Chapter 7

"Go home, April." She instructed her secretary when she brought the last papers she asked for.

She noticed it was late, but she still had one more file to go through. She did not want to leave it unfinished, preferring to clear her desk before retiring for the night.

Besides, she had nothing to do anyway if she left early. She would only go home to an empty house since her brother was on a sleepover.

"I should find a realtor." Saige mentally took notes. She believed it was time to sell their house.

Although it held many of their memories as a family, she still believed it was too big for just two people. Besides, it was not easy to keep such a place. The maintenance alone was expensive.

"What about Ty's school?" She mumbled as her eyes landed on his brother's young, handsome face, smiling at her. The fees would be due soon.

Suddenly, her hands grabbed the family picture, missing her father and mother. It was the last picture of them together. Now, it was just her and Ty.

"Oh, stop worrying." She chastised herself for losing hope, wiping the single tear that escaped her eye. "You will find an investor soon." 

She should not give up, not yet, returning her attention to the documents before her.

Silence again enveloped the room, including her mind, as she concentrated on her work. The sooner she could finish, the earlier she could go home, not that it held any appeal to her.

"You should not stay at the office alone, especially this late." A voice snapped her head to attention, making her heart jump off her chest, and the hair on her skin stood up.

She was not surprised to see someone else on her floor since the security or the janitor sometimes roamed around the hall.

However, that voice was so familiar that it had given her the chills. What the hell was he doing in her office? How did he get up to her floor without her permission?

"You should not be here." She finally found her voice and composure as she looked at the intruder. 

Although she knew him, he still had no right to be in her office. Therefore, she should be calling the security to get rid of him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He ordered her when she grabbed her phone. 

Of course, she abruptly stopped before pressing the number for her security. She was not afraid of this man. She believed his bark was worse than his bite.

Really?

But she was curious with his audacity to order her around. Until now, he thought he could still rule her life. But he would have a rude awakening when she was through with him.

"Why not? I don't think you will leave even if I beg you to." Saige sarcastically answered. "But fine! I don't need them to get rid of you." 

She let go of her phone and entwined her fingers before her on top of her desk, showing him that his presence would not intimidate her. 

"You know me so well." He charmingly responded with a broad smile. "But you seem to forget that we have a date tonight." He announced as if it was her fault he had to drop by.

"So, I brought you dinner and took the liberty of picking your favorites." He raised the paper bags in his hands, which she had not noticed before.

"I am sorry, but I never agreed to go out with you." She reminded him that she never responded to his invitation. "You must be delusional. But anyway, take your food and leave."

However, the man did not heed her command. Instead, he entered her private office and moved further, stopping only before his desk.

"Don't be sorry. I don't mind catering to your needs." He placed the bag on the table, not caring if she was throwing daggers at him at that moment.

"Are you deaf or something? Or you choose to play dumb." She angrily stood up, showing him that she was serious. "Don't you get it when you are not welcome?"

But the man was too dense to care as he set up two disposable plates and two paper cups before pulling an expensive champagne out of the bag.

Damn! That was her favorite.

Truthfully, she thought everything before her was mouthwatering. This man was the definition of temptation as he brought all the food she liked.

It did not help that she barely ate lunch or took a snack. Her stomach was churning from the irresistible aroma of the food on her desk as it wafted through her nose.

"I might not be welcome, but you should stop pretending you're not hungry. You are practically drooling." He poured the wine into the cups and handed her one.

"So, why don't we call this night a truce? Have dinner with me, hear my proposal, and if you still decide that you don't like it. Then..." He paused as if letting her savor his words.

"I will never bother you again." He finished while staring intensely into her eyes.

She swore she felt like his eyes were digging inside her head, trying to unravel all her thoughts. But luckily, he was not a mind reader. He was just good at bluffing.

However, she could not deny it was an offer that was too damn hard to resist. She quickly contemplated the idea, weighing her options.

"You promise not to bother me again if I said no?" It was a question, not a statement. But could she truly trust this man after all his lies and betrayal?

But then again, did she have any other choice? She doubted she could physically throw him out of her office. Yeah! She could call the cops, but they would probably ignore her complaint. 

She might not be afraid of him, but he was not the man most people would mess with. He was powerful and dangerous and had a tremendous influence in their city.

"I promise." He swore, even crossing his finger along his chest, just above his heart. "Unless you are afraid you will fall into my charms and back into my arms."

Of course, warning bells rang inside her head, reminding her she could not trust this man. But she did not back out of a challenge.

"In your dreams, Mr. Xavier Lockwood. I will never again be stupid enough to fall into your trap. Twice is enough." She grabbed the plate and showed him she could go through this dinner.

"But I will not say no to good food and let it go to waste. Most of all, I will not pass up the chance to get rid of you for good."

But the man did not even blink as he smiled and appeared more amused than anything else. He pulled up a chair and joined her at her table.

"We will see. Let us dig in."