Chapter 44—The Test
“Exactly,” he said.
“Well, you have nothing to worry about. I know this place. The real challenge is always getting in. After that, they never bother to look for you. And anything you are served in here is given to you because you deserve it.” Elvin had already made her evening with that gesture of getting a limousine. Now, she would make this date look like it was his idea.
The bottles of red wine and food that were saved were so expensive, it would have taken Elvin two years’ salary with his former company to be able to afford it. But here they were, and he was looking in awe at what was being served, holding his patience only because Eve was smiling. He won’t embarrass himself before the waiter. When she left, he would tell Eve the truth.
And soon, the waiter left.
“I didn’t order all these,” Elvin said.
Eve locked her gaze with his, stood from her side of the table, and moved to kiss him. “No more from you, tonight. You’ve made me feel more than a woman. You’ve made me feel like a princess. And yes. I would date you. Now, let’s eat.”
And that was it for the night. He couldn’t say anything, but enjoy the delicacies that had been served, hoping no one stops him, later on, to wash the dishes here for years, as well as clean the floor.
But really what was this? The limousine had been his idea, as well as the champagne behind. This… All this hadn’t been his idea one bit. He couldn’t have dreamed this up. And from the list he had seen online, all these cost a lot. Or were the figures wrong, and clicking on the meals he wanted, the system had maybe misinterpreted it and decided something else for him? It could be. Maybe, that was it.
Or were these people mistaking him for someone else? What had been that bowing down business at the door? What if the right person came? This seemed to give him the jitters, but he stilled himself so that Eve won’t have to sense how nervous he was. After all, she had told him to stop thinking or something like that, and to enjoy this…what she thought was his idea. How pathetic of him not to deny it.
Well, he had. He had denied it. Now, he couldn’t blame himself since she didn’t accept it. Since she thought it all to be from him, he would act the grand host.
“Got anything to say about what happened outside?” Eve asked and took a sip from her glass of wine.
Did she mean the bowing down business, or the business with Chris and Herman? He asked her to be sure.
“The business with Chris and Herman,” Eve said. “You looked intimidated by them. Why?”
“Well, we all used to be friends, and drinking buddies,” Elvin said. “They got promoted, but I didn’t, and they stopped talking to me. They saw me as their junior, and they bossed me around. Literally, they had the power to fire me, and since I liked my job, I had to play ball.”
“How long did you stay without a promotion?”
“Five years, I think. They were promoted four times in five years.”
Eve knew about this of course. She made it a point to make Elvin’s business her business. It was why she made the company he worked with go bankrupt, not to mention the fact that she had used these very superiors of his to arrange a meeting with him, which then had led to the lockdown, and the best of times with him.
“The night we met, it was Chris who suggested that I meet with a certain company representative,” Elvin said. “I waited, but since I didn’t see them, I had to go to the bar across the road, and there I met you, a blessing. And you do know that you are a blessing, right?”
“Thanks,” Eve said with a smile. “So, people from rich backgrounds intimidate you?”
“Not exactly. If they pose themselves to be intimidating, then I would have to respect them because they have the money, will, and time to wreck my life if they so choose to. I’ve heard stories, you know. These rich folks, they are not to be messed with. But some are humble. Not that I’ve met any, but I do think there are some that if I met them, they would present themselves to me in a way I wouldn’t be intimidated by them.”
Eve was such a person. But she couldn’t reveal such information to him. She was still debating within herself if to tell him she was the wealthiest person in this city, and well, among the first twenty in the world. Not that anyone knew. She could picture how he would receive such information. With total surprise.
“If you had the opportunity to be as wealthy as they are, what would you do?” Eve asked.
“At first, I used to think that I would buy all the expensive things and show them off to those who make me feel inferior and all. But now,”—he shrugged—“it doesn’t matter. They aren’t worth it. If I get rich, I would like to live like those wealthy folks you talked about. The ones that have a lot of money and own this city, but no one knows who they are. Such a life is amazing. Having the ability to mix up with anyone, and do anything, no doubt, having secret guards seeing to their safety. It would be amazing.”
This was the man for her, and no one could say otherwise. This man she had made to lose his job, end his marriage, his relationship, and frustrated his life, all because she wanted to be with him forever…he was worth it. Yes. He was totally worth it.
“But I would never be that rich,” Elvin said. “At least, I think so.”
“You never know,” Eve said.
Elvin looked at her and smiled. “I work for you now. Maybe, you could make that happen.”
“And you won’t be intimidated by the fact that your boss is a woman?”
“You mean my girlfriend? No. I won’t be intimidated.”
Eve grinned. “We’ll put that to the test.”
“What do you mean?” Elvin asked.
“Your first salary would be one million.”
Elvin laughed. “You’re kidding, right?”
Eve just kept smiling. Oh, if only he knew.