Chapter 2

Belle’s POV 

I looked into the eyes of Christian as I turned to his voice. He didn’t change much. His expression I couldn’t read but still, he remained handsome. It had been so long since I saw him lying there as the life support machines he was connected to had tried doing their job of bringing him back to life.

Now he was awake and healthy. And the look he had in his eyes was too difficult to comprehend.

“Christian” I called, moving a little bit away from the counter so that the lady could attend to other people waiting in line. “What are you doing here?” I asked but he didn’t reply. He just stared at me, probably surprised that I was alive and breathing well.

“You are causing a scene.” he muttered later in a stern voice when he must have realized that his staring was beginning to make me uncomfortable.

“Oh” I exclaimed. “Sorry about that.” I apologized not knowing the reason for the apology. “But what are you doing here?” I demanded. I didn’t run away back to my childhood city to have him catch up with me after so many years.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.” He said. “I only wanted to let the lady screaming know that she was causing a scene and i realized that it was you.”

I nodded. I deserved whatever manner he was speaking to me with, I deserved all of it. He had every reason to be angry with me. 

“Since I have passed across my message, I better leave” he said and turned to walk out. I caught his sleeve. It was an impulse that I wished I had  better control of. Christian turned to the hand on his shirt before slowly letting his gaze travel to my face with a look of disgust.

“How have you been?” I asked knowing it was a very silly question considering the way I had left him.

I wasn’t surprised when he shrugged harshly away from me and dusted his suit.

“You don’t have any right to ask about my wellbeing. You lost that right the day you chose to walk out on me” he said cooly and walked away, out of the building.

I nodded my head because I expected that from him. I wasn’t surprised. I was only sad about the look on his face while he spoke to me. Never in my life would I have imagined that Christian could look at me that way. And it hurt. My heart was about to rip into pieces.

But I had a more important thing to do. I was about to lose the only thing my parents had left me, I at least needed to put up a fight before letting it go. So, I pulled myself back together and turned to the lady at the counter.

I got back to the flower shop, one I worked in as a sales representative, a little past five in the evening after my pleading and screaming didn’t get me an extension on the house. I had to figure out a way to make thirty thousand dollars in the space of 2 months if I wanted to save the house.

"That was quick" Bernard said sarcastically to me immediately as I sat down to catch my breath, considering how much time I had spent.

 "How did it go?" He asked.

I shook my head signalling to him that it had gone bad. Bernard was my childhood friend. We did so many things together growing up and he has been the only family I had since the death of my parents.

"Turns out my parents took a loan and used the house as a collateral." I said.

"Ohh shoot. How much loan are we talking about?"

"Thirty thousand dollars" I replied.

Bernard's eyes opened wide in shock.

"That exactly was my expression when I found out. I wonder what they did with thirty thousand. They should have sold me instead. Even i won't get them thirty thousand dollars." I said.

"I'm sorry Bee." Bernard said using his pet name for me. "I wish there is something I can do to help."

I couldn't help but smile genuinely at him. I knew if he had the means, he was going to help me.

"I just need some time to digest this. Can I take the rest of the day off? Please?" I asked

Bernard nodded his head almost immediately.

"Sure. You can go home. I'll just finish the little I'm doing and close up." He said and I was grateful.

I gave him a peck on the cheeks and left the little shop he had managed to build from scratch.

I didn't know what to do about any of the situations I had experienced earlier. I didn't know if seeing Christian again was worse than being on the verge of losing my parent's house.

As I approached the gate of the house in question, I noticed two black sedans sitting pretty at the entrance. I didn't know whom it was or what he or she wanted. Walking closer, a man in black suit and dark shades nodded at me before going ahead to open the back door for someone to get off.

Someone I couldn't recognize alighted and handed me a note and a card. Without saying a word, he goes back into the car and they drive off.

My surprise at both their rudeness and impoliteness was beyond recognition but I took the note inside. I turned the business card and noticed the logo of Martin's Construction on it. Christian had sent me this.

With my heart pounding in my chest, I quickly opened the note and read through the content quickly.

'I happened to find out about your situation today and have a proposition for you that can save your house. Meet me at the Perflex restaurant tomorrow evening.'

It was a very simple note but my heart continued to pound in my chest. I had to place a hand on it to control it.

"Christian wanted to see me."I said out loudly.

"Christian wanted to see me" was all I could manage to think even as I sat down at the restaurant the next day, still asking myself why the hell I had foolishly agreed to the stupid invitation.

The restaurant was empty but I wasn't bothered because I knew Christian loved his privacy. The reason why he was keeping me waiting was what I was bothered about. I didn't know why he had sent me the letter and what his plans were but I was determined to save my parent's house. 

"That was the reason you are here." I assured myself. "You are here to save the house, not because you desperately want to see him again."

I hadn't finished gathering my thoughts when Christian walked into the restaurant, dressed casually in white shirt and a jean trouser, his bodyguards waiting at the door, giving us more privacy. He took the chair beside me and placed a manilla envelope before me.

"Hello" he said after sitting down.

"Hello." I replied not wanting to do anything that would tick him off. I kept my hands on my lap to avoid touching him whether intentionally or not.

"Let us cut to the chase." He said, clearing his throat. He leaned in with his elbows on the table rubbing his palm together. 

"I was able to find out about your situation yesterday." He muttered.

"Really?" I feigned surprise which didn't move him the slightest. "How? Does the registry give out other people's information now? I should sue them." I said trying to start a conversation.

"Go ahead." He simply said, refusing to engage himself in my worries.

"I have a proposition that could save your house if you are interested." He added.

I nodded. "That's the reason I am here isn't it?" I asked.

He nodded. "Good. This proposition of mine will give you your house and give me something huge in return. So you need to consider it carefully" he said.

"Okay." I replied, wondering why he was keeping the proposition in suspense. "What is this proposition about?" I asked.

Christian stared at me. His beautiful eye lashes lowering to let me know that he was in a serious mood. I must have waited for ages before he finally opened his mouth to say the least and most ridiculous thing I was expecting to hear from him from the moment I read the letter, till I took a cab down to the city.

"Marry me."