58
After the trial, it took a little bit for me to get back into work and my life before this all began. Ivan and I have been doing better since that night in the hospital, our relationship seemingly stronger because of the drama which I was thankful for.
As for my father, weve been slowly rebuilding our relationship, seeing each other once or twice a week as he insisted he take me out to lunch and catch up on what he missed out on in my life. I knew this was his way of making amends for leaving me at a young age and honestly Im just thankful to have him back in my life again.
“Amelia are you ready” a voice snapped me out of my thoughts as I took in the sight of Ivan throwing himself onto one of the chairs.
“Ready for what exactly” I questioned getting up to sit beside him on the couch, throwing my legs over his lap in fatigue.
“Don’t tell me you dont remember” he teased.
“Is their a meeting Im not aware of?”
“No silly, I just wanted to take you out for lunch and Im kind of insulted that you immediately thought of a meeting instead of an anniversary or something” He babbled, gliding his hands up and down my legs.
“I mean, you are kinda my boss and I do accompany you to most of your meetings so Im not entirely sure on what you were so offended by.”
“Never mind that, just get your fine arse out the door before I make you” he threatened much to my amusement as I walked out the door with him behind me.Text © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.
It was a wonderful day in New York, the weather finally warming up as we entered spring, the snow almost completely melted, leaving behind massive puddles. It took about ten minutes for us to reach the destination, the car pulling up to a familiar looking restaurant.
“What is the meaning of this” I questioned with a grin on my face.
“It’s a surprise” he teased, getting out to open the door for me.
“You and your damn surprises” I muttered getting out of the car, intertwining our fingers as we made our way into the restaurant. The waitress checked us in before guiding us to the table we sat at on our first date. I shook my head at him as I slid into my seat and began examining the dishes on the menu, already knowing what I was gonna get before opening it.
“You’re unbelievable, you know that.”
“Unbelievably sexy? Yes I did know that but thanks for commenting on it” he joked as I giggled at his cockiness.
“You know, cockiness is a major turn off.”
“I am not cocky, I just exude confidence and some people are astonished by it.”
“Whatever” I dismissed him as the waiter came to take our orders.
“I’ll have the salmon and asparagus and a glass of champagne” I ordered, closing my menu and turning my attention to Ivan as he ordered the same thing as when we first came here for our date.
“Is there a reason for all of this” I asked still wondering why we were here.
“Is a man not allowed to take his girl out and spoil her” he questioned, his tone showing his slight disapproval of my questioning.
“It’s not that at all, its just, were at the same restaurant as the day we first began our relationship and I just find it odd” I explained, placing my hand on his to soothe him.
“This is one of my favorite restaurants and we haven’t been here in a while so why not” he deflected the question. I observed as his eyes flickered around the restaurant, subtly trying to get me to drop my curiosity.
We sat in comfortable silence as we waited for our food to arrive, thankfully it didn’t take too long which was probably because of how empty the restaurant was. The food like the first time was exceptional, I tried my hardest to not devour my whole dish at once but it proved to be quite difficult. Ivan chuckled at my futile attempts to savor the food, as he took a gulp of champagne to wash down his pasta.
“Everything alright so far” the waitress asked, a polite smile on her face.
“The food is wonderful like usual, thank you” Ivan answered, giving her a curt nod as she walked away. I took the last bite of my salmon, slightly upset that it was finished, but I let out a delighted sigh as I began sipping on my champagne.
“Are you gonna order dessert or shall I” Ivan asked, looking through a separate menu which I assumed had the dessert options on it.
“Surprise me” I responded, closing my eyes in content.
“How does a creme brulee sound?”
“Marvelous” I answered as he placed the order to the waitress while she cleared our table.
“Remember how you told me you wanted to travel the world in this very restaurant” Ivan asked, my attention turned to him as I sat up.
“Yeah, why?”
“Well, I was thinking we should go now since the business is at its peak, I don’t have to be there at all times and my father agreed to check in on the company for a couple months while we travelled” he explained, his expression displaying his hopefulness.
“Are you sure your business will manage during your absence? I mean you are the CEO and you being gone for that long might give your competitors advantage to exceed you” I asked not wanting to be the cause for his company’s demise.
“Mia cara, I can still manage the business without being there, I just need someone to check in from time to time to make sure everything is running smoothly and my father offered to do that since he was a businessman during his time as well. Are you having second thoughts?”
“Not at all, just want to make sure everything will be fine in your absence” I assured him, my excitement increasing at the idea of finally getting to travel and with Ivan.
Our desserts arrived shortly after, I immediately dug in, wanting to feel the creaminess of the creme brulee on my tongue. I moaned as my taste buds welcomed the sweetness of the dessert as well as the warmth of it. The creme brulee went well with the champagne which I assume Ivan did on purpose seeing as he ordered the bottle. Unlike the salmon, I savored the taste of the creme brulee knowing I wouldn’t be having something this rich for a long time.
“Are you ready to go” Ivan asked once we finished our desserts and champagne. I nodded with a smile as he grabbed my hand and escorted me to the front to pay. I began to pull out my wallet earning a groan from Ivan at my eagerness to help pay for the meal.
“Mia cara, I thought we left this back on our first date” he nagged me for pulling out my wallet much to my amusement.
“I will never let you pay for a meal without putting up a fight” I teased handing my card to the waitress before he had time to react. Without missing a beat, he snatched my card from her and replaced it with his before sticking his tongue out at me.
“Very mature” I responded once the waitress handed him his card and the receipt as we made our way out of the restaurant. He opened the passenger door for me as I got in, Ivan rushing to the driver side to begin our quest back to work.
“This was nice” I complimented as pulled away from the curb and the view of the restaurant getting smaller in the mirrors.
“Oh but it’s not over yet my love” he answered giving me a quick wink before turning his attention on the road. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion but knew that was the most I’d be getting until we reached our destination so I sat back and enjoyed the ride.
I hadn’t realized I had fallen asleep until Ivan was stood over me trying to wake me up. I took a moment to survey my surroundings even though my vision was slightly blurred and realized we were in some sort of clearing.
“Mia cara, I’m gonna need you to put this blindfold on now” Ivan instructed handing me a blindfold as I reluctantly put it over my eyes.
“Just a friendly reminder if you kill me, I’ll come back and haunt your ass” I warned as he began to lead me to the mystery location. My steps were hesitant as we continued walking, Ivan assuring me we were nearing the location every few minutes until we had finally arrived.
“You can remove the blindfold now” he told me, as I slowly did as he asked, shielding my eyes from the blaring sun as they adjusted to the lighting.
I took in my surroundings, seeing my frineds and my father standing in the clearing, the place being lit up with lanterns as well as rose petals scattered on the ground in a heart formation. Confused, I stepped forward towards them before turning around to be met with Ivan down on one knee.
“Mia cara, since the first day you walked into my office for the interview, I knew that I’d be spending the rest of my life with you. I was immediately drawn in by your willingness to stand up to me regardless of whether or not I was your boss. As we began to get closer, it only solidified my desire to be with you as you have shown me a brighter life filled with laughter, happiness and light which I didn’t think was possible for me. You’re the light at the end of my tunnel, the angel in my world of darkness and my one true love. Amelia Winters, will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?” Ivan proposed, taking me by complete surprise. My hands found their way to my mouth as I began crying tears of joy at his declaration of love for me. My heart seemed to be pounding so loud I thought it would fly out of my chest at Ivan’s question.
“Of course I’ll marry you” I answered, getting down on my knees to kiss him, my family clapping and whistling behind us. I pulled away enough to rest my forehead against his as I stared into his eyes that were filled with pure adoration.
“Welcome to your new life Amelia Stone” Ivan exclaimed emphasizing his last name as he slid the ring on my finger. I giggled in response, leaning in once more to capture his lips in yet another passionate kiss.