Chapter 133: (Second - Gen)

Nadia snapped her head towards him so fast that she almost had whiplash. She met this silly grin on Axel's face, and raised her brow. "That obvious?" She asked, and Axel nodded, making Nadia sigh. She placed her elbow on the table, and rested her chin on her hand.

"Umm, do you mind me asking why?" Axel asked nervously. Nadia raised a brow at him. "Yes." She replied with a glare. Axel squirmed, and looked down at his plate. "Sorry. I can be a bit nosey at times." He muttered.

Nadia's eyes moved to his hands, and raised a brow as she watched him eat. The way he held his cutlery was fluid... like someone who's been doing it for years. A bit strange for an orphan who obviously never needed to hold cutlery.

Nadia huffed, and grabbed her fork. She started eating her pasta, and bit her lower lip. "I grew up with Peyton, and because of that I always thought he was my family. Though, I still think he is, but there's a part of me that wants something else. And, at times I wonder if it's okay to fall in love with someone who I grew up believing was family." She muttered. She grabbed a glass of wine and took a sip from it.

Axel showed a confused expression. "But he's not, right? Related to you by blood." He asked, and Nadia stared at him as if he was crazy. "Mr. Daniels, don't make me regret telling you this. I only told you my deepest darkest secret because I felt guilty for dragging you into my shitty love life. Well... that's if you can call it that." She mumbled the last word, and groaned.

"Okay, this is what I'm gonna do. I want you to come with me to every dinner that I go on with Peyton, and I'll add ten percent to your salary." She said, and watched as Axel's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Really?" He asked. His blue eyes sparkling with excitement, then it switched to one of suspense. "Wait, I won't get beat up by Mr. Peyton for this, am I?" He asked, his eyes slightly wide.

Nadia shrugged. "Probably... but look at the bright side. You'll be eating expensive food every day without worrying about going broke." She tried to convince him. Axel lit up again. "Unlimited expensive food!? Okay, count me in!" He said in excitement, and then paused. "But wait, why are you asking me, and not Mr. Derrick? He seems to have more experience in things like this than I do." He raised a brow, and Nadia sighed. She pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Axel, what are you... things like what? Derrick has a wife, and a daughter, he doesn't have time to assist with my personal life." She said, and folded her arms. "Are you in or not?" She asked with an impatient expression. Axel nodded. "Yes, anything for food, even if it meant getting beaten to a pulp by Mr. Peyton." He said under his breath, causing Nadia to laugh lightly.

Axel and Nadia chatted for a while in the restaurant. Nadia was starting to like Axel as a person. There was an innocence to him that seemed to make her curious about how he would be like if he showed his kinky side. He was more fun to be around than Peyton, and surprisingly he had a cute side as well. Especially his love for food, it's just so cute, and amusing to her.

Peyton came back from his eternal bathroom break, and sat in his chair. He continued picking at his food, and watched Nadia chat softly with her new PA, who now had a plate of Oysters Rockefeller in front of him.

"Wait, you've never been to an amusement park? How was your childhood?" Nadia's eyes widened. Axel shrugged. "I never had that much of a luxury growing up." He explained, and Nadia gasped dramatically. She raised her brow at him. "Then what did you have for fun growing up?" She asked him.

He looked up from his food, his eyes met with Nadia's. She froze, and saw a glimpse into his soul. A little boy who never knew what fun was, a boy that wished the world would have been a little kinder to him, but then the look in his eyes was gone as fast as it came. He grinned, his eyes sparkling. "I used to read books for fun, and sometimes I would play with my brother." He replied, and that caught Nadia's attention.

"Your brother? Where is he?" She asked, and moved a bit closer, something that Peyton didn't miss. Axel shrugged. "With a new family that loves him." He replied. His gaze downcast. His hands were placed on the table, but he was no longer eating. Peyton, who had been listening quietly, glanced at Nadia, then at Axel. "With a new family? As in adopted?" He asked, with furrowed brows.

Axel turned to him, and smiled brightly. "Yeah, him and I got separated after he got adopted a few years back, and I was left alone." He explained. "I didn't try finding out much about his new life because I knew that if I did, I'd end up wanting to be in his life again, and I would remind him of our past. Something that I want him to forget." He whispered the last sentence.

Nadia and Peyton glanced at each other. In their life as part of the Elite squad, they'd heard many heartwrenching stories, but no matter how many times they heard them, it still broke their hearts, after all, they were still human.

"Umm," Peyton started, but ran out of anything to say. Nadia, being the fast thinker that she is, spoke up. "Okay, enough sulking. How about this?" She smiled brightly. "I'll order something sweet for you. How about I give you a taste of one of my favorite desserts, huh?" She whispered, and smirked when his expression lit up.

"Really? What kind?" He asked, his voice now filled with excitement. Nadia's smirk grew, and she raised her hand. A young woman in a black and white uniform rushed towards their table. "Good evening. How may I assist you?" She asked, a professional smile on her face.

Nadia smiled. "Yes, could you please get us a slice of chocolate lava cake, please." She asked, and the waiter nodded before writing it down on her notebook. The waiter left to get the order, and Nadia turned to Axel to find him staring at her with sparkling eyes, as if he was staring at a deity.

Nadia chuckled. "Easy there. I haven't saved the world just yet. Just want to make a good person happy." She smiled at him, and placed her elbow on the table. Axel's expression softened. "You think... I'm a good person?" He asked, with a look of deep emotions in his gaze.

Nadia giggled. "Of course, I don't know anyone out there who would sacrifice their own happiness for their brother's. You are a good person, though you might not see it, but I do. Right, Pey?" She turned her gaze to Peyton. "Umm, yeah. She's right. You're a good person." Peyton agreed, and nodded.

Nadia turned her gaze towards Axel. "See, even Mr. Grumpy agrees." She said, and Peyton scoffed. "Seriously?" He raised a brow at her, and she shrugged. "What? You've been frowning like an old man with a mid-life crisis for the past hour and a half. You don't really expect me not to call you that, right?" She said, and Peyton rolled his eyes. Nadia stuck out her tongue at him, and Axel laughed.