I need a lawyer to look through the papers before I sign. Do you have someone in mind?” I asked, taking a sip of the wine. The oner casual lunch had turned way too serious in just a few minutes. But it was something. This was the first time Alden had shared something personal with me.
“I’ll have my lawyer meet with you.” He went back to his food.
“Great, thanks.”
“So there’s this fundraiser gala I need to attend.” He said. “You’ll be my date to the gala
When I raised a brow he amended his statement. “Will you be my date to the gala?”
I checked a grin. “Yes, since you asked so nicely. Not saying something as an order didn’t come easy to this man. He would get there, I would make
“When is it?”
“Tonight.” He said, cutting precisely into his steak like that was the most normal thing to say.
“I’m sorry what!” He looked up and he even had the nerve to look confused. “It’s tonight and you’re telling me now!”
“It slipped my mind.”
All I could do was stare at him incredulously. He forgot, he fucking forgot to mention that I needed to attend a literal gala. Did I even have something to wear for the occasion!
“Your dress will be at home in two hours.” He said as if he had heard my thoughts.
“Til need to call a setter.” I muttered, still annoyed at him Cuess I was attending a gala Yay!
AIDEN
I checked the time for the fourth time now. Since the dress had been delivered a couple of hours ago, Freya had locked herself in her room with it She came out once in a mube when the babysitter for Cia came. If we started out right at the moment, we could make it in time but I wasn’t seeing a fat chance of that happening
Not that it mattered much anyway. This gala was important but more than that it was an excuse for me to see Freya in a pretty dress. She would be ethereal in that dark red dress. I knew it the moment my eyes landed on it. Right now I was a very patient man because I knew the sight of her was going to rewarding
As if just on rue, I heard her footsteps. I fell everything had slowed down as she w walked up to the center of the hall
heart past skipped a larat
Fuck My heart
My imagination didn’t fucking compare to how she actually looked. Hair styled up in an updo with a few loose strands framing her face. And that
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Chapter 48
dress fit her like a glove, leaving every gorgeous curve on display. Suddenly this gala didn’t seem like a very good idea.
“I’m sorry. I know I’m late. I couldn’t decide what to do with the hair, keep it down or up.” She stood there waiting for me to comment on her hair while I was having a really hard time trying to formulate coherent words. When I was quiet she prompted.
y eyes.
“What do you think?” Now she looked a bit nervous, Jesus! Only if she could see herself through my
“I think you look way too beautiful to be out in public. And that I want to kiss you.
A blush rose to her face as she let out a surprised chuckle, “So you want to ditch the gal
“Yes, I didn’t miss a beat. I would very much love to stay in with her, especially with how she looked
“Not happening. I love this dress and I spent a lot of time getting ready. And the sitter is already here. We are going” She walked closer till she was right in front of me. I thrust my hands inside my pocket and watched Freya. Her eyes gleamed with amusement.
“And no kissing. Behave and before the night ends you might get a kiss.”
1 raised a brow, surprised at her baldness. She was normally a blubbering mess and I would be lying if I say I didn’t like her teasing smile. She ⠀⠀ walked past me and pressed the button for the elevator.
This was going to be a particularly long night and all of a sudden I wasn’t feeling very patient anymore
Commend
