Chapter 3 - Dinner

PARIS'S POV

I got out of the car, feeling a sense of familiarity swept over me. Holding the lower part of my skirt firmly as my heart beat loudly in my chest, I drew in a quick breath in an attempt to stop the fear that had gripped my heart,

As I attempted to still myself in preparation for the unavoidable meeting with the almighty Katz family, James words came, urging me forward even though I wasn't ready,

"This way, Miss Elorod," James said, gesturing with his hands as he led the way through the VIP section of the walkway.

I didn't know what to think of it, I felt mixed emotions of being honored and at the same time awkward, I doubled my step to keep up with James' pace as he led the way through the area usually reserved for George,

As we walked on, I couldn't comprehend what that meant even though I tried to wrap my head around it, I couldn't comprehend why James would do a thing like that, and at the same time, I was frightened by being caught walking that path by George, immediately I stopped on my track in a sense of great urgency making James turn towards me,

His expression was that of sarcasm as he questioned, "Miss Elorod, are you okay?" I was certain he had noticed my agitation and only wanted to bring it to light,

I summoned all the courage I could find, unwilling to give him the satisfaction he was looking for, I drifted out of my head, I nodded my head in response, as I forced a smile to my face,

Seeing him acting all strangely, I quickly closed up the space between us and said, "James, we're still friends, right?"

"Huh!" He said, my question seemed to have taken him by surprise, he wasn't expecting my question,

Even though we weren't close friends and the relationship between us had always been work-based, I didn't expect him to treat me the way he did, so distant like I had just done something abominable, even though it wasn't my fault,

As I stared at him, he exhaled loudly and opened his mouth to speak,

"Well... It's not like we've been good friends all along, but yes... We still are," James replied, with a small smile playing on his face, which made me smile as well,

As we stood there smiling at each other, his words came again with a touch of urgency in them, "Stop smiling and walk quickly, I don't want to keep the president waiting." He said, gesturing with his hand as he turned to leave.

I nodded and followed immediately. Our steps quickened at his gesture, and he led the way through the VIP elevator, making my jaw drop in surprise,

"James!" I called stopping right in front of the elevator. He turned immediately to face me, his brows lifted in a quizzical gaze,

"Are you sure this is okay?" I inquired, my fear written on my face as I stared at him, searching his eyes for any hint that might suggest otherwise,

Upon seeing my hesitation, he laughed heartily, the sound of his chuckle filling the air, which spoke of the easiness in heart,

"Relax Paris, it is okay." He responded after he had laughed to his heart's content.

We got to his office to find his seat empty, I quickly turned around and said, "I'll wait at my desk," But before I could take another step James' words came, stopping me on my track,

"That won't be necessary, Paris," which made me turn around,

"What do you mean by that?" I inquired, confused about why he had said a thing like that when we both knew that Mr. George never permits anyone in his office except being called upon not to talk of being there in his absence,

"Our Boss asked you to wait here," He said, making me lift my brows in surprise, while James nodded to support his claim, "right here in his office," He added with a small smile playing on his lips

"O... okay then," my response came almost in a stutter, while he smiled and walked out of the office,

"Wha..." I tried to call his attention back to inquire why he was leaving me alone in his office, but he walked on, as he pretended not to have heard me,

After waiting for about two hours, the door suddenly opened, and George walked in, drawing my attention back from the floor-to-ceiling window.

He cleared his throat, and just then, I snapped back to reality, I stood up immediately with my head bowed,

"Good evening, President George," I said, my voice a little bit shaky from fear,

While he ignored my greetings and walked over to me instead, he stood right in front of me and ordered, "Look me in the eyes," his voice dangerously cold and distant, with an unmistakable edge to it that spoke of the displeasure in his heart,

Already shaken by his words and order, I couldn't meet his gaze, he lifted his hand to my jaw, lifting my head mercilessly to meet his gaze, while my heart rammed hard against my chest,

As I stared into his gray eyes, I was reminded of that night, it felt like a moment ago, so real, I could still hear the rustling of clothes, feel the heat of his body, and then his size and how he had mercilessly thrust into me,

The thought of it made me close my eyes from the torment I was feeling inside,

"You... You sent for me," I said, holding onto the hem of my blouse,

George let out a scoff, making me lift my face to meet his gaze, but then I could notice the confusion on his face as he stared at me, studying my fave like he was searching for something,

Just then, it occurred to me that he was probably confused because of his encounter with my sister earlier, but then, as the tension mounted, his words came again with an unmistakable touch of finality in it,

