Love's deception

Chapter five

Amelia’s pov:

I entered my apartment and was immediately greeted by my dog Tatty, who jumped up and licked my face. I laughed and gave her a scratch behind the ears. Then, I noticed my best friend, Kate, coming out of the bathroom. "Hey, mei!" she said, giving me a hug. I dropped my coat on the couch and kicked off my shoes. "I'm glad you're home," Kate said. "I've been missing you."

"Don't you ever go home?" I asked, half-joking. She laughed and said, "Of course I do! But I love hanging out with you. You're way more fun than my own apartment." Then, she got a mischievous look on her face and said, "So...who dropped you off?”. "What's the look on your face?"she asked . "You look like you've just seen a ghost

“Well,I was in the office today when I got a ridiculous text on my sss scheduling my meeting with Christian and do you know what pissed me off?”

“What?”,kate asked looking more curious

“He asked me to dress on black,like how dare him”I said furious

Kate was looking at me blankly

“what?”I asked

“I don’t see anything wrong with that,you need to suit his taste,c’mon we are talking about a billionaire here”

“Are you f*****g kidding me right now?”I asked Kate

“That’s by the way,so what happened next”

“So I stormed into his office and told him that I’d never be interested in him whether now or in the future”

“You said that?”she asked

“Of course,I did,and when I tried to walk away,he kissed me”

“OMG,you are kidding right now,right”

“What’s so special about it?”I asked

“That was hot,mei,don’t you watch movies?”

“That was assault”

I said and started walking into the kitchen

“But you loved it though”she screamed after me

When I got to the kitchen,I touched my lips remembering the kiss I shared with him

“I need to take my mind off this and focus on finding out about his company,he’s literally trying to block me from finding out about his company and his frauds”

My tummy grumbled

I held my tummy

“I Need to fix my tummy first”

“There are leftovers in the fridge”,Kate said

I opened the fridge and looked at the leftovers that were available. There were a few options - pasta, soup, and salad. I decided on the pasta. I put the pasta in a bowl and heated it in the microwave, then took it to the table. I sat down and started eating, enjoying the familiar flavors and the feeling of being full.

I looked back and I noticed that Kate was dressed up. "Wow, you look great!" I said. "Is there a special occasion?" Kate smiled and said, "I have a date tonight! I'm so excited!" She leaned down and gave Tatty a quick kiss on the head, and then she turned to leave.

“Unlike someone who dosent enjoy the opportunities she has “she said

“Ughhh,Just leave already”

She closed the door behind

“Finally,I can rest now”

As I sat down,I opened my computer, i take a deep breath and exhale slowly. I open my browser and type in the name of Christian’s company. I was greeted with a wealth of information, and i begin to dig in, reading through article after article about the history of the company. I find myself getting more and more interested, learning about how the company started and how it grew over the years.

“There’s really no much thing on the internet”,as I was about to shut my computer

I saw an article that read”Jason wood is a monster”

“I started to wonder who Jason was.

I clicked the article and I started to scroll

There were pictures of the Wood family but Christian’s face wasn’t in the picture

“This article has been taken down ages ago but did someone post it with another site?”

I took my phone and took screenshots of them and decided to go through what the article says

“Christian’s father remarried a month after his wife died

His new wife was much younger than him and she had a son with her.

After getting married,Christian’s feelings were completely abandoned,the father would beat him up each time he raised a topic on how Jason’s mother treated him.while Jason’s mother cared for only her son,she spoilt him too much and he grew up feeling entitled about everything,he bullies people in school and when the case is brought out,Jason’s mother pays and covers the crime up

One time,he almost killed his classmate after he refused to obey his order,but the case was settled and close”

And that was why he was sent abroad to stay out of trouble “

I closed my laptop suprised

“Could Christian really be a victim of all this or this article just really fake as they said”

“Why would a father marry just a month after his wife died and she had a son already for him?”

“I need to be close to him to find out everything”

As I laid down on my bed trying to rest from all the stress

My phone buzzed with a text message,I groaned and grabbed my phone,reading the notification,it was from Christian

“Have a goodnight sleep”,he said

I thought of what to reply

“You too,can we meet up tomorrow morning ?”I asked

I got another text message from Christian : "I'm sorry to say that my morning is booked up, but I'm free from 2:00 p.m. Is that okay?" I breathed a sigh of relief. I was glad that we could still meet, even if it was later than originally planned. I texted back: "That's perfect!

“I will text you the location tomorrow “he replied back

I rolled my eyes,what’s with him and always booking a spot but I think that’s perfect because we might be seen outside and people will think we are really dating.

“Sure,that’s fine with me”,I texted back

And with that,I dropped my phone and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning,I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock. I sat up in bed and stretched. I got up and showered. I need to choose my outfit carefully, I need to look good and nice today.

I saw Tatty siting on the couch looking at me

“Hey,I’ve abandoned you too much,please forgive me”,I said as I kissed her and she licked my face

I put on a black dress feeling confident.

“Oh I need to look good in the black dress to draw his attention,that means I should just take coffee.

So I made the coffee and grabbed my Jacket

I closed the door behind me and took a deep breath. I headed down the stairs, walking briskly to the bus stop. The bus arrived, and I boarded, finding a seat near the front. I took out my book, reading to pass the time. But as I read, I kept glancing at the clock, my thoughts going to the meeting with Nathan later in the day.

