Chapter 6: Do You Still Love Antonio
Sylvie
The moment a black corvette pulled up in front of the building, I immediately knew that Michael Black had come for the arranged dinner. For someone who was incredibly busy most of the time, he had shown up unexpectedly early. It was still two minutes till seven PM, and quite frankly I was expecting him to show up at least twenty minutes late.
Without care for how I dressed, I rushed downstairs to welcome him. A lot of tenants had their head stuck out of their windows, each of them waiting to see who the rich gentleman had come to visit. I could tell that they had all coiled back in shock the moment they saw me approaching the car, and while I felt on top of the world at that moment, I did well to conceal my excitement from Michael Black.
"Good evening Sylvia." Michael greeted the moment he stepped out of the car. He didn't come with a driver, nor did he have bodyguards with him in the vehicle. He had come all alone. This man was definitely brave, I thought. If he had truly researched about me, then he must be aware of the amount of insecurity in these areas. However, he chose to not only dress extravagantly, but also come without any protection.
"You came alone?" I asked, completely ignoring the fact that I was supposed to return the kind gesture of greeting.
"Of course, what sort of man brings security to a dinner with his trusted employee?" He replied.
"Trusted?" I asked, my brows arched in confusion.
"You heard me correctly. Or do you not trust me, Sylvie?"
Most of my friends called my Sylvie, and I was more used to it than my original name. However, hearing him call me that name made me feel disoriented for a bit. It felt odd, yet I wanted him to call me Sylvie again.
"This way." I gestured before leading the way up to my one room apartment. A lot of my neighbours had their heads poked outside their doors, and some of them had even been petty enough to throw sexualised comments at Michael as we walked by. He didn't mind them, in fact he barely shifted his gaze from me, and it made me feel a sense of importance just for that moment.
"Coffee?" I offered the moment we got to my door.
"Why not?" He questioned lazily and leaned onto the wall. He was staring at me in a manner I couldn't describe, and it got my hands shaking all of a sudden. The keys juggled in my palm, but I managed to steady myself and finally unlock the door. I showed him into my sitting room while trying my best to be proud of my little home. But nothing could stop me from seeing it through his eyes— the curiosity and surprise as he glanced around the entire space.
"I'll go and get your coffee ready." I announced before dashing off to do so. Perhaps it had been a bad idea to do this. Michael Black was way above my league in terms of everything, and this must be insulting to someone of his calibre. The worn out seats, dusty rug and tired wallpaper, all of it must seem like a horror to him. I decided not to jump to conclusion, he wasn't complaining yet, so why should I be worried? After all this was his decision, and completely not my fault.
I returned to the sitting room carrying a tray of coffee. His expression hadn't really changed from what it was the time I left, and it got me even more worried. I had no idea if he was admiring how poor I was, or if he was simply critiquing me in his head, both scenarios were equally scary and unsettling.
"Is everything okay?" I asked as I lowered the tray onto the table.
"No." He answered curtly before picking up a cup from the tray. "Did you assume that something was wrong?"
"You seemed disoriented while I stepped in, so I figured something must have been on your mind. Care to share?" I inquired, egging him to reveal what he had been thinking. I was certain he had a lot to say about me and my house, and while I knew it would hurt my feelings, I was ready to take all the insults.
Michael took a sip out of his coffee, lowered it into the table before he replied. "I was admiring your simplicity. Even though you lack taste, you still manage to appear presentable."
I couldn't tell if he was lying or not. Simplicity? Was he calling me a basic lady who had no taste? It was definitely what it sounded like. It felt like an insult, but the way he said it made it look like a compliment. Instead of replying, I buried my face inside my coffee mug before slurping loudly on the liquid to ease the building tension.
He chuckled lightly, and only then did I lower the cup to see his illuminated face. This was the first time I'd seen him laugh genuinely, and he appeared more handsome than ever. I had no idea how we got to this point, few hours ago I was a broken lady who had only gone to work to confront Antonio. But somehow I was ending the day with one of the wealthiest men in the country.
After he was done smiling, Michael picked up his cup a second time and sipped from it slowly. His eyes held mine in a tensed gaze, and I knew immediately that the course of our discussion was about to shift. Once again, my imagination had begun to run wild, but his next words soon broke me out of my reverie.
"Do you still love Antonio?"
I choked on my drink, and all of a sudden the hot liquid had spilled all over my body and the rug. He rushed forward to offer assistance, but I stopped him before he could touch me.
"It's fine, don't worry about it." I said with a smile before standing from where I sat and exiting the room. I glared at my reflection in the mirror while I washed off the coffee stain from my shirt. Thankfully, the water was lukewarm and not hot, if not I would have been on my way to the hospital at this point.
"Why would he ask me that question? What was his deal?" I asked myself as I splashed more water over the coffee stain. It had been an unexpected question, but it was definitely something I've wondered while I prepared dinner for Michael Black. It had been brief, but the memories Antonio and I made were unforgettable. For a while I'd thought that he genuinely loved me, but last night's event made me understand better.
It didn't matter if I still loved him or not, I was determined to make him pay for what he had done to me. I didn't have much worth to him, but somehow I vowed to make him wish he never left me. My relationship with Michael Black was weird, but if I played my cards well, I might just be able to make Antonio come crawling back.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone