Chapter-13 Proposal (Part 2)

Gianna

It was almost five in the evening when I came back home. And the moment I stepped into the bedroom, a gigantic bouquet of stunning red and white tulips resting on the coffee table greeted me. They were gorgeous and I loved tulips. Did Nico send these? I snorted at the idea. Flowers probably weren’t his thing.

I walked over and smiled leaning down to inhale its lovely scent. They were fresh and absolutely gorgeous. But who sent them? I shuffled amongst the flowers and found a small envelope nestled within. Frowning, I opened it and inside lay a pretty pink handwritten card.

Dear Gianna,

I hope you like the flowers. They are as beautiful as you.

Yours,

Maximus Vanucci.

I blinked, my eyes scanning the content again. What? What was this supposed to mean? Was this some kind of joke?

“Mirella,” I called the good housekeeper, my eyes still glued to the flowers. “Mirella!” Sounds of rushing footsteps reached me as she burst inside, her eyes wide with panic.

“Is everything alright, signora?” she asked, blinking at me.

“Oh…yeah, absolutely,” I nodded. “I…I just wanted to ask…who brought these flowers?” I pointed to the tulips.

“Ah…those. A delivery guy brought them and said they were for you,” she said. “They are so stunning, I thought they would fit in here…is anything wrong? You are not allergic, right?”

“No, no,” I shook my hand. “Thank you for bringing them here. Er…did the delivery guy give any card or anything?” I didn’t want to ask Leo for Maximus’s number. He would ask a billion questions in exchange.

“A card…” Mirella frowned before her eyes widened. “Oh yes, the boy left this…” She pulled out a sleek black and gold visiting card with MV engraved on it in beautiful cursive.

“Yes, this is what I was looking for. Thank you so much,” I smiled at her. She visibly relaxed and then gave me a bright smile too.

“Is there anything else you need, signora?”

“No, that will be all. Sorry, I startled you,” I apologized.

She gave me a nod and then walked out while my eyes scanned the card for a phone number which I found at the back with the rest of the details. Pulling out my phone, I dialed his number and took a deep breath before pressing the call button.

Maximus Vanucci was the last person I expected to send me flowers and that too with a note like that. What does he want? And didn’t he know I was married? A part of me wished he wouldn’t pick up because I hated talking to strangers but…

“Hello…”

Fuck.

Maximus’s voice was deep and smooth, laced with quiet authority, sending a shiver down my spine. The sound of it curled around me, unsettling me a bit. His gorgeous face popped unbidden into my brain and I quickly shook my head.

Get a grip, Gianna.

“Er, hi…am I speaking to Maximus Vanucci?” I knew it was him. I remembered his voice very well. But he shouldn’t know that.

“This is him,” he sounded utterly disinterested.

“Hi, Mr. Vanucci…this is Gianna Baldocchi…” I muttered.

No response. Complete silence fell on the other side.

“Hello?” I prompted again. “Mr. Vanucci?”

“I wasn’t expecting to hear from you,” his tone went from bored and pissed to amused and even a bit smug in no time. I could imagine him sitting in his posh office or wherever he was, smirking at his phone. And why was his voice so…so delicious? Like hot chocolate fudge or something.

What? I grimaced at myself, deciding to focus on the task at hand.

“I received your flowers,” I muttered, keeping my voice even.

“Did you like them?” he asked, sounding eager now.

“Yes, they are beautiful. Thank you. But I don't quite appreciate what you wrote in the card. And may I know what’s the occasion for sending me flowers?”

“I don’t need an occasion.”

“You barely know me. That makes this whole thing very creepy…” I was expecting him to be offended or something but instead, I heard his laughter. And even that sounded…well, sexy.

“I wanted to get your attention.”

Huh?

“For what possible reason may I know?”

“I have a proposal for you,”

“I am married…in case that wasn’t clear to you last night,” I hissed, feeling annoyed now. What the fuck does he want with me?

“Well, I never said I wanted to marry you, did I? The idea of having you as my wife is flattering but no…that’s not what I was aiming for, Gianna…” I bit my lip, both mortified and a bit er…breathless at how he pronounced my name. He again made it sound somewhat exquisite.

“Then what do you want?” I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.

“I want to invest in your business,”

What? Like…what?

“Am sorry?” I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You heard me—I want to help you set up your business,” Maximus said. This man was impossible. Like was he crazy or something? We just briefly met yesterday.

“Are you crazy? I barely know you and you think I would accept your charity? If I wanted help, I would have asked my brothers or husband…”

“You really like to jump to conclusions, don’t you?” Maximus muttered. “I am not doing any charity, Mrs. Baldocchi. I have a proposal for you—a business proposal.”

“What business proposal?” I frowned. “Can you get to the point?”

“I will if you let me,” he grimaced. “My company is looking at investing in business ventures led by female entrepreneurs. Since you mentioned it last night, I thought this could be a good opportunity for you. And no…I am not doing this as ‘charity.’ If you’re interested I would prefer you pay a visit with a proper portfolio of your business idea and your work. Based on that we would decide if we want to invest into this and no…you’re not the only one, there are other candidates too.”

Oh. Well…that was unexpected.

“Why should I trust you?” I demanded.

“Then don’t…” he said simply. “I just wanted to help you out because I loved your passion. The rest is your call…”

“Uh…I…” I wasn’t sure what to do. This seemed like a great opportunity but then…was that all? Why did he have to tell me this by sending a gigantic bouquet of tulips?

“Gianna…if you think I have forever then I am sorry, you’re mistaken. I am a very busy person,” Maximus muttered. “If you decide to see me then you have my address. You can call my secretary to get an appointment. But just so you know, the last date to send in a proposal is tomorrow…so keep that in mind. Goodbye.” Before I could say anything else, the line went dead.

I frowned at my phone and then glanced at the beautiful tulips. Maximus’s proposal seemed like the very opportunity I needed. Collaborating with his label could literally change everything for me. And it wasn’t like he was doing me a favor. We would move forward if my proposal gets accepted. It might not. So it didn’t seem like such a bad idea. I might as well give it a shot.

I mean what’s the worst that can happen, right?