"You're having dinner with me," he said, while I nodded almost immediately,

He walked over to his seat and got busy with his phone, while I stood there, unsure of what to do, deep within me, I was battling with either the choice of going back home and getting ready or waiting for his dismissal, as I struggled with my thoughts, I heard him say,

"Come to the office now," and without waiting for any response, I ended the call immediately,

Almost immediately, the door to his office opened, and James walked in with his head bowed,

"Get her ready." He ordered after James had taken a few steps towards his desk,

"Okay, Boss," Ja.es responded, and beckoned on me to follow him, while I bowed slightly and hurried out of his sight, following James leading,

We got to the dressing room in the company to find a woman waiting for me, after a while, I was clouded in a gray color dinner gown, I stood in the mirror to admire my looks, but James' words came again in a sense of great urgency,

"There's no time for that, Miss Paris, we have to leave now," He said, turning towards the door. While I followed after him immediately,

We got to his office to find him buried in his laptop, obviously working, immediately he saw us, he stood up and walked out of the office, without taking a glance at me, while James rushed over to his desk and arranged his belongings in a sense of great urgency,

While I stood there confused by what was happening, he carried some documents in one hand and his laptop in the other hand and walked towards the door,

"Are you still here?" He said more like a statement than a question, "Let's go," He added without waiting for me,

"Go where?" I inquired, obviously confused about what was happening, but was met with silence. Immediately, I ran after James, whose long strides had already carried him out of the office,

I followed James to the garage and was surprised to find George already seated in the car,

He opened the passenger's seat for me and rushed over to the driver's seat, but before he could ignore the car, George's words came, cold and authoritative,

"You're five minutes late. The next time I wait for you again, you'll be fired." He said,

"I'm sorry about that, Boss, it won't happen again," James said, his voice shaky as he spoke,

"Now drive!" George commanded, and immediately, James drove out of the garage,

The journey to the house was plagued with an uncomfortable silence, I kept drawing in my breath in an attempt to still my racing heart, since I didn't know what to expect from such a dinner,

After a while, I noticed that George had raised his head and grabbed his phone, "Have you found out who is behind this?" He inquired, making my brows crest in confusion,

"What about her?" His voice came again after a few seconds had passed,

"Okay, continue with the investigation." His voice came up again, and then he dropped his phone and glanced at the time.

As I sat there, I couldn't help but wonder what he meant by that and who he had just spoken to. After about thirty minutes of driving, we arrived at the Katz mansion,

I couldn't stop myself from gaping at the sight that met my eyes, the vast show of opulence of the mansion and the large garden just beside the spring, which sat at the center of the mansion,

James drove roundabout the spring, taking the other route to the vast garage, he opened the door immediately and rushed to George's side, he opened the door, while I helped myself out and followed after George who was already walking into the house,

Since I was trying to meet up with his stride, I couldn't pay attention to the decors, I was only focused on meeting up with his strides,

We got to the dining hall to find Mrs Rosa Katz already seated in the dining, with some maids standing at their post, all ready to receive their command,

"Welcome, my dear," Mrs Rosa said, with a warm smile playing on her face as she spoke. She beckoned unto me, while I greeted her,

We exchanged pleasantries, and one of the maids helped me into the chair while I sat there, staring at the spread of delicacies in front of me.

"Help yourself dear, please feel at home," She said warmly and started eating, while George, without saying anything, got into the business of eating,

Even as he ate, I could still see the displeasure written all over his face, as I was about to dig in, her voice came again making me stare at the woman who was eating elegantly, with my spoonful meal hanging in the air,

"My dear, what's your name?" She inquired, her voice soft as velvety,

Immediately, my stomach growled, which made my face turn red from embarrassment.

"Pardon my manners, dear, eat up. We'll talk after dinner." Mrs Rosa said with a smile playing on her face while I nodded respectfully at her,

I picked up my fork and knife and glanced at George. He was focused on his phone, placing small pieces of beef into his mouth.

After a few moments of silence, with just the sounds of cutlery, the woman dropped her fork and drank a glass of water.

"Follow me, dear." She got up, and I drank some water before following her.

We sat down in the living area. I could feel the woman's gaze on me. I held my fingers together and played with them, with my head bowed and as the silence stretched on, I felt like disappearing into thin air.

