With My New Love, We Made My Ex Pay

Chapter 3 A Shirt for Him

Davina's POV:

After removing my makeup, I asked Mia Foster to bring me some ice to soothe my swollen eyes.

Xavier was my target client, and tonight was a great opportunity. I needed to convince him to approve the Redbreast collection for his exclusive Radiant Mall.

Once the swelling in my eyes subsided a bit, I had Mia escort me to the restaurant.

On the way, I couldn't stop thinking about how to persuade Xavier to work with me. The marketing team had provided me with plenty of great proposals...

But the moment I stepped into the restaurant and our eyes met, my mind went blank, and my heartbeat skipped a beat.

His eyes burned into me like a brand, and I couldn't bring myself to hold his stare for long.

With a smile, he said, "I've ordered the house specialty. If you don't like it, feel free to pick something else from the menu."

The waiter pulled my chair out for me, and I sat down, replying, "This is fine. What about Edie?"

"Edie got bored after eating, so Samuel took her out to play. Would you like her to come back and keep you company?"

"No, let her play. It's fine."

The papaya-glazed duck and caviar-topped bread on the table looked so tempting that my appetite surged, and I completely forgot about the marketing plans.

But for some reason, as I dug into the food, I felt like Xavier's eyes never left me.

Every time I glanced up, though, I found him staring not at me but past me, looking out the window behind me.

Curious, I turned to see what he was looking at, and I caught sight of a brilliant silver moon hanging in the deep blue sky, so breathtaking that it almost took my breath away.

Xavier was a man of taste. He was the kind of man who would walk the dog through a forest by moonlight and enjoy the view outside while dining.

Once I had eaten enough to feel more grounded, a wave of sadness returned, filling the hollow space inside me.

Old memories of Andrew kept resurfacing, like those little moments when we were together like the time he noticed a bit of jam on my lips and would gently cup my face, licking it off with such tenderness.

Even after everything he'd done, I couldn't erase those memories.

He had been so good to me, and I couldn't bring myself to hate him, but I knew I could never love him again.

Not after he abandoned Edie to win favor with Landon. That was something I could never forgive.

The room was quiet, only the sound of knives and forks gently scraping against plates.

I caught myself glancing at Xavier several times, wanting to say something, but every time I looked up, he was either staring out the window or silently enjoying his meal. He seemed to dislike talking during dinner.

I was hungry, so I quickly finished everything on my plate.

Maybe I had been looking at Xavier for too long because suddenly, he turned to me and asked, "Are you full?"

"Maybe I could eat a little more."

"No, you've already eaten too much. If you keep going, your stomach won't be able to handle it."

"I... I haven't eaten all day," I said, my face flushing with heat. "I was out in the forest looking for Edie..."

I could feel my nose starting to sweat. I didn't want him to think I was some kind of glutton.

"The forest is full of wild beasts. You spent the whole day in there?" He leaned forward, his voice tightening. "When I saw you earlier, you were standing on the bridge. What were you planning to do?"

I immediately looked down, trying to escape his penetrating tone and sharp eyes.

I didn't know how to explain myself.

I didn't like playing the victim, and before Xavier had returned Edie to me, I hadn't even considered asking for help. I had just wanted to quietly disappear from the world.

But Xavier found Edie, and in doing so, he saved my life.

"Mr. Francis," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, "I can't thank you enough for saving Edie." It meant everything to me.

"Is that all you're going to say?" he asked, his tone cool. He lit a cigarette, the smoke curling between us, masking his piercing gaze.

"I mean it." I tried to defend myself, glancing at his shirt, which had a few stains from earlier. "I'd like to get you a new shirt."

I was relieved that, as a small shareholder in a cosmetics company, I had more than enough money in my bank account to buy Xavier a shirt that suited him. At least I could afford this expensive dinner.

I found the most expensive brand on a shopping website, stood up, and walked over to him. "What color do you like for shirts?"

He seemed surprised, clearly not expecting me to come over. He hurriedly stubbed out his cigarette and asked, "Let me see what colors you've got."

I handed him my phone, but he didn't take it from me.

Slightly embarrassed, I bent down, holding the phone in front of him.

The faint smell of tobacco mixed with the cold, steel-like scent of his presence filled my nose.

My sense of smell was unusually sharp, something I had always noticed.

And now, I could smell something else, a cold, crisp pine scent, like freshly fallen snow in the winter. Xavier smelled like winter itself, clean and hard, as though he were made from ice and the sharp scent of snow-covered trees.

He stared at the screen of my phone without saying anything. In this quiet atmosphere, his scent seemed to get stronger, creeping into my senses and making it hard to think straight.

I stood there, bent over, holding the phone in front of him.

He sat back in his chair, flicking through the options with his fingers, completely absorbed.

Our faces were so close that I could feel the warmth radiating from his skin.

I couldn't help but let my mind wander. It was incredible that I was standing this close to Xavier. If I only tilted my head slightly, my lips could brush against his cheek.

I quickly banished the thought from my mind, afraid of what it meant. No, I couldn't let myself think like that. It had to be the combination of his scent, tobacco, and cedar that was messing with my senses.

Besides, he was a handsome man.

I couldn't help but ask myself, 'If it had been a regular man who helped me find Edie tonight, would I have thought anything other than gratitude towards him? No, I wouldn't.

So, I had to admit that Xavier was partially to blame for these strange thoughts.

'Oh God, what am I doing?'

I felt like my hand was already reaching out.