The King With His Queen

Chapter 8 

All eyes were on them as they walked together out of the company building, everyone from the staff on the top floor to Claire the receptionist behind her counter. She could imagine herself being the talk of the day on every employee's lips. 

Jason did not care. Even though he was particular about his public image, he saw no need to hide his relationship with Jasmine. They are just going for lunch, nothing more. They would have a lot more to talk about when he eventually claimed her as his mate. 

His employee had creative minds, after all, it was an entertainment agency, so he could already imagine them creating a billion scenarios just because he was seen walking beside the new secretary. 

It was obvious that this was a rare sight to behold. Jason Halem always walked alone, unless when work forced him to relate with humans. As a result, he didn't blame them for acting so shocked. 

"Are you okay with so much attention?" He asked Jasmine. He was concerned about how she was dealing with all these. 

"Oh it's no bother, it's kind of fun, I feel like a celebrity," she replied with a light laugh. 

She looked beautiful when she smiled. There was this glint in her eyes that was rare to see because she was either trying to seduce him or scowling at him. As he held the door for her to leave the building he relished the sight of her smiling. 

"Why didn't you take a career in acting instead? You would have been a spectacular actress," he asserted. 

"Oh no, I could never live with my life being put under a microscope for the whole world to poke and judge," she said. She wondered if he meant that as a compliment or if he was mocking her. Did he think she was phoney?

She was being serious. At least they had something in common. They both wanted to keep their private lives private, even if their reasons differ. Hence the reason he was in charge of something that saw him take control from behind the scenes. 

He loved to see others shine, to watch their glory in the spotlight that fame gave them. He was also a little bit cynical because time and time again he had watched them lose their humanity to fame and money. 

Humans were usually like that. It's not like they suddenly change into another person. Most times they just needed different circumstances to show who they truly were. It was a pity though that most times they chose being evil and selfish at the expense of being good. 

Jason looked at her and wondered what kind of person she was. Was she good or just plain evil? It was already a hassle that she was a human and his mate. It would have just been simpler if she was a werewolf like him. He wouldn't have to try so hard to make her feel this connection he felt, this bond he could not deny. It would have been a mutual feeling. 

Still, Jason believed that everything happened for a reason. He believed there was some mighty force somewhere making things work according to his plans. He had to believe in something, or else he would have lost his mind years ago. 

Jasmine was a beautiful enigma to him, one he was subtly trying to decipher. He knew he wouldn't be able to break her walls so easily but he couldn't let her go, so he had to meet her halfway, whenever she was ready. 

"I wonder what secret the beautiful Jasmine Calvin could be keeping," he said, raising his right eyebrow to portray a hint of curiosity. 

"Many actually, but the most dangerous might be having a somewhat strange obsession with a particularly high and mighty billionaire with eyes that seems to pierce my soul," she said with a wink. 

He laughed at that. It was the first time she had seen him let go and enjoy the moment, even if it was brief. He found her funny, mainly because he didn't know there was more truth than ordinary banter in her words. 

"You sound like a princess from the eighties bidding herself to the most eligible bachelor in society," he told her, with that look of amusement still in his eyes.  

"Oh, I doubt I would survive such harsh times. You see, I do not derive joy in fighting over a man, I would rather they fight for my attention," she stated. 

"And I'm sure you wouldn't have had less than a dozen suitors every season fighting for your hand in marriage," he suggested. 

"Triple that number, then we can have a proper conversation," she retorted. 

"Oh really, my bad mademoiselle, it seems I might have underestimated you," he said with his hands in the air like he was surrendering. 

"Well then you wouldn't be the first man to do so," she shot back at him. 

"True, but I want to be the last," he said. 

"What?" She asked, apparently confused at his statement. 

"Ugh?" he asked, feigning ignorance. 

"I mean what you just said, what does that mean?" She asked. 

Jasmine was not about to let the topic just drop like that even though it seemed he wasn't planning to repeat his words or even acknowledge them. 

Still, she wanted him to say it. For a minute there she thought she heard wrongly. It was so spontaneous that she didn't even know what to make of it. 

Was the cold-hearted Jason Halem falling in love with her already? How amusing! 

She could not believe that. She did not believe in love at first sight and she did not see Jason as a man that just fell recklessly in love with just anyone. She had known him for less than a week, surely he wasn't that naive. 

"Oh nothing, don't worry about that," was his reply. 

Was he being serious? How could he drop a bomb like that on her and expect her to not worry about that?! 

He looked uncomfortable and she was genuinely intrigued. It was difficult to understand what went on in his head, but right now she could say she wasn't so wrong if she called him strange. 

