CHAPTER 355: WRONG DATE?

It’s as I feared. Athena inhaled deeply, clutching her purse tightly as Antonio led her through the expensive restaurant, toward the most valued table, which he had reserved some minutes ago.

A table that could only be available to a person if he or she luckily reserved it months before. But this was Antonio, and to some degree she had always known he was a bit of a show-off.

Whose reservation had the hoteliers cancelled for them to have this dinner?

Meanwhile, she was surprised by the paparazzi crew hanging around, dressed like normal people, thinking she wasn’t aware of their presence–she wouldn’t have been if she was not who she was.

Did he invite them? She wondered, attempting a perfect smile when Antonio gentlemanly ushered her to her seat, before taking his.

She could hear, distinctly, though faint, camera snaps, and she could see the servers darting nervous glances—which were supposed to be subtle—between her table and the tables of the paparazzi.

She stylishly counted those in her view. Four.

From the same company? She exhaled and let go of her pause, meeting Antonio’s gaze.

He had been watching her for a while, enough for her to notice his strong attraction toward her.

Maybe she should have worn a more official-looking dress to douse any expectations?

Quit overthinking! She commanded herself when Antonio raised his left brow.

"Are you okay? You seem unsettled..."

He placed his hand on hers, which was on the table, rubbing circles on it. It should be calming, but she felt anything but that.

Not with the clicks of the camera going on, not with her overthinking and questioning herself why she was uncomfortable.

There was paparazzi, but so what?

Antonio was her boyfriend!

Yet, she couldn’t relax.

"I’m okay. Just tired." She finally replied, inhaling again, centering herself.

Immediately, a server approached them and dropped a menu before them.

"You are welcome, Mr. Antonio, Doctor Athena..."

A genuine smile. A too-wide smile.

A fan. Athena concluded, watching the lady watch her longer than necessary.

"Thank you." She said, with a smile of her own; amused, centered, when the lady blushed and hurried away.

Probably to inform her fellow waiters that Doctor Athena had spoken directly to her, even smiled.

"You have a lot of fans."

Athena shrugged. "You are not an unknown person either."

A camera click.

Athena bit her lips and fixed a questioning gaze on Antonio. "Did you invite them?"

Antonio looked confused, turned aside in fact. "I don’t know what you are talking about, Athena. Who are the ’them’?"

"The media. I can hear them, their camera clicks... surely you must have noticed them."

Even though Antonio wasn’t trained like she and Aiden, he wasn’t dumb to matters of surveillance and whatnot. After all, he was the heir of a billion-dollar corporation back in his home country, always with security, till he had abandoned his inheritance.

Antonio looked around, slowly this time, a furrow lining his forehead.

"I can see that now. Watching you numbed my senses..." He teased, a flirting smile on his lips.

Athena raised a brow instead. "So, you didn’t invite them?"

She got her answer before the lie went forth from his mouth the next second.

The minuscule emotion that had floated past his eyes before his mouth opened told her that he had invited them.

"Why?"

Antonio frowned. "Why what? I told you I didn’t do it."

Athena exhaled unelegantly, picking up the menu. "I have never pegged you as a liar, Antonio. Please don’t start now."

"Athena, I’m telling you..."

"Antonio, you are trying my patience." She insisted, not meeting his gaze, looking through the menu.

The server was approaching.

"Have you made your choice, ma’am?"

Athena nodded and pointed at a listed meal. "This."

Antonio made the same selection, without thinking, without touching his menu, his emotions not in a good place.

"The same for me!"

He had almost shouted when the server turned to him.

"Athena..." he started now, but Athena removed her hand from underneath his.

"Tell me the truth."

Antonio inhaled, shutting his eyes.

When he opened them, they were plagued with defiance, to the surprise of Athena.

"Yes, I did. Is there a problem? Or are you rethinking our relationship?"

Yes. "No." Athena muttered.

"But that’s not the case here. You are introducing our relationship to the public, without informing me? Should I be alarmed that it would be the order of the day in this relationship of ours? Doing things without seeking my input?"

