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I sat down, and he settled across from me, pouring us each a glass of wine before lifting his toward me.
“To Amélie,” he said, eyes locked onto mine. “And to making sure the world knows your name.”
I hesitated for a split second before clinking my glass against his. “To Amélie,” I echoed.
The wine was rich and smooth, but the way Christian watched me over the rim of his glass was enough to make me forget the taste entirely.
For a while, I expected the conversation to be stiff, maybe even a little transactional.
After all, there was more at play here than just romance—he had made it clear he wanted to invest in my restaurant, expand my brand.
But to my surprise, it wasn’t awkward at all.
He asked about me—not just Amélie, but me. My inspirations, my dreams, how I got started in the industry.
And somewhere between the first course and the main dish, I found myself relaxing, my usual walls slipping just a little.
“You’re not how I expected,” I admitted at one point, twirling my fork between my fingers.
Christian raised an eyebrow. “What did you expect?”
“I don’t know.” I leaned back slightly. “I guess I figured you’d be…”
“Arrogant?” he supplied with a smirk.
I laughed. “A little.”
“And now?”
I studied him. “Still a little arrogant.”
Christian let out a deep chuckle, shaking his head. “I’m wounded.”
“Are you?”
“No.” His voice dropped slightly, eyes flickering over my face in a way that made my pulse jump. “But I like that you’re honest.”
His attention was intoxicating, his focus unwavering.
It wasn’t just that he was looking at me—it was that he was really seeing me. And I wasn’t used to that.
Aaron and the other men I’d dated had been intimidated by my ambition or had tried to shrink me into something more manageable.
Christian wasn’t like that. If anything, he seemed to like that I pushed back.
“Tell me something,” he said, setting his glass down. “If you could expand Amélie anywhere in the world, where would it be?”
I hesitated, caught off guard by the question.
But then I answered honestly.
“Paris,” I admitted. “It’s always been a dream of mine to have a small, intimate restaurant in the heart of the city.”
Christian nodded thoughtfully. “Paris.”
“Not exactly an easy feat,” I said with a small, self-deprecating laugh.
He leaned in slightly, voice low and confident. “Nothing worth having is ever easy.”