Chapter 185 The Date
After leaving work early, Emily pulled the powder blue dress from her closet and held it up to herself in the mirror. The dress's tailoring hugged her figure perfectly, with tiny pearls embroidered across the hem that caught the light with a soft, ethereal glow.
She studied her reflection as she applied subtle makeup and coral lipstick, transforming herself into someone both gentle and elegant.
Emma suddenly burst through the door, tilting her little face up with sparkling eyes, "Mommy, you look so pretty! Are you going on a date with Daddy?"
Ethan followed behind her, crossing his arms and nodding as if he were mature, "Obviously. Mom's all dressed up today."
Emily blushed as the children called out her secret, gently pinching Emma's cheek, "You caught me."
"What yummy food are you and Daddy going to eat?" Emma tugged at her dress, wheedling, "I want to come too! I want strawberry cake!"
Ethan immediately objected, "No way. Dad and Mom are going on a date. They need alone time. We can't interrupt."
He looked at Emily seriously, "Mom, don't worry about us. I'll take good care of Emma at home."
Seeing Ethan's earnest expression, Emily couldn't help but smile, "Thank you, Ethan."
"No need to thank me—taking care of Emma is easy!"
Meanwhile, Charles stood in the restaurant, gazing out at the night skyline with a single red rose in his hand.
He hadn't actually gone out of town—he wanted to surprise Emily. He'd reserved the entire restaurant and arranged for her favorite white roses and piano music, just waiting for her arrival.
Nathan stood nearby, watching Charles nervously adjust his tie, unable to resist teasing, "Mr. Windsor, you seem more nervous than when you signed that ten-billion-dollar contract."
Charles shot him a glare, "Cut the chatter. Check if Emily's arrived yet."
Nathan smiled and pulled out his phone, "Mrs. Windsor just reached the ground floor—she'll be up any moment."
Charles immediately straightened his shoulders, hiding the red rose behind his back.
He'd been waiting for this day for far too long.
The elevator doors slid open slowly, and Emily emerged, lifting her dress hem slightly as she walked. The powder blue fabric swayed gently with each step, the pearls on the hem catching the warm hallway lighting and casting tiny sparkles that made her skin luminous. The tenderness and elegance in her expression seemed ready to overflow.
She'd barely reached the private dining room entrance when she spotted Charles standing nearby, hiding something behind his back, his gaze fixed on her so intently it was as if he'd been frozen in place, even his breathing slowing.
"What's wrong?" Emily felt shy under his stare, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, her voice carrying a hint of bashfulness.
Only then did Charles snap back to reality, striding forward to present the red rose he'd been hiding, "Emily, you look... absolutely stunning tonight."
His gaze was intense, sweeping from her hair to her hem, unwilling to miss a single detail as he memorized this vision.
Emily accepted the rose, the delicate fragrance filling her senses as her cheeks flushed deeper, "But you've seen me before."
"This is different." Charles took her hand, the warmth of his fingertips making Emily's heart race. "Tonight, you're more beautiful than ever."
He led her into the private dining room, which was filled with Emily's favorite white roses. The central table was draped in pristine white linen with elegant place settings, and a pianist in the corner immediately began playing a gentle melody when they entered—Moonlight Sonata, a piece Emily often listened to.
"You went to so much trouble." Emily took in the beautiful arrangements.
Charles pulled out her chair and personally poured her wine, "As long as you're happy, it's worth it."
Throughout dinner, Charles took care of Emily the entire time, carefully removing bones from fish before placing the meat on her plate, peeling shrimp and arranging them on her dish, his eyes never leaving her face.
Emily felt thoroughly pampered by his attention. Whenever she looked up to meet his gaze, she could see the deep tenderness in his eyes that seemed impossible to contain, making her heart feel as if it were filled with honey.
After dinner, Charles led Emily to the restaurant's rooftop terrace.
The moment they stepped outside, the first firework exploded in the distant night sky, brilliant light illuminating the darkness and Emily's face.
One after another, more fireworks bloomed—red, pink, purple, painting various shapes across the night sky in breathtaking beauty.
"Did you arrange these fireworks?"
Charles gently embraced her from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder, "I wanted to give you every kind of romance."
His breath whispered past Emily's ear, carrying the rich scent of wine, and she gradually relaxed in his arms as she watched the fireworks bloom above them.
After the fireworks ended, Charles brought Emily to the hotel he'd prepared.
Walking down the corridor, Emily knew what would happen next, but she didn't resist. She simply let Charles hold her hand and followed quietly behind him.
She was certain her face must be glowing with blush.
When the room door opened, Emily saw rose petals scattered throughout, the air perfumed with subtle aromatherapy. Charles closed the door and turned to press Emily gently against it, his gaze burning as he slowly leaned down to kiss her lips.
The kiss was infinitely tender, tracing the shape of her lips before gradually deepening.
Emily closed her eyes, her arms instinctively wrapping around Charles's neck as she lost herself in his gentleness. Just as Charles's hand began to caress her waist and they were about to take things further, a sudden urgent phone ringtone shattered the intimate atmosphere.
Charles's movements stopped abruptly, his brow furrowing as the tenderness in his eyes was replaced by irritation.
Before Emily could react, he reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. Seeing Simon's name on the screen made his expression even darker. A call at this moment was absolutely ruining the mood!
He immediately hit the decline button and tossed the phone onto the nearby sofa, leaning down to continue kissing Emily. But before his lips could touch hers, the phone rang again persistently.
"Damn it!" Charles cursed under his breath, reaching for the phone to turn it off. But Emily suddenly hooked her arms around his neck, stood on her tiptoes to give him a soft peck on the corner of his mouth, her voice gentle, "Don't be angry... what if it's really urgent?"
Her fingertips traced lightly over Charles's throat, her eyes holding a hint of playful tenderness, "Just answer it, if it's nothing important, we can... continue, okay?"
She deliberately pressed closer into his embrace, nuzzling his chin with her nose, her tone carrying a coaxing sweetness, "Look, I've been so good for you—give me this one favor?"