Chapter 135: Chapter 137: Two Weeks
ARIA’S POV - Tuesday Morning, 8:34 AM
Aria woke to the scent of fresh coffee. For a moment, she just lay there, wrapped in his expensive sheets, her body pleasantly sore from last night’s lovemaking, and allowed herself to feel completely content.
Then reality crashed back in.
Two weeks.
In two weeks, she’d be meeting Richard Blackwood. Damien’s grandfather. The man whose opinion mattered more than anyone else’s.
Her stomach clenched with anxiety.
"Stop thinking so loudly," Damien’s voice came from the doorway. "I can practically hear your anxiety from the kitchen."
She turned to find him leaning against the doorframe, already dressed for work in charcoal slacks and a white dress shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbows. He held two mugs of coffee, looking impossibly handsome and far too awake for this early.
"How do you know I’m anxious?"
"Because you get this little wrinkle right here...." He crossed to the bed, set down the mugs, and pressed his finger between her eyebrows. "....when you’re worrying about something. And you’ve had it since I mentioned my grandfather coming home."
"I’m not worried."
"You’re a terrible liar. At least when it comes to me." He handed her one of the mugs and settled beside her on the bed. "Talk to me. What’s going on in that brilliant head of yours?"
She took a sip of perfectly prepared coffee....cream, no sugar, exactly how she liked it.....and tried to organize her swirling thoughts.
"What if he hates me?" The words burst out before she could stop them. "What if he takes one look at me and decides I’m not good enough for you? What if he thinks I’m just some gold-digger who infiltrated your life to...."
"Stop." Damien set down his mug and cupped her face, forcing her to look at him. "First of all, my grandfather is not going to hate you. He’s going to see exactly what I see.....a brilliant, strong, beautiful woman who makes me happier than I’ve ever been."
"You don’t know that."
"Yes, I do. Because I know my grandfather. And I know you." His thumbs stroked her cheekbones. "Richard Blackwood values intelligence, strength, and integrity above everything else. You have all three in abundance."
"I also have a history of lying and theft."
"You have a history of doing whatever it took to save your mother’s life. There’s a difference." His eyes were fierce. "And if my grandfather can’t see that, if he can’t understand the impossible position you were in, then his opinion doesn’t matter."
"It matters to you."
"You matter to me more." He kissed her softly. "I love my grandfather. I respect him. I value his opinion. But Aria....I already chose you. Over family expectations. Over business alliances. Over everything. That choice doesn’t change based on what he thinks."
Tears pricked her eyes. "What if I embarrass you? What if I use the wrong fork or say the wrong thing or...."
"Then you use the wrong fork. Say the wrong thing. Be yourself." He pulled her into his arms, held her close. "That’s all I want. For you to be yourself. The woman I fell in love with. Not some perfect, polished version you think my grandfather wants to see."
She buried her face in his neck, breathing in his scent, trying to absorb his confidence.
"We have two weeks," Damien continued, his hand stroking her hair. "Two weeks to prepare. To get you comfortable and to make sure you feel confident and ready."
"How do we do that?"
"Well...." He pulled back, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "We could start with shopping. You’ll need a dress for the dinner.
"I don’t need an expensive dress...."
"Yes, you do. Not because I think you need fancy clothes to impress anyone, but because I want you to feel confident. Want you to walk into that dinner knowing you look incredible. That you belong there. That you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be." His hand cupped her face again. "Let me do this for you. Let me give you this."
She wanted to argue. Wanted to insist she could manage on her own. But the earnestness in his eyes, the clear need to take care of her, made her relent.
"Okay," she whispered. "Okay. We’ll go shopping."
"Good. Then it is settled.
********
The rest of the week passed in a blur of work and preparation.
Damien had thrown himself into getting ready for his grandfather’s return....reviewing reports, finalizing deals. And making sure he finished up everything necessary so as to be able to spend time with the old man when he comes back.
Aria, meanwhile, tried to focus on her actual job while battling constant anxiety about the upcoming dinner.
"You’re doing it again," Emma said, appearing at Aria’s desk with a knowing smile. "The anxiety spiral. I can see it from across the floor."
Aria blinked, realized she’d been staring at the same email for ten minutes without reading it.
"Sorry. I’m just....there’s a lot on my mind."
"The grandfather dinner." It wasn’t a question.
"How do you..."
"Jennifer told me. Who heard it from Mr. Blackwood’s assistant. Who apparently heard him on the phone with his grandfather discussing it." Emma perched on the edge of Aria’s desk. "You’re nervous."
"Terrified."
"Don’t be. You’re amazing. Anyone with eyes can see that. Including, I’m sure, Mr. Blackwood’s grandfather."
"What if I’m not? What if I’m just.....just some girl who doesn’t belong in this world? What if....."
"Stop." Emma’s voice was firm. "I’ve worked here for three years. I’ve seen Mr. Blackwood with a lot of women. Society women. Businesswomen. Women who supposedly ’belonged’ in his world." She leaned closer. "He never looked at any of them the way he looks at you. Never smiled at them the way he smiles at you. Never left work early or rearranged his schedule or basically turned into a different person for any of them."
"He does all that for me?"
