“Come in,” I said before turning to face the door, revealing Anthony.

“Sorry to bother you, sir, but we just got news from Mr. Charles.”

“Mr. Charles? The client I’m supposed to have a meeting with by 10:00 a.m.?”

“Yes, sir. He canceled the 10:00 a.m. meeting and asked that you and your fiancée have dinner with him tonight by 7:00 p.m., sir.”

“Really?” I asked, surprised as to why he had made a sudden change of plans. “But why?”

“Well, with the news of your engagement everywhere, there are more people now interested in you, sir.”

“I see. This is good then, isn’t it? The arrangement with Elizabeth is turning out to be a wise investment.”

“I guess you can say that, sir.”

“Hmmm . . .”

“All right, inform him that we’ll be there,” I said as I picked up my phone to text Elizabeth about our plans tonight.

After a few minutes, she replied to my text, confirming that she was available, and just for a split moment, I felt a tinge of joy and excitement at the thought of seeing her again in the evening.

I immediately reached out to my sister to help Elizabeth out with her outfit.

“Will do, sir.” With that, Anthony exited the office, leaving me again with my thoughts. A part of me was excited about having dinner tonight with Elizabeth.

***

As I parked my car in the appropriate spot, I spotted Elizabeth walking out of her apartment building, looking stunning as usual. She wore a short black sequin dress, with her hair pulled back into a nice messy bun. I felt my heart race a bit as she came close.

“Hold on! Why is my heart racing?” I asked myself as I looked at myself in the rear-view mirror, as though warning my body not to try anything funny. This thing with Elizabeth was strictly business; nothing more was allowed.

“Hi,” Elizabeth said as she opened up the door.

“Hey, umm . . . you’re early,” I stuttered a bit, which was a first.

Will! What is wrong with you? I asked myself as I held the steering wheel tighter than usual.

I took in a slow breath and let it out slowly to put myself in order.

“As always, I’m never late. So shall we?”

“Sure.”

I looked at her again before starting the car. The ride was silent but conveniently so. However, as I continued to steal glances, my tongue itched to tell her she looked beautiful. But surely, expressing such a sentiment did not imply any romantic feelings, did it? I was just simply complimenting my sister’s effort, nothing more.

“Lydia did a good job. You look good.”

“Oh, this? This was all me. Lydia is still on her shift. She could not afford to leave work, so I told her not to worry.”

“Oh wow, you . . . umm . . . you did well.”

“Well, thank you very much.”

I could see the slight blush on her cheeks as she smiled softly.

We continued with the silent ride, and in a few minutes, we reached our destination: Mr. Charles’s private home.

As we drove into the compound, I could already see Elizabeth in full awe of the sight in front of her.