Chapter 16

Alexandra sat in the very high class restaurant as she waited for Luca. He had sent his driver to pick her up and bring her here. The restaurant was so fancy with a very serene atmosphere. A week ago, Alexandra didn't think that she'd step foot into a fancy restaurant like this today but here she was.

She observed the place subtly taking in the magnificent setting. A waiter had asked her what she wanted to eat but she decided to wait for Luca to make the order. The restaurant was empty except for her and the staff. She was glad that no one was around because she was feeling a little self conscious about herself.

Hearing footsteps approaching her, Alexandra turned to see Luca walking towards her. His hair was slightly tousled as though he had run his hands through them repeatedly but that didn't do anything to make him less handsome. He smiled as he noticed her looking at him which made her drop her gaze.

He sat across from her, "Sorry for keeping you waiting, something…important came up" he said in a smooth voice which was also sincere.

"I don't mind. I just arrived too " Alexandra said as she dismissed his apology. She didn't mind that he came a little bit late because it gave her a little time to calm her jittery nerves.

Luca's eyes traced every feature of her face, from her eyes to her nose and down to her glossed lips.

Alexandra felt her cheeks warm up under his heated gaze. "Is there a problem? Is there something wrong with my face?" She said as she tried to keep her voice firm. " You're staring"

The corner of his lips pulled up in a smirk at her words. "Am I not supposed to stare at you?" He said feigning ignorance. "It's not my fault that my eyes loves a beauty like you"

Alexandra's face once again heated up because of Luca. She cleared her throat and quietly mouthed a soft "thanks"

A waiter came to their table interrupting the awkwardness which Alexandra was thankful for. He handed them both menus before exiting as he gave them time to place their orders.

Alexandra focused on the menu while ignoring the heated gaze from Luca. Most of the meals were familiar to her,not because she had eaten them before but because she watched countless videos about making fancy dishes after she got the job at the diner. She hadn't had the opportunity to try them because of how expensive it was to get the ingredients.

She glanced back at Luca to see him looking at the menu in his hand. As though noticing her gaze,he looked over the menu and she quickly looked away. The prices on the menu were outrageous as they were enough to feed her for a month. She placed her menu down right after Luca, mustering a weak smile when he stared at her.

"Are you done? I'll call the waiter, so what are you ordering?" Luca asked as he signaled for the waiter.

"I'll have whatever you're having, I really don't know what to pick"

He stared at her for a moment as though considering something before he said, " okay, whatever you say"

The waiter collected their orders before excusing himself to the kitchen. Once he was gone, Luca focused his attention on Alexandra. He was aware of the fact that she felt uncomfortable under his gaze but he enjoyed the way her cheeks warmed up at every slightest thing.

"I must say," Luca said,his voice tinged with a touch of intrigue, "I thought that you were going to decline the dinner invitation. I pegged you as a careful girl"

She met his gaze with challenging eyes, " Well I am a careful girl, very careful" she said in a steady voice. "...but sometimes I choose to become loose, you know, for the vibe of it"

★★★★★★★★★★

" I don't really talk about them," Alexandra said as she took a bite from her food. "...or talk to them, it's like they were never in my life"

They talked about different things as they ate from their hobby to dislikes and then to their family.

" And why don't you talk to them?" Luca asked.

" They tried to get me to marry an old man for money and they also threatened to disown me if I didn't. Can you imagine?" She said,the memories of that day coming to her. " Long story short, I ran away from home and it's better that way"

" That's interesting," Luca said, shaking his head at her.

" Interesting?" Alexandra asked, staring at him with confusion in his eyes.

" I find it interesting that you had the courage to move out from your parents house at a very young age. That's interesting, Alexandra" Luca replied with a shrug of shoulder.

"I guess so," Alexandra said, trying to avoid meeting his gaze."I mean it wasn't easy at first but now… enough about me, it's your turn" She said, directing the conversation away from herself.

"What do you want to know about me?"

"Ummm, What do you do? I can see you're very rich obviously" She said, unsure of how to word it.

" I own a company." He said curtly.

Alexandra remained silent as she waited for him to continue but the look on his face indicated that he was done talking. He seemed guarded as though the conversation irritated him. She could feel that he didn't want to talk about it so she dropped the topic.

Alexandra pushed her plates away. Luca stared at her before glancing at her food which she barely ate from.

"What's wrong? You don't want to eat?" Luca asked.

She shook her head, feeling slightly overwhelmed. " Yea, I'm pretty full" she laughed, rubbing her belly to emphasize on full.

Luca didn't seem to share the same humor as her as he asked seriously, "Was the food not to your taste?"

"I didn't like the food, I'm not really used to this kind of food" she said suddenly, surprised at her words.

Luca's eyes darkened and he leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. He then called the manager over.

The manager appeared immediately on hearing that Luca wanted to speak with him. He bowed down a little and kept a polite expression on his face.

"Yes,sir?"

Luca waved towards their plates before saying in a cool and unyielding voice.

"I think it's time to let your chef go. I want you to fire him"

The Manager's eyes widened in shock at the sudden demand.

" Sir? What's wrong? Was the food not to your liking" he said, directing the question to Alexandra.

" Did I stutter, Mr Jack" Luca said in a serious tone.

" The chef is one of our best-"

Luca cut him off with a sharp response.

" I don't care, you need to hire more competent staffs"

The heavy feeling of guilt washed over Alexandra as she stared at the Manager's expression. Left with no other choice,she fell to the ground and laid unconscious. Years of living with her parents had taught her how to fake a faint.

Luca hurried over to her and hoisted her on his arm as he stared down at her worriedly. He carried her outside towards his car without bothering to pay for the food. He placed her in the passenger's seat before getting into the driver's.

He was about to start the car when he noticed Alexandra's eyes flutter open. She couldn't continue the charade anymore as the look on his face almost made her laugh.

Luca stared at her worriedly,his voice filled with worry as he spoke, "Are you okay?"

But before she could respond, a sharp noise shot through the air followed by a pained look crossing Luca's face. Alexandra stared at Luca in confusion, "What's wrong?" She asked as she held his shoulders to get him to focus on her.

She felt a sticky substance on her left hand and she brought her hand to her face and her eyes widened as she noticed that the substance was blood.

Alexandra let out a shrill scream at the sight of the blood, her voice echoing through the car.