The bus pulled up to the stop near my office, and i got off, stepping onto the sidewalk. I walked the short distance to my office building, heading through the front doors. As I walked to my desk, i saw my coworkers busy at work. I took a moment to gather my thoughts, then sat down at my desk, ready to begin my day

My phone rang,it was Kate and I picked it up

“Hiii best friend,guess what?”

I’m in my workplace Kate,I will call you later”I said

But….

I ended the call and signed

“I know it’s a boy issue and I really don’t want to hear it right now

Then I saw a text notification from Christian,it was sent last night,I must have slept off,as I wanted to open it..

I saw my boss approaching me

“Amelia,you wore a dress to work for the first time!!!!”he said approaching me

Everyone turned to look at me

I bowed my head in shame

My boss got to my desk,”tell me what’s the secret?”

“Ummm,I have a date in the afternoon boss”,I said

And everyone turned to look at the me the second time

My boss eyes went wide

“Who is that person,was he really awake when he saw you?”

And everyone started laughing

“Please boss,not now”,I stood up and ran towards rhe bathroom

“Come back here Amelia”

I ran into the bathroom and closed the door and then opened the message

“I've made a reservation for us at The Ritz-Carlton's private dining room. It's a beautiful space, and it will be completely private. Is that okay?"

Maybe,I should reply him now or probably he might not see it.I will just meet him there by 2pm as we have discussed

Then I came out of the bathroom and walked straight to my desk avoiding all eye contact.

At 1:50 p.m.,I got up from my desk and headed to the bathroom, wanting to freshen up before I leave for the Ritz-Carlton. I splashed some water on my face, trying to calm my nerves. It was almost time to leave, and I felt a mix of excitement and anxiety because I might be close to solving the puzzle

“That’s what I think at least”

I left the office building and walked to the nearest taxi stand. I ordered an Uber and got inside, giving the driver the address of the Ritz-Carlton. The taxi pulled away from the curb and started towards the hotel. I looked out the window, watching the cityscape pass by. As we got closer to the hotel,I looked back to make sure my boss wasn’t following me or anything

So we stopped infront of the Ritz-Carlton.I paid him and stepped out

The Ritz-Carlton was a grand, luxurious hotel, towering above the city skyline. The building was made of glass and steel, gleaming in the sunlight. It had a modern, elegant design, with a large glass entrance and a spacious lobby.

“This is my first time being here”

I walked to the door,and it pulled open on its own,I stepped inside

there was a grand staircase, leading up to the upper floors. The hotel showed wealth, and it was clear that only the most wealthy people would stay here.

As I walked through the lobby, I was approached by a uniformed employee. "Ms. Amelia?" She said. I nodded, and she continued. "Mr. Christian is waiting for you in the private dining room. May I take you there?" I nodded again, and the employee led me to a private elevator. We stepped inside and rode it to the top floor, where the dining room was located.

As the elevator doors opened, I saw Christian sitting at a table by the window. He was looking out at the city, his back to me. He looked calm and stressed

“Hi Amelia ”,he said

“Hi Christian”

“Please sit “,he said gesturing to the seat opposite him

He kept looking at me from head to toe

“You look so beautiful with the black dress”

“Thank you,you said black was your best color”,I said

He looked at me confused and suprised

a waiter approached the table, a wine list in hand. "May I take your wine order?" He asked. "Of course,"

Christian replied, glancing at the list. "I'll have a glass of the finest Pinot Noir." I smiled and turned to the waiter. "I'll have the same," I said.

"Actually, I think we should get something else for you," Christian said. I looked at him, surprised. "I've noticed that you don't handle wine very well," he explained. I blushed, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I'm sorry if I've caused any trouble in the past," I said. Christian waved his hand again. "It's no trouble at all," he said. "Let's just get you something that won’t make you feel bad later

"Why don't we get you some sparkling water with a twist of lemon?" Christian suggested. "That way, you'll have something refreshing to drink, but it won't make you feel bad later." I thought about it for a moment, and then I nodded. "I think that's a great idea," I said. "Thank you." The waiter left to get our orders

“You said you wanted to get to know me better,the same goes for me,I want to know you better”,I said looking into his eyes

“Amelia,there’s nothing interesting about me,trust me”,he said

“So how did all those girls find you interesting?”,I asked

He smiled,”you are really persistent “

The waiter returns with our order and sets it on the table and then leaves

“Amelia,I meant it when I said I want to get to know you better”,he said looking at me

“I meant it too Christian”,I said

“So what part of me interests you?”,I asked

As he was about to answer that, his phone started to ring.

He reached into his pocket and pulled it out, frowning when he saw the caller ID. "Sorry, it's my assistant," he said, answering the call. "What is it, Robert ?" He listened for a moment, his expression darkening. "I told you not to bother me unless it was an emerge…”

He was cut off

“What do you mean?”,he asked,standing up and walking towards the window

Then I got a call too,it was from Kate,then I saw that my boss called me before.

I signed and picked

“Kate,let me call you…”

“Did you see the news?”

“What news?”

Christian’s brother is back, this is actually the first time he’s coming to New Yor…..

I dropped my phone and turned to watch Christian.

His hands were shaking,he seemed tensed and angry.

“Why would Jason come back to New York after all this years and what does it mean for Christian