Chapter 34: Chapter 34

Chapter 34~ A dinner party Aaron made dinner and was helped by his son. He put a stool next to the sink where Reagan washed the tomatoes after showing him how to do it.

Reagan was happy. He would clean one tomato and show his father, saying, “Daddy, look! Is it clean?”

Aaron smiled at his son and nodded, getting the tomato from him. “It is clean. Well done, son!”

Reagan smiled from ear to ear and continued washing the tomatoes.

Aaron cooked for hours and then set the table. The kids were very hungry because they had been waiting for a long time. Tessa had offered to make them something simple but they refused, wanting to taste their father’s cooking..

However, Aaron took long in the kitchen but the kids waited patiently despite their rumbling stomachs. When he was done, he called everyone and the kids rushed to the table.

“Wow, Daddy’s food smells nice!” Willa chirped as Aaron lifted her from the ground.

“Of course! I helped him cook!” Reagan said proudly Tessa and Elena joined them at the dining table. Looking at the served dish on the table, Tessa was confused. Aaron took too long in the kitchen, she thought he was making many dishes or at least something that was five-star standard.

She glanced at him and asked incredulously, “You only cooked spaghetti Bolognese for five hours?”

Aaron scratched the back of his neck and said sheepishly, “This is actually the first dish I’m cooking. I never made a meal by myself after the cooking lessons.”

Elena glanced at him and smiled, saying, “Thank you for cooking, Aaron.”

Aaron smiled and then his gaze fell on Tessa. Their eyes met and Tessa’s heart skipped a beat. Her face flushed as she recalled how he teased her in the kitchen earlier.

She ended up saying begrudgingly, “Thank you for cooking.”

Reagan looked up at her face and ended up asking, “Mommy, why is your face red? Are you sick?”

“I’m fine,” Tessa was quick to answer, causing a smirk to cross Aaron’s lips.

The family sat around the dining table and had a harmonious dinner.

Nia and Willa were still being fed by Aaron. Tessa looked at them disapprovingly and stated, Willa, Nia, it’s time to eat by yourselves. Stop being naughty and let Daddy eat.”

“But I still want Daddy to feed me,” Willa protested with a pout.

“Me too. You can just ask him to feed you too if you want,” Nia chimed in Tessa’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets at her daughter’s words Her face flushed and she said disapprovingly, “Nia-”

“Let them be. They are just excited to finally have a father,” Aaron remarked with a warm smile on his face as he fed the kids while forgetting about his own food.

Something stirred within Tessa’s heart as she witnessed this scene. Warmth filled her soul.

The following day, Aaron was wracking his brain on how best he could pursue Tessa. He had done almost everything; he got her flowers, cooked for her, and surprised her with gifts and lunch at work.

Regardless, winning her heart still seemed like a long way to go.

Aaron was busy searching on the internet for ways to woo an Ex-lover when his assistant knocked on the door.

“Sir, you have a visitor,” Enock said when he entered the office.

Aaron furrowed his eyebrows. “You know the drill. No entry if they didn’t make an appointment in advance.”

“It’s Mr Benjamin Winston. He’s asking to have an audience with you.”

Aaron arched his brow at his assistant. “And the rule doesn’t apply to him because?”

Enock shifted in his stance as he stuttered. “I couldn’t stand by and watch an elderly man beg, so I let him in.”

Aaron leaned back in his seat and pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew what Benjamin wanted but he wouldn’t be able to help him. This was because his heart belonged to another. Aaron vowed to only propose marriage to the woman he loved and that was Tessa Hilton In the end, he agreed and said, “Let him in. Let’s hear what he wants to say.”

Aaron rested his elbows on his desk and laced his fingers.

It didn’t take long for Benjamin to arrive at his office. Aaron offered him a seat and then waited to hear what Benjamin wanted.

“When are you going to marry my daughter as per agreement?” Benjamin went straight to the point.

Aaron narrowed his eyes at Benjamin, thinking the Winstons had thick skin. Their son kidnapped his children and they still had the audacity to demand something from him.

He internally rolled his eyes and said, “The process of cancelling the contract is underway. Didn’t your daughter tell you already?”

Benjamin squinted his eyes. He snapped. “Do you think you can just make a contract and easily cancel it? What about the years that my daughter spent waiting for you? I’m taking you to court.”

Aaron smirked and responded nonchalantly, “Go ahead.”

The two men glared at each other, their auras crashing.

“Aaron, do you really think the world revolves around you?” Benjamin asked curtly.

“No I think your daughter is too full of herself. She ran away seven years ago with the pretext of going to study. In reality, she ran away to avoid marrying me because she thought my sister would inherit the Company. When she realised I had taken over, she returned and pretended to be 2/5 in love with me. Now your son hurt my kids and you still came here to ask about the marriage alliance. Is everything ok upstairs?” Aaron remarked while pointing at his head.

Benjamin lowered his head. He had no comeback to that. Pushing the chair back, he pointed at Aaron and said, “That’s fine.

Prepare the shares for my daughter then. At least, she won’t lose everything.”

A dangerous glint flashed through Aaron’s eyes as he watched the old man leave. He muttered to himself, “In your dreams.