"Are you kidding? Last week he cancelled a board meeting....a board meeting because you.....You know what, never mind " Emma grinned. "But Aria, the man is completely gone for you. And if his grandfather has any sense at all, he’ll see that and realize you’re the best thing that ever happened to his grandson."
The anxiety didn’t completely disappear, but it loosened its grip slightly.
"Thank you," Aria said quietly. "I needed to hear that."
"Anytime. Now...." Emma glanced toward Damien’s office where he was on a call. "Get back to work before he sees you stressing and decides to drag you into his office for ’reassurance.’" Her air quotes made it clear what she thought that reassurance would involve.
Aria laughed despite herself. "I’m working. I promise."
******
By Wednesday evening, Aria had worked herself into a state of near-panic about the dinner.
She sat on Damien’s sofa, her laptop open in front of her, surrounded by printed articles about Richard Blackwood.
"What are you doing?" Damien’s voice came from behind her.
She jumped, nearly knocking over her water glass. "Research. I’m researching your grandfather. And....." She gestured at the mess around her. ".....making sure I don’t embarrass you."
Damien rounded the sofa, took in the chaos, and his expression shifted from amused to concerned.
"Aria. What is all this?"
"Preparation. I need to know....I need to understand....." Her voice cracked. I can’t mess this up."
"Hey. Hey, look at me." He sat beside her, closed her laptop, and gathered her hands in his. "You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be you."
"But what if me isn’t enough?"
The vulnerability in her voice made his expression soften completely.
"You are more than enough. You’re everything." He pulled her onto his lap, wrapped his arms around her. "Listen to me. My grandfather is going to ask you questions. He’s going to want to know about your background, your education, your goals. That’s all he’s going to ask you."
"That’s what I’m worried about. My background is....it’s complicated. I was a maid. I lied. I stole from you. How do I explain that in a way that doesn’t make me sound like....."
"Like a woman who did whatever it took to save her mother’s life? That’s exactly how you explain it."
"What if he thinks I’m just a gold-digger? What if he thinks I seduced you for your money...."
"Then I’ll correct him. . "I’ll tell him that you make me happier than I’ve ever been. That you challenge me and support me and see past the money and the name to the man underneath. That you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me."
"Damien..."
"I mean it. Every word." He kissed her softly. "So stop trying to be perfect. Stop trying to become someone you think he wants you to be. Just be Aria Chen. The brilliant, strong, beautiful woman I fell in love with. That’s all you need to be."
She buried her face in his neck, let him hold her.
"We’re going shopping this weekend," Damien said after a while. "Getting you that dress.
" He tilted her face up, his eyes fierce. "You deserve me, Aria. You deserve my love, my devotion, my absolute commitment to making you happy. Don’t ever doubt that."
She kissed him then, pouring all her gratitude and love and trust into it.
*****
The two-week countdown continued with agonizing slowness.
Thursday passed in a blur of work and Damien’s constant reassurances.
By Friday afternoon, she’d almost convinced herself she could do this.
Almost.
"You’re leaving early today," Damien announced at 3:45, appearing at her desk with his jacket already on. "We have an appointment."
"What appointment?"
"The boutique. Remember? We’re getting your dress today
"Okay," she agreed. "Let’s go."
******
The boutique was in the Upper East Side.....small, exclusive, the kind of place that didn’t advertise because they didn’t need to. Their clients came through referrals and reputation alone.
When Damien and Aria walked in, they were immediately greeted by an elegant woman in her fifties with perfect posture and a warm smile.
"Mr. Blackwood. Welcome. We’ve been expecting you." She turned to Aria. "And you must be Miss Chen. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Margot, the owner."
"Nice to meet you," Aria managed, trying not to feel intimidated by the obviously expensive surroundings.
"Mr. Blackwood explained what you’re looking for....something elegant but powerful for a very important dinner." Margot’s eyes traveled over Aria with professional assessment. "I think I have some pieces that would be perfect. Please, come with me."
She led them to a private showing room where several dresses were already laid out.
"I selected these based on Mr. Blackwood’s description of your style and the occasion," Margot explained. "But if none of these speak to you, we can look at other options. The most important thing is that you feel confident and beautiful."
Aria’s eyes traveled over the dresses.....each one more stunning than the last. Deep jewel tones, classic silhouettes, luxurious fabrics.
And then she saw it.
A dress in midnight blue....so dark it was almost black....with a fitted bodice and a flowing skirt that would hit just below the knee. The neckline was elegant without being too revealing, and the back had a subtle cutout that was sophisticated rather than sexy.
"That one," she breathed. "Can I try that one?"
Margot smiled. "Excellent choice. That’s one of my favorite pieces. It’s custom-made, actually....I designed it for a client who unfortunately had to cancel. But I think it would be absolutely perfect on you."
She helped Aria into the dress, and the moment the fabric settled against her skin, Aria knew.
This was it. This was the dress.
She stepped out of the dressing room to where Damien waited, and his reaction told her everything she needed to know.
"You’re stunning.....We’ll take it"
"You like it?"
"Like it? I’m going to spend the entire dinner thinking about taking it off you."
He stood, crossed to her, his hands going to her waist.
Margot smiled. "I think we have a winner. And Mr. Blackwood is right....it’s absolutely perfect on you. I can have it tailored to fit you exactly, and it will be ready by next week."
’’Have it delivered to the estate when it is ready’’
’’I certainly will’’