He never failed to amuse her, that's for sure. One moment he is cold-hearted, the next it seemed like he is hell-bent on seducing her, even if she was the one that planned to seduce herself into his life. 

"So where are you taking me?" Jasmine asked him, trying to cut through the uncomfortable mood his statement created. 

She knew better than to drag the matter. He didn't want to talk about it and she couldn't force him to open up. She understood that these things took time and she intended to play this game with him every step of the way. 

"Oh somewhere splendid, I'm sure you'll love it. Have you tried Nigerian food before?" He asked. 

"Not really, but I've heard of a few," she replied. 

"Have you heard of Nigeria Jollof rice?" 

"Yeah, sure, never had it though, but I heard it's alright," she said. 

"It's not just alright, it's delicious!" He explained, "you have to try it," he suggested.

"Well I guess I have no choice but to give it a try then," she declared.

"Absolutely no choice," he said with the most serious hilarious face ever. 

He looked so cheerful just talking about food! She sighed and shook her head as she gazed at him. Who would have thought that the billionaire would look so happy due to such mundane things as food?  

Jasmine liked to eat of course, but she had trained herself long ago to eat only when necessary, she could not be greedy. 

There were days she could not even get a meal to eat a day so she could not afford the luxury of exquisite delicacies. She ate just so she could survive, whatever came her way was what she had, and she didn't have a choice. Those days still hunt her till now, she could never forget even if she wanted to. 

She found out long ago that nothing goes for nothing. The cruel faces she crossed paths with in the course of her dark journey through life left deep scars in her that could not fade so easily. 

Who knew that losing your parents at such a young age could lead to life so terrible, or maybe she was just unlucky. 

Everyone in the foster home had always said she was a terrible person, and she had no plan to prove them otherwise. Instead, she wore her name with pride and showed them what being terrible truly meant. She was extremely headstrong and fought her way through life. 

She didn't choose the easy path, but being honest there was no easy path for her, still, she went for the hardest. Sure she regretted her decisions sometimes but she never dwelt on the past. She had no magic wand to make it better so why bother? 

"How come you know so much about African dishes?" She asked him. 

"To be honest I don't know that much, but I want to know more! I even plan on going to Africa someday," he said. 

"That's nice, where in Africa do you want to visit?" She asked.

"The west," he answered vaguely. 

"Where in the west? you do know Africa's a continent, not a country," she told him. 

"Of course, I know Africa's a continent! Well since you're so interested in details I'd love to visit Nigeria, I do enjoy their music too." 

"Beautiful, it'll be nice if you take me there with you someday," she said. 

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he said with a grin and a wink. 

For a moment there she held her breath. She didn't know when exactly but she was gradually warming up to Jason. She had preconceived conceptions about the person he was and she was slowly discovering that she was very wrong. 

Even though she doesn't know how he is, she could deduce from their conversations that he was at least a decent billionaire. That was more than she expected to be honest. 

"We're here," he suddenly announced.

It was a nice little restaurant. Nothing was outstanding about the exterior. It was like your everyday simple restaurant with a neutral colour. 

"Ladies first," he said as he opened the restaurant door for her. 

"Thank you," she said. 

She didn't want to argue with him. It was better to let him showcase his chivalry but that didn't stop her from rolling her eyes. 

She thought he didn't have to act so, but he was enjoying himself so she let him. 

Inside the restaurant was more lively than she expected. It was colourful to the extent that it was aesthetic but not so in your face that you might feel dizzy. 

Jasmine was sensitive to colours. It was the first thing she noticed when she set her eyes on something or somebody. It was usually the tiniest details that caught her attention. She could tell that she would have a nice time here just by how pleasing the interior decoration was done. 

"It's beautiful here," she said, and it was the first thing she had said to him that was not laced with some hidden agenda. 

"It truly is," he agreed. 

They found a table in a corner and a bubbly waiter came to offer them water and take their orders. The waiter wore a very clean white long sleeve with black trousers and sneakers. Somehow he was able to pull this look and she thought it could be because he had a healthy body and a nice face. 

He was young, probably around 20, but she couldn't be sure though, people these days rarely ever look like their age. His personality was his best feature though, not his pretty face. 

He was able to sweet-talk her into contemplating every dish on the menu but she was going with the jollof rice as recommended by Jason. It came with fried chicken and a cold drink. 

Usually, this was enough for dinner but she wasn't complaining. She was all up for trying new things after all. 

The food was great, better than she ever imagined. It made her sad that she was missing out on something this good but she had Jason to thank for the experience. He was still devouring his meal, savouring each taste. 

It was nice just the two of them like this. She felt a pang in her chest. This wouldn't last. She didn't deserve to feel this good, not when she was going to betray him whenever she got the chance. 

She didn't deserve to feel this good.