Finally, after about forever, her words came again, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had crept upon us,

"Please feel free around me," the woman said, her voice warm and soothing, expelling all anxiety,

"What's your name?" she asked while I looked up at her, taking a better look at her beautiful face,

"I'm Paris Elorod," I replied meekly. While the woman stood up and walked over to where I was seated, she patted my shoulders and said,

"You are a very beautiful lady." Which made my cheeks flush from embarrassment as I thanked her,

"Do you know the current situation at hand?" She inquired, searching my face, while I remained silent, unsure of how to respond to her,

"My son is being accused of having a one-night stand with you. He has been able to reduce the buzz around it, but our competitors won't let this slide and would use it to harm us further," she explained, leaning forward with furrowed brows.

Mrs. Katz smiled, noticing how attentive I was. She straightened her back and said,

"I need you to be the perfect wife for him. He is at the age of marriage but has refused due to some reasons," she said, which made my head snap up immediately, the shock I had felt from her words clearly expressed as I stared at her, while she stared at me with her searching eyes

"I need a girl who is calm, kind, powerful, and knowledgeable enough to guide this business." She continued, staring into my eyes, I quickly avoided her gaze, unsure of what to say,

Noticing my confusion, her words came again,

"Okay, enough talking, I would love to see your parents tomorrow," she said, her expression conveying the gravity of her words, waiting for my response to be turned to the other side,

"Bruce!"

"Bruce!!" She called, almost immediately, a man dressed in casual corporate walked in, taking short strides,

"Yes ma'am," he answered with his head slightly bowed,

"I need you to send this young lady home. Please take care of her. She is the new madam of the Katz empire," Mrs. Katz announced as she gave my shoulders a gentle squeeze,

Immediately, I felt Bruce's gaze on me while I turned to face him,

"Let's go, Miss." He said, gesturing with his hand as he spoke,

As we walked out, Mrs. Katz sat down on the couch with a wide grin on her face, I couldn't understand why she was so excited about George getting married, but before I could get to the door, I heard George's words oozing the determination in his heart, which stopped me on my track,

"Mother, I won't marry her," He said as he walked over to where she sat,

"You have no choice," I heard Mrs Rosa say as warmly as ever,

"She is the best candidate for a wife, soft and easy to mold," she continued in her usual tone,

"What do you mean?" I heard George ask, obviously confused about what she meant, but Mrs. Katz ignored him and walked up the stairs while I turned around to look at George, whose eyes burned with fury plus hatred as he stared at me.

As we got to the car, Bruce's laughter filled the air when he saw how pale my face had become. The journey was so long and boring, with a lot of thoughts running through my mind,

The car had come to a halt right in front of our house, but I was so engrossed in thought about what had transpired that evening, Mrs Rosa's words and George's outright refusal, to notice that the car had stopped moving,

"Don't ask me how I knew your house. It's on your file." Bruce's words came through my thoughts, bringing me back to earth. He stared at me through the rearview mirror with an awkward smile playing on his face,

As I stared at the man who looked deadly handsome, he seemed to me to either be of the same age as Mrs. Rosa, or a little younger than her,

"Thank you," I responded weakly, paying no attention to the look I had seen on his face, but before I could reach the door, his words came halting my process,

"Please wait, the future Mrs. Katz," he said, his tone unreadable,

Confused by what he had just said, I sat there in anticipation of what he had to say, but he got down immediately and walked over, he opened the door for me, with a conceited smile playing on his face, leaving me dumbfounded,

"You're home now, our future madame." He said, his tone dripping with mockery as he bent almost to his knees, laughing at the same time. Just then, it occurred to me that he was mocking me,

I stepped out of the car, feeling a little insulted by his gesture, I knew I had to say something if truly I was going to live in that house, I wanted to at least strengthen my position, but as I stood there I was lost for what to say,

Asni stood there struggling with my words, I remembered my sister London and I felt a sense of pity wash over me, I felt bad for my timidity, I knew if only London was there she'd have put him right in his place,

After a while of trying to wrap my head around what to say in vain, I opened my mouth and allowed the words to flow, unsure of what I was going to say, "That... That wasn't funny." I heard myself say almost in a stutter, frightened by my own words, which was audacious even to me,

I saw a frown appear on Bruce's face as he opened his mouth to respond, "I'm sorry ma'am," He said, but even though he had stopped laughing I could still hear the mockery in his tone as he spoke,

Then his expression turned blank as he stared at me, "Go in." He said gently, and for the first time that night, he spoke calmly, but even as I stared at him, I still couldn't read him.