CHAPTER 6: A SMILE

REVA

Levi’s smile grew wider as he nodded. “Okay.”

I turned to leave, but something stopped me. I had been too preoccupied with my downward spiral that I hadn’t taken a moment to acknowledge what he had done. Turning to face him again, I spoke quietly.

“Thank you.” My eyes met his once more. “For saving my life.”

His smile disappeared at my words, replaced by something more solemn. “You’re welcome,” he said after a beat. “I’m just glad I was there on time.”

His words settled heavily in the room, and for a moment, I wanted to ask him how he had managed to be there at the right moment.

But the words refused to come as the image of the dark water flashed through my mind. So I forced a tight little smile and mumbled, “Have a good day,” realizing I had no idea what time it was. He wished me a good day too.

However, as soon as I stepped into the hallway, a sinking feeling settled in; I had no idea where in the resort this side was.

Just then, a staff member passed by, and I caught his attention. “Excuse me. I’m trying to find my suite." I gave him my number, to which he responded with a polite smile and pointed me in the right direction.

With a quick “thank you,” I followed his directions, still holding the dish Levi had given me. As I proceeded, my thoughts turned first to everything that had happened and then to Hunter.

Hunter and I were half-siblings who shared a father. My mother met my father in Hungary, where my mother was from. My father never told my mother he had someone in his life when they met.

His family's company was working on a project in Hungary that required his presence, so he spent a year there. Once their project concluded, he left and returned to San Francisco, never contacting my mother again.

Shortly after he left, Mom discovered she was pregnant with me. That was when she began to seek more information about him, discovering that he was engaged and had a son.

Mom then told herself that she would raise me on her own; however, she lost both her parents in an accident just months before she gave birth to me.

Her parents owned a bakery business, but the moment my grandparents died, the family tried to take over, and the squabble ended with the bakery burning down. The insurance company wouldn't pay.

Mom had just given birth to me when that happened, and she needed someone, so she went looking for my father.

A voice speaking behind me interrupted my thoughts, and I pivoted to see the woman from PR again. She rushed over with an expression that let me know she knew everything.

“Oh, poor thing." She pulled me into a hug, and her hands remained on my shoulders as she asked how I was feeling. She told me she had heard what happened and was sorry.

Embarrassment lit up my neck at the same time as the void churned in my stomach. And I quickly thanked her and told her that I had to go.

I would rather not have this conversation, and I could see she still wanted to say more, but I walked away without giving her a chance.

The thoughts of confronting everyone at work and the disappointment my parents would feel resurfaced, bringing with them a cold feeling that seemed to freeze me from within.

I didn’t even notice how quickly I'd walked or realize that I had reached my suite until I found myself standing in front of my door.

With a sigh, I quickly opened the door and entered before anyone saw me. Looking around the room, I was unsure what to do with myself, and my thoughts returned to Levi and his insane plan.

I should have gone back home and cut this trip short to spend Christmas with my family. But I found myself smiling at the insane plan.

“I guess it's already working,” I murmured to no one as I placed the plate of food on the small table; I was smiling, just hours after having my heart gutted.

Heading to the bathroom, I cleaned up the remnants of the morning’s mess. I finished at 12:30 p.m. And didn’t bother putting on clothes; instead, I put on my robe and walked back into the bedroom.

Pouring myself a glass of wine, I sat down and began to eat, and the first bite was incredible, temporarily muting everything else until my thoughts returned to Levi... and that smile I never knew he had.

In the six years I worked for his family, I had never seen him the way I had just now. Levi was 32, only two years older than me, but he was always so serious. I had often wondered how he managed to attract so many women with such a serious demeanor. But then again, there was a very attractive man underneath all that seriousness.

Levi Price stood at either 6’1” or 6' 2" with an athletic build that made you want to reach out and run your fingers in places that would get you fired.

His sharp jawline and high cheekbones gave him a naturally commanding presence; he probably didn’t even realize how intimidating he looked.

And those stormy gray eyes...

His sandy blond hair was always perfectly styled, adding to his polished appearance.

My phone vibrated, jolting me out of my drooling haze, and I reached for it. My niece had sent me a message asking how the resort was going. I had promised them photos and videos. I began to type a response, but the phone rang before I could finish--a video call.

Quickly adjusting my expression, I smoothed out the cracks and put on my best “everything is fine” face. My parents leaned in behind my niece as her face appeared on the screen.

“Aunt Reva! How’s the trip going?” She asked with enthusiasm, and I did my best to match her energy.

“It’s going great!” I lied cheerfully as I shifted the camera slightly to show the suite.

“Where’s Nikolai?” my mom asked.

“He’s gone for… a walk." My heart raced at the lie. But they adored Nikolai, and I couldn’t unpack everything over the phone. I told them I’d make some videos tomorrow, and my nieces excitedly reminded me of the mementos I had promised to bring back.

“Don’t worry,” I said, smiling through the ache. “I won’t forget.”

We eventually ended the call, and I set the phone down. Sadness curled inside me, coiling tighter as I stared at the screen, thinking about how disappointed and heartbroken they would be for me.

But I didn’t get a chance to dwell on it, as a knock at the door startled me. I opened it to find two smiling staff members who greeted me.

The first held the largest bouquet of roses I had ever seen... red, pink, white, and even yellow... arranged so perfectly it looked like something out of a magazine. The second carried a small tray containing a folded card and what appeared to be a single piece of decadent chocolate.

“Miss Reva?” one of them asked politely.

“Yes?” My voice wavered as my gaze shifted between them and the gifts.

“These are for you,” he said, handing me the roses and chocolate, which I took carefully.

“Mr. Price would like you to be his date tonight for the Christmas dinner,” he added just as I returned from setting the flowers aside. My heart raced as I reached for the card on the tray and read the neatly written note:

••

Miss Ricci

Life has thrown enough at you. Let me take something off your plate.

Will you be my date tonight?

••

A lump formed in my throat as I reread it, letting the gesture sink in. It was sweet, thoughtful… and I didn’t even know why I was crying, as if he had just proposed. It was only dinner, and yet I couldn’t stop myself.

I had completely forgotten about the Christmas dinner event that the resort had invited us all to. I also noticed that he referred to me as Miss Ricci instead of Mrs. Belkov.

“Yes,” I whispered, smiling through the tears. Then louder, “Yes. Tell Mr. Price I’ll be his date.”

The staff members beamed, as if they were the ones who had asked me out. Before I could say anything else, another staff member approached, holding a garment bag and another bag in one hand.

“These are from Mr. Price as well,” he said warmly, extending the bags to me, and I accepted them.

They wished me a good day, and I thanked them before closing the door behind them.

Setting the bags on the bed, I felt a smile bloom on my face. The garment bag called to me first. I unzipped it slowly and gasped when the fabric began to peek out.

The gown shimmered a deep red under the soft cabin light, resembling something out of a fairy tale; it was the kind of dress you’d expect to see in a movie, and I gasped again at its size.

How did he know? My fingers brushed over the fabric, and tears stung my eyes again.

Turning to the second bag, I opened it with trembling hands. My heart leaped at the sight of nude heels nestled inside. They were elegant and beautiful, and fit perfectly when I tried them on.

Reaching for the dress again, I gently pulled it from the bag, and it felt impossibly light as I carried it over to the mirror and held it against my chest.

"It’s beautiful," I breathed as fresh tears welled in my eyes. No one had ever done anything like this for me before.