Those shares belong to my wife and kids.”

Meanwhile, Tessa had just signed another contract.

“Thank you for choosing us to work on your house, Mr Jerry Carson.”

The man who was her latest client nodded. He glanced around the place and said, “This is a nice setup. Do you plan to expand at some point?”

Tessa smiled and agreed, responding, “Yes, we do. But we need a lot of clients for that.”

Jerry bobbed his head as if in deep thought. He was slightly young, probably in his early thirties with dark hair and brown eyes.

He was tall, about five foot nine with a lean body. He was easy on the eyes.

“That’s true. If I happened to have a way for you to expand your company, would you take it up?” Jerry asked.

Tessa didn’t think much about it, so she agreed, “Of course.”

Jerry took out a card and pushed it towards her. He proposed, “There’s a dinner party this evening where you can meet clients and possible investors to grow your business. I can take you there and introduce you to a few people.”

Tessa furrowed her brows as she stared at the card. Socialising wasn’t a bad thing. In fact, she needed some investors to help grow her company.

She made up her mind and looked at Jerry, saying, “I’ll be there.”

When the client left, Michelle walked into Tessa’s office while wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

She drew out a chair and took a seat before asking. “Why did you take so long with that handsome man? What were you talking about?”

Tessa playfully rolled her eyes and replied, “What else can we talk about? He was signing a contract with us and he-”

“Oh, my God! What is this?” Michelle exclaimed, interrupting Tessa’s words.

Her eyes had fallen on the card on Tessa’s desk. She picked it up and her eyes turned into saucers when she saw what it was.

“A date! Wow! I knew that man was into you, girl.”

Tessa’s eyes became rounder, her mouth dropped to the floor. How did Michelle come up with that conclusion?

3/5 She shook her head and said, “No, it’s not a date. It’s a dinner party invitation. For me to know more people.”

“It’s still a date. A dinner party date,” Michelle uttered excitedly and added, “I approve of this one. He’s average. It’s good that he’s not too handsome like we know who. This way he wouldn’t cheat on you and many girls won’t be after him.”

Tessa sighed, rolling her eyes, “I won’t go.”

“What?” Michelle frowned. “Why not?”

“What if everyone thinks I’m on a date with Jerry?

“And why shouldn’t you be on a date? You’re very single,” Michelle reminded. “Seriously, it’s time you started dating again. Or else, you will fall for Aaron again. You had spent a lot of time together the other week. Are you sure nothing happened between you two? You’re glowing.”

1 An image of Aaron almost pushing himself into her flashed through Tessa’s mind and she blushed profusely.

Michelle raised an eyebrow at her reaction. “Something happened. Spill the beans, girl.” She said, standing to her feet and taking a seat on top of the desk.

Tessa rolled her eyes and slapped Michelle’s behind. “Get your ass off my table. Nothing happened. We decided we are better off being friends.”

Michelle chuckled and stood up straight. She said, “If you insist. But you should go to the party.

Bosses should socialise.”

Tessa nodded, “I’ll go. But it’s not a date.”

Michelle smirked and turned to leave before saying, “Whatever makes you sleep at night!”

The party was starting at 7:00 pm so Tessa called Aaron to inform him about it.

He was on his way to pick up the kids when he received a call from her. A warm smile crossed his lips as he answered the call.

“This is new,” he said, surprised that Tessa was calling him.

Was she finally ready to give him a second chance?

“Hi, Aaron. I wanted to let you know I’ll be out for the evening. Can you please put the kids to sleep?” Tessa’s voice came.

Aaron sat up straight in the back seat, his eyebrows creasing. He asked, “Where are you going? Why are you staying out late?”

“One of my clients invited me to a dinner party.”

Aaron felt uncomfortable with her attending a dinner party alone but he didn’t want to stop her from doing the things she wanted to do.

“Ok, I’ll stay with the kids. Don’t forget to bring your bodyguards and keep your phone close at all times. Have fun I love you.”

On the other side, Tessa blushed when she heard his last words. Aaron had become so open with his feelings that he often expressed his love for her. She was starting to get used to it.

Jerry soon showed up and picked her up. His eyes fell on her bodyguards and he remarked, “Are you the president or something? Why are there so many bodyguards around you?”

Tessa shrugged, “Something happened so I have to be extra careful. Let’s go, I’m ready.”

Jerry gave her a once over. She was in a black skirt and jacket with white stripes. It was too formal.

He led her to his car and drove to a boutique while the bodyguards followed in two cars behind.

Tessa’s eyes widened when she realised what he was up to. “My clothes are ok-”

“No, Miss Hilton. This is a dinner party where you will meet the elites. You need to dress appropriately.”

She was dragged into the shop where several stylists worked on her. And when they were done, she looked exquisite.

She was in an emerald green gown. It was off the shoulder with a right thigh-high slit. Her hair was pulled up into an elegant updo and she put on light makeup.

Jerry smiled when she walked out of the fitting room. “That’s more like it! You look beautiful. I will surely have a great time tonight!”

Tessa felt like there was a hidden meaning behind Jerry’s words.

His huge grin was starting to make her feel uneasy. However, she brushed the negative feelings off.

It was just a harmless dinner party, what could go wrong?