Page 51 of Company Ink

My eyes widen. "Your family business...isshoes? What's the name of the brand?"

"Shoes, handbags, and now accessories," Adrian sighs. "It's Cavloretta Couture."

I blink rapidly in disbelief. His family owns Cavloretta Couture?! Theyjustwent public two years ago after merging with Il Ghiaccio, one of Italy's top diamond brands.

"Your shoes cost upwards of two thousand dollars!" I exclaim. "How did I not know this?"

Adrian shrugs. "I try to distance myself from my father's business."

I press my lips into a thin line. "Do you get discounts?" I ask hesitantly.

Adrian shakes his head, laughing. "Is there something you want?"

For the rest of the drive, I talk Adrian's ear off while scrolling through the Cavloretta website. I feel like Charlie from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Adrian is my golden ticket to discounted couture and diamond earrings. I could die from how excited I am right now.

Adrian parks outside my parents faded blue Craftsman-style house. It was originally built in 1909 but has since had enough renovations to make it the architectural equivalent of Jane Fonda's face.

"Ready?" Adrian asks, taking my hand in his.

Nodding, I suck in a deep breath and squeeze his hand. "Band-Aid," I mutter to myself and we head to the front door.

Either my mother was watching the security cameras, waiting for our arrival, or the woman has a sixth sense because the front door swings open just as our feet reach the doormat.

"Cassie!" She hugs me and then looks over my shoulder. "Adrian. Thanks for coming. Come in, come in. Dinner is just about finished; all I need to do is take the biscuits out of the oven." She ushers us through the door. "Your father is in the dining room. Here—" She holds out her hand. "Let me hang up your jackets."

I wave her off. "It's fine, mom. I can hang our jackets up. Go handle the biscuit situation. We'll meet you in the dining room."

"Alright, just give me a minute and we can eat."

I hang our coats up in the front hall closet and lead Adrian into the dining room. Adrian places his hand on the small of my back and whispers, "Relax, it'll be fine. It's just dinner."

I nod as my father comes into view. Sitting at the head of the table with a book in hand, he peers over Dan Brown's latest novel and eyes the both of us. I narrow my eyes, noticing that he's lost several pounds and looks...very tanned. I guess theyhavebeen sneaking off to Mexico without telling me.

"Hi, dad!" I say as he stands up and walks towards us. "I've missed you!"

"Hi sweetie," Dad says to me, giving me a half-assed hug. "You look very nice tonight." His eyes drift to Adrian's face. "You must be the boyfriend." He holds out his hand. "I'm Richard, Cassandra's father."

Adrian shakes his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. You've raised an incredible girl," he says, stroking my back. I need to remind myself that this is all for show, and not to take anything that comes out of his mouth to heart.

"Thank you," Dad hums and then gestures for us to take our seats. "There's wine on the table. Please help yourselves."

Adrian pours us both a glass of red and I know my face is going to turn scarlet in a matter of minutes. My mom runs in from the kitchen and places the baked bread right between the dish of casserole, and fresh green salad.

"Alright, everything is here. Let's dig in." She begins to serve each of us our meals.

We manage to make small talk forten minutes, talking about the weather and football, before my father clears his throat and puts down his fork.Fuck.

"So, Adrian," he begins slowly. "I did a little research when Meredith came home and told me that my daughter has a new boyfriend,again." Adrian stiffens beside me but doesn't interrupt. "You graduated top of your class at UW Law, work at one of Seattle's most reputable firms, and from what I saw on my security camera, have a luxury car, which means you live a certain lifestyle."Where is he going with this?"So, my only question is—" His haunting gaze bounces between us. "What is a man of your prestige doing dating my daughter?"

I choke on my noodles, my eyes alarmingly wide, my heart sinking.Holy fuck!

"Richard!" My mom exclaims.

"Stay out of this Mer," my dad holds up his hand. "I want to know because it doesn't make sense to me."

Adrian looks over to me and meets my somber expression, he snaps his head back to my father. "With all due respect, I'm not entirely sure what you mean."

My father scoffs. "Oh, come on Adrian, don't act aloof. I love my daughter, but she's not exactly the type of woman a successful lawyer like yourself would ever consider as a partner. So, tell me, how long should I expect this 'relationship' of yours to last?"

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