Chapter 3: First Date With The Millionaire

"Dating is about finding out who you are and who others are. If you show up in a masquerade outfit, neither is going to happen."

-Henry Cloud-

***

Eva was waiting anxiously in her living room for the sound of a car outside her apartment or any kind of notification on her phone.

It was Saturday evening, the day when she’s supposed to meet Stefan. She didn’t know why, but the thought of meeting this man made her sweat more than usual.

She might be more introverted and socially awkward, but she had never been an anxious person. She was rather aloof toward many things, it was her method of survival.

But for some reason, she was both excited and nervous to meet Stefan again.

She checked herself in the mirror. Eva put a bit more effort toward her appearance this time.

She put on a bit of makeup, curled her hair and put on a little black dress with long sleeve and booth, since it was autumn and also a little brown scarf to complete the look.

Of course, she also applied some perfumes. If anything, she loved perfumes and would never leave the house without them.

This time, she wore a comforting gourmand fragrance, vanilla and chocolate with a hint of raspberry and cinnamon in the background. Giving her a spicy, slightly boozy and delicious aroma.

As she was checking herself out, her phone suddenly rang and when she looked at the screen, she saw Stefan’s name there. She picked it up and she could hear the man’s voice from the other side of the line.

“I am already here, I will be waiting in front of the building.” He told her.

“Okay, I’m going down now.” She headed to the front door and saw Stefan standing there right beside his Aston Martin.

She was a bit surprised by this because she didn’t see his car the previous day and it was the moment she figured out that this man was more loaded than she initially thought.

“Oh, you’re finally here.” Stefan smiled at her.

The older man was a bit taken aback by her appearance. When he saw her for the first time, he knew she had a pretty face behind her large square glasses, but she was dressed rather poorly.

This time, she was looking more like a proper lady and Stefan would be lying if he said he wasn’t pleased with it.

Meanwhile, for a moment Eva froze because she was not used to this man and his charming aura yet, but she opened her bag and pulled out the clean handkerchief and handed it to him.

“Here’s your handkerchief, thank you for lending it to me.” He slowly took it from her and placed it in his pocket.

“It’s not a big deal. Anyway, have you eaten anything yet?” He asked.

“I had breakfast and lunch already, but nothing for dinner yet.” She replied.

“That’s perfect, I know this really nice restaurant. It’s one of my favorite in the city and I’d like to take you there.”

Without waiting for her answer, he was heading toward his car and opened the car’s door for her. Eva didn’t reply and just got inside to the passenger’s seat and put the seat belt on.

Stefan entered the car and they were off. Turned out, the restaurant he mentioned was only fifteen minutes away from her apartment so they arrived rather quickly and it was actually a fine dining restaurant.

As soon as she stepped into the room, she immediately felt like she was under dressed. Yes, she put in more effort than usual, but everyone else was dressed more fancy than her.

However, if there was one thing Eva was good at, it would be maintaining her composure in public places so she didn’t let it show and acted normal.

“Romand, please.” Stefan spoke and the staff nodded and smiled politely as he guided the two of them to their table. They got the seat near the window so she could see the beautiful city view from above.

“What would you like to order?” He asked. Eva looked at the menu and it felt like she was reading a menu in a different language despite it being written in English.

There was also no price on her menu so she had no idea what each of them cost and wondered which one she should get.

Stefan seemed to notice her confusion. Instead of pointing it out, he simply asked her a question.

“Do you prefer chicken, beef, lamb or fish?” He asked.

“I like beef and lamb better.” She replied. He smiled and turned to the waiter and ordered two dishes she never heard of before along with a few appetizers and side dishes.

“Do you drink alcohol?” He asked her again.

“I have never tried it, but I’d like to.” She replied.

“Okay, something sweet for you then.” He turned his attention back to the waiter and ordered sweet red wine. It would pair well with the beef menu she was having. As they waited for the meal to be served, both of them decided to have a conversation with each other.

“So, how are you and Elliot related? Are you really his uncle?” She asked. The question had been bothering her mind because she simply couldn’t believe they were related.

“Yes, I am his biological uncle. His father is my older brother. We do have quite a significant age gap with each other though. Me and his father is ten years apart. I am thirty five, he’s forty five.” He explained.

“Oh, that makes a lot of sense. You don’t seem that old, after all.” Hearing this, Stefan couldn’t help but chuckle. She was so innocent when she said it, there was no malice behind her words at all, but other women probably wouldn’t be as blunt as she was.

“Now, my turn to ask question. What is your relationship with my nephew?” He asked. Even though he had asked that question to Elliot before, he couldn’t trust what his nephew was saying a hundred percent.

Hearing the question, Eva’s expression darkened a little as she remembered the incident from that day.

“I’m his ex-girlfriend. The two of us have dated for two years before I found him cheating on my former friend, Regina in his house that day when I met you for the first time.” She explained, doing her best to not cry.

She had cried so much these past few days from the heartbreak that her tears had almost dried up, but she still felt a lot of pain each time she remembered it.

“I helped him a lot during the two years we were together. I helped him with his study, I helped him with his work. I did my best as a girlfriend and look at what happened. I was a silly, silly girl.” She looked down and regretted each moment she spent with Elliot.

“No, I don’t think you’re a silly girl, we all make some mistakes in life when we’re in love, I was no different from you at one point in my life.” He replied before taking a sip of water.

“You were? Someone like you have had your heart broken before? I don’t know why I find it a bit hard to believe.”

“Why? Anyone can get their heart broken.”

“You seem too perfect, what kind of woman would reject you?” Eva asked innocently. Hearing this, Stefan couldn’t help but laugh.

“Oh, I will take it as a compliment. Thank you. I guess it means all the effort I’ve put over the years is bearing fruit.”

“Anyway, I would like to apologize on behalf of my nephew. My brother and I have very different view on many things, my nephew must have gotten that terrible trait of his from my brother.” He apologized.

“It’s fine, you don’t have to apologize on his behalf. You did nothing wrong. He’s the jerk, you’re not.” She casually replied as she clenched her fist and gulped down some water afterward.

At this moment, the food arrived and they started eating as the conversation continued.

The wine was served as well. Eva was not exactly a drinker, but when she took her first sip of the wine, she was amazed by how delicious it actually tasted.

She couldn’t help but drink more. It wasn’t bitter, it was sweet and she liked it.

However, she made a mistake. She didn’t know her own alcohol limit and asked for a second serving.

Her face was already flushed red and she was starting to get tipsy, but she didn’t care. She wanted to taste more of the wine because she knew she would rarely get that kind of chance.

“Eva, are you sure you can finish that? I mean you don’t look that well. I don’t think you should drink more.” He reminded her.

She had finished her meal and was only left with dessert to eat, but she still wanted more wine.

“It’s fine, I can handle it.” She said as she suddenly rose from her seat to grab the wine bottle but suddenly, her vision turned blurry and she lost her balance.

“Ah, am I going to fall?”