Making up for the past

Amelia stepped out of Apex Distribution and got into her SUV. She sat behind the wheel for a moment, staring through the windshield.

Her father had blocked her acquisition.

Fine. If Marcus Vance wanted to interfere with her plans, then she could interfere with his.

Amelia picked up her phone and called one of her father's biggest private lenders.

The call connected after several rings.

“Hello?” a voice answered.

“Hi. It's Amelia Vance.” There was a brief pause.

“Mrs. Vance. Is there a problem?”

“Yes. I need you to review the outstanding credit facility attached to Vance Holdings' current expansion project.”

There was another pause.

“Why?”

“Because I want the review moved forward. I believe there are several irregularities in the way the company's recent assets were valued.”

The man's voice became more cautious. "Are you asking us to freeze the facility?”

“I'm asking you to suspend any further disbursements until the review is complete.”

“That could cause serious problems for Vance Holdings.”

“I know.” She said, then ended the call.

That was all it took. She didn't need to fight with her father or threaten him. She only needed to make one phone call.

Amelia looked at the time on her phone.

5:45 PM.

She had been at the warehouse then Apex for most of the afternoon, just making sure everything was in place. There was still plenty to do.

But Amelia suddenly thought about Ian. She had spent the entire day preparing for the apocalypse.

She had barely spent any time thinking about the man she was preparing all of this for.

In her previous life, she had never made an effort.

She had spent years believing Ian had married her for the wrong reasons. She had kept him at a distance and treated every kind thing he did as if there had to be a reason behind it.

Even after the apocalypse started, she had been slow to understand him. By the time she finally did, it was too late.

She wasn't done with her preparations. But she still didn't want to spend another day ignoring Ian.

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The penthouse kitchen was quiet when Amelia got home.

She changed into a simple silk blouse and rolled up the sleeves before taking out the food she had bought from a local butcher on the way home.

Two ribeye steaks. She looked at them for a moment. Then she started cooking.

She hadn't cooked a proper meal in years.

In her previous life, she had forgotten what it felt like to stand in a clean kitchen and prepare food without worrying about whether she would have enough to eat tomorrow.

She seasoned the steaks and put potatoes in the oven. It wasn't anything complicated.

She just wanted dinner. When everything was ready, Amelia set the table herself.

Two plates, two forks and two glasses of water. She looked at the table.

It felt strange.

She had shared plenty of meals with Ian before. But most of them had been in restaurants, at family gatherings, or during events where neither of them had much to say to each other.

She couldn't remember the last time she had simply cooked for him. Amelia placed the last plate on the table.

The front door opened and she looked up.

Ian walked into the apartment with his briefcase in one hand. He loosened his tie as he walked toward the dining room.

Then he stopped. His eyes moved from the table to Amelia. He looked at the food, then back at her.

“You cooked?”

Amelia looked down at herself.

She had an apron tied around her waist, and there was a small spot of oil on one sleeve.

“Is that so surprising?”

Ian stared at her for another second. “You don't cook.”

“I felt like cooking.”

“We haven't eaten a meal here that you cooked in two years.”

Amelia pulled out a chair. “Sit down before it gets cold.”

Ian didn't sit immediately. He looked at the table again. Then at Amelia.

“What happened?”

“Nothing happened.”

“You cooked. And today you transferred the Fourth Street warehouse to me this morning.”

Amelia said nothing.

“And I heard you started selling some of your investments.”

She looked at him. “I'm a business woman, Ian. I decided to venture into something else.”

Ian put his briefcase down. “My phone hasn't stopped ringing since noon. Your brother called my office three times asking why you transferred the warehouse to me.”

Amelia picked up her fork. "Maybe he should have called me instead. Come eat before the food gets cold.”

Ian finally sat down. Amelia started eating. For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

Ian looked at her. "You're acting differently.”

“I've been thinking.”

“About what?”

Amelia cut another piece of steak. “A lot of things.”

Ian waited.

She swallowed. “The warehouse was mine. I wanted it out of my family's control.”

“You could have kept it.”

“I could have.”

“So why give it to me?”

Amelia looked at him. "Because I trust you.”

Ian didn't respond immediately. "You trust me?”

“Yes.” He looked down at his plate.

“You haven't trusted me since we got married.”

Amelia's hand stopped. He wasn't wrong. She had spent years looking for reasons not to trust him. She had treated him like an outsider in his own marriage.

And then, when the world ended, he had been the one person who stayed.

“I should have trusted you a long time ago,” Amelia said.

Ian looked up but she continued eating.

He didn't. "What happened to you?”

Amelia raised her eyes. “Nothing happened.”

“Then why are you suddenly saying things like that?”

She put her fork down. "Because I realized I was wrong.”

Ian stared at her. “About what?”

“About you.”

He didn't say anything.

“I spent years assuming the worst about you because of what my father said. I never gave you a fair chance.”

Ian leaned back in his chair. "Are you apologizing?”

“Maybe.” A small smile appeared on Amelia's face.

Ian looked at her for a moment. Then he pushed his chair back and stood.

Amelia watched him walk around the table. He stopped beside her.

“For what?”

She looked up at him. “For not seeing you clearly.”

Ian's expression changed slightly. He reached down and took her hand.

Amelia looked at their hands. His skin was warm. For a moment, she remembered another hand. Cold and covered in blood.

Her throat tightened.

Ian's fingers moved slightly against hers. “Amelia.”

She looked up. His face was so close she could smell his cologne, but she didn't move away.

Ian looked at her for a moment before his eyes dropped to her lips. Amelia's heart started beating faster.

She knew what was happening. She should have stepped back. Instead, she stayed where she was.

Ian leaned closer and Amelia closed her eyes instinctively. 

BZZZZZZ.

Her phone vibrated against the kitchen cabinet. Amelia opened her eyes immediately.

Ian stepped back also. The phone vibrated again and she walked to the kitchen and grabbed it.

Her mother's name was on the screen but Amelia still answered.

“Hello?”

“Amelia Vance Joanne!”

Her mother's voice was loud enough that Ian could hear it from across the room.

“What the hell have you done?”