Loving The Temperamental Adonis
Chapter 219: At the restaurant

Chapter 219: At the restaurant

Five hours later after Neil left his house and office, he sat in a five star restaurant with a blank expression, staring at the nervous woman opposite him. The woman was none other than Rayne Wallace, Mia’s best friend and the sister of that bastard, Jason. He didn’t like any of the Wallaces, especially the two siblings, but he knew that if he didn’t talk to someone close to Mia, he’d never figure out what she wanted. Thus, he’d called Rayne to meet him here.

For ten minutes, they sat in silence, Rayne nervously sipping her tea to hide her anxiety. She’d never sat this close to Neil before, not even in Ivy Grove. She didn’t need to be told to know the man didn’t like her, and she didn’t blame him for that. With a brother like hers, it was surprising anyone in the country even liked her. Jason Wallace was a pain in the ass and an arrogant idiot. He looked for every opportunity to get at Neil and many other famous people. Because of him, she was hated by many for no reason.

She’d woken up this morning finding a message from Neil asking her to meet him here. She’d been surprised and nervous as to why he’d want to meet her, and now that she was here, he hadn’t said a word to her but intimidate her with his eyes and presence.

Swallowing her tea and mustering the courage to meet his piercing grey eyes and darkened expression, Rayne cleared her throat. "I saw your message, Mr. Wayner."

Neil’s eyes narrowed slightly, waiting for her to continue.

Rayne took a deep breath and said, "I assume you want to talk about Mia. You wouldn’t have called me otherwise. I know you don’t like me, and I can understand why."

A humorless laugh escaped his throat. "It’s good that you know I don’t like you. But as much as I hate to be sitting here with you, Miss Wallace, I have a problem only you can help me with."

Rayne looked taken aback. A problem only she could help with? What could be so important that he overlooked his dislike for her and bought her lunch at a fancy restaurant she’d been dying to make reservations for but had been declined countless times? She wondered, and as if reading her mind, he said, "You’re right. I’m facing a few problems with Mia."

"What about Mia? Did something happen to her? Is she alright?" Rayne asked, her worry evident.

Neil was momentarily impressed to see that her worry was genuine for Mia and unlike her brother, who’d stab you in the back, she had a pure heart to care for someone else other than herself. He shook his head to reassure her. "Nothing is wrong with Mia."

"Then what about her?" she pressed.

Neil leaned forward slightly, his tone softening. "I want to fulfill her wishes but I don’t know what they are," he began to explain, going straight to the point, "Whenever I talk to her about our marriage, she seems...hesitant and unexcited. It’s like there is something she wants that I’m not doing."

Neil watched a knowing smile graced Rayne’s face. "There is a lot you haven’t done yet."

Neil’s eyebrows shot up. "I’m all ears. Tell me."

Rayne took a moment, choosing her words carefully. "Mia wants to marry you as much as you want to marry her. But she has always dreamed of being courted in a traditional manner. I know you guys have gone ahead to make a baby before marriage, which was surprising to me considering how Mia has always been the kind to say she’d never have a baby outside wedlock..." Rayne trailed off when Neil glared daggers at her, she cleared her throat and said,

"Please don’t glare at me like that, Mr. Wayner. I’m only telling you what I know would help you." She said, knowing she had the upper hand when he was the one who needed her help here. If he didn’t need her help, she’d have crawled to a corner receiving such a glare.

Neil clenched his teeth in irritation and ceased his glare. Instead, he adopted a neutral expression and gestured for her to proceed. "Go on."

Rayne smiled in satisfaction. "Mia wants you to ask her on a date, buy her flowers, and propose to her on one knee. It’s a dream she’s had since our years in university. Because of it, she never dated any of the men who showed interest in her. You could say she reads and watches too many romance movies and novels." Rayne paused, a soft smile tugging at her lips. "If she’s not excited about your marriage, it must be because you haven’t proposed to her with a ring. Or have you proposed to her?"

Neil shook his head and leaned back, processing her words. "So, it’s not about her not wanting to marry me. It’s about me not proposing in the way she’s always dreamed of."

"Exactly!" Rayne confirmed. "She wants the romance, the gestures. It’s something she’s held onto for years. And the fact that you are here talking to me despite our differences means you love her enough to want to make that dream come true."

Neil held her with an annoyed stare, but deep down he wasn’t annoyed. He was impressed. "Don’t tell her a word about our meeting today. We never met."

Rayne smiled girlishly and made a zipping gesture towards her mouth. "Yep, we never met. And i’m glad I could help. Mia means a lot to me, and I want to see her happy."

Neil stood up, retrieving a card from his pocket and extending it to her, and with an emotionless voice, he said, "Here, despite our differences, I hope you can make it tomorrow to the banquet, Mia would appreciate your presence there."

Rayne took the card from him, looking at the printed words on it, she saw that it was the banquet of Xavier Galverra that everyone had been talking about and her father had been stressing over because their family hadn’t received an invitation to it. He’d even asked Jason to go and use any means possible to get an invitation for their family as a business collaboration with the Galverra would do wonders to their company. But here it was, Neil Wayner casually handing her a million dollar worth invitation like it was nothing.

Rayne smiled up at him feeling a sense of accomplishment as she knew her father would be happy that she’d gotten her hands on the invitation. "Thank you, Mr. Wayner."

"You can call me Neil," he said casually, shoving his hands into his pocket. He hadn’t sent an invitation to the Wallace family because he didn’t like them, but now that he’d seen how Rayne’s care for Mia was genuine, he had no reason to hate the young woman.

Rayne’s green eyes widened at that. She could address him by his name which means they were friends as well? Her smile widened at that and she nodded her head, "Good luck with Mia, Neil. If you need my help with anything, you can always reach out to me."

He nodded in acknowledgement and grabbed his suit jacket from behind the seat. As he walked out of the restaurant, he felt a renewed sense of purpose. He knew what he needed to do now, and he was determined to show Mia just how much she meant to him and how much he was willing to do for her.