25

She led them to a table that had a reserved sign on it. Rose realized that Andre had reserved the table for them in advance. The table was in a secluded corner, and it had a private and intimate feel to it.

The hostess handed a menu over to Rose and Andre as she waited for them to decide on what to eat.

"You can go, I will call you when we are ready" He said to the Hostess.

Andre finally looked up from his menu and met Rose's gaze. This was the first time he had really taken the time to look at her face. The last time they had been this close, she was having trouble breathing and he was too busy trying to help her to notice how beautiful she was. Now, he took in the sight of her shiny, wavy black hair and her spotless skin. He was so captivated by her beauty that he almost forgot where he was.

Rose felt someone's eyes on her and looked up to see Andre staring at her.

"Have you decided what you'd like to eat?"

Andre asked, eager to change the subject after being caught staring at Rose.

"Yes," she replied, trying to appear unfazed by his earlier actions.

"Great! Let's order then," he said with a smile, trying to put her at ease.

A smile that scared the fuck out of Rose, it wasn't a scary smile but Rose was concerned.

Andre had never smiled at her that way. Something about it seemed off, and she couldn't help but wonder if he was planning on firing her. Was he trying to make her happy before giving her the bad news.

"Is he going to fire me, is he trying to make me happy before he fires me?" Rose thought to her self.

Andre signaled to the hostess and she came over right away. They handed her their menus and she walked away with them.

Rose was desperate to know if Andre was trying to apologize or if he was just trying to make her feel better before firing her. The suspense was killing her. She had to know the truth.

"Are you planning on firing me?" Rose asked Andre, trying to sound confident and poised.

"Why would you ask that?" he questioned, his expression puzzled.

"You're being so nice, more than usual," she pointed out.

"Have you forgiven me?" he asked again, a smile playing on his lips.

"What exactly are you apologizing for?" she said, wanting to test him a bit.

"The things I said," he answered.

Their food arrived, carried by two hostesses. A bottle of expensive-looking red wine was set down in front of them.

Even as Andre apologized, he still seemed to carry his pride around with him. Rose realized that this was just the way he was, so she didn't push it.

"Okay, I've forgiven you" She said.

"Good" He responded.

"Now let's eat" He added.

As Andre responded with "Good", it left Rose with a cringe feeling but she shoved it away.

While they were eating, Andre kept staring at Rose, he wished he could stare at her without feeling so conscious of the fact that she was going to get caught. Rose seemed to be enjoying her meal.

He opened the wine and poured her a drink, Rose started to see him as a gentle man.

As he did all this, his face was expressionless.

After they finished eating, Andre asked her about work, and they ended up talking about work and other things. They got along better than they had before.

"It's getting late, we should leave," Andre said, signaling the hostess.

"Yes, we should," Rose agreed, picking up her bag from the table.

The hostess arrived promptly and Andre handed her his black card to pay for the meal. Rose had never seen a black card before and couldn't help but wonder how expensive it must be.

Andre stood up and she did as well. As they left the restaurant, the door attendant gave Andre a respectful bow.

They got into the car and the chauffeur headed straight for the Hilton mansion.

As they walked up the stairs, Rose said, "Thank you for tonight."

"You're welcome," he said as he mode and headed off to his room.

And with that, they parted ways.

For the first time in a long time, Andre felt at peace. He slept soundly, knowing he had finally done the right thing. He realized he didn't have to be mean to others, especially someone like Rose.

Rose, on the other hand, felt loved and appreciated. She was afraid of what this newfound kindness might lead to. Rose was someone who, once she tasted sugar, would crave it all the time. She was afraid of getting used to this kindness and attention, and she wasn't sure if it would last.

After work the next day, Rose arrived at the mansion without Andre. She asked the chauffeur where he was, and she was told that he had some family business to attend to.

Rose felt lonely in the house. She had only just started to warm up to Andre, and she already missed him. She decided to spend the evening in the living room watching movies, not because she was interested in the movies, but to be on the lookout for when he arrived.

It was 10:00 PM, and Andre still hadn't come home. Rose had asked Dante, the butler, to call Andre three times, but the call wouldn't connect.

She was becoming increasingly worried, so she went to the kitchen for a cold drink, hoping it would calm her nerves. She went back to the living room and tried to focus on the movie, but she couldn't keep her mind off of Andre.

By 11:30 PM, Rose had fallen asleep on the couch. Fifteen minutes later, Andre walked into the mansion.

Andre entered the mansion. Dante, the butler, came down to welcome him. But Andre's attention was drawn to the sleeping figure on the couch.

"Why is she sleeping on the couch?" He asked Dante.

"She was really worried about you, she tried calling you several times but it wasn't connecting, I tried convincing her to go to her room but she insisted on staying here till you come" Dante explained.

Andre handed over his office bag to Dante to take upstairs.