Antonio shook his head, apology swimming in his eyes now. "I am sorry. I was just... I panicked."

Athena’s brows became knitted. "What do you mean? Did I do anything to make you panic?"

"Not really. Just that you don’t seem angry with Ewan anymore, and seeing as you..."

"Antonio." Athena drawled, refusing to let Ewan infuse himself into this date. This was already going all too wrong. "You don’t have cause to worry. Ewan and I are over."

She pointed at him, at herself. "We are the present now."

"The future too." Antonio added, a relieved smile on his lips, reaching out for Athena’s hand again.

This time, she let him.

"However, I am not pleased with the paparazzi watching us. I wasn’t ready for our relationship to be publicly scrutinized."

A sigh.

"The publicity will be too much, coupled with the fact that my grandfather will be introducing me to the public in the upcoming Thorne party."

"I am sorry." Antonio muttered, trying and succeeding at keeping his victory smile at bay.

He had been feeling this way since the news he had gotten yesterday.

Athena, a Thorne? He was happy for her, and what it meant for them.

"I should have thought about things more keenly. Forgive me. I can send them away."

Athena shook her head. "No need."

She was sure they had taken pictures already. No need to cause a ruckus.

Right on time, their meal arrived, and they dug in without much talk, only conversing midway about the children, their education, future investments, and what-not.

Just when they were done with their food, wiping their lips with a napkin, he asked her about Morgan, and how the operation had been.

"If I didn’t know better, I would think that you are avoiding discussing it with me..."

Athena managed a disbelieving laugh.

"That’s not so. But now that you mention it, I think it’s better that you don’t know—that you focus on your business in Herbert’s company, and perhaps on a relationship with his son."

"Ewww..." Antonio’s face contorted with disgust.

Athena laughed heartily, shaking her head. "I didn’t mean it that way. I meant a relationship as friends."

However, the disgusted look didn’t depart from Antonio’s face, somewhat.

"Wait, don’t tell me you are avoiding him because he is Ewan’s friend?" Athena rattled on, surprise filtering into her voice.

"Well, that’s only a little part of it." Antonio didn’t bother denying it. "He is just worlds apart from me, when it comes to my value system."

"And what does that mean? Zane is a good person." Athena asked, truly curious.

The little time she had known Zane, he might not be perfect, especially considering his strange relationship with her best friend, but he was a good man.

A good friend too. And a good godfather to her children.

She raised a brow, so high it almost touched her hairline, when Antonio shrugged his shoulders.

"He is a jealous fellow. Too erratic, no self-control, loves women a lot..."

Athena had to laugh now. "You are just describing yourself, especially the woman’s angle."

Antonio shook his head, eyes darting to the dessert the server just kept on their table. "You are the only woman I see now."

"I’m sure Zane will see only one woman when he finds her too."

Antonio pouted. "Why are you defending him?"

"Because he is my friend, and I understand why he would be defensive with you finding favor in his father’s sight, coupled with the fact that you were given a big position when you came, more so promoted to a higher one, just a few weeks later. Surely, if you were in his shoes, you would feel the same, even threatened..."

Antonio hesitated, then nodded. "That’s true. Maybe we can find a neutral ground. Though he snubs me all the time."

Athena laughed. "Just make an attempt. You men find it easy making friends. I am sure it won’t be different for you now."

Then she focused on eating her ice cream.

Doing this, however, reminded her of the date—was it one?—she had with Ewan, the one where he had bought her ice cream and she had shamelessly licked her lips to disturb his senses.

Her insides warmed, and she dropped the spoon.

"You don’t like the ice cream?"

"No, it’s okay. I just feel a little queasy."

She looked aside, needing to go to the restroom, maybe talk some sense into herself, but instead her eyes collided with Ewan approaching a table, with his two friends.

But they were not alone.

There were three girls right on their heels—three girls who had no business talking business with these three, except the business that involved the other room.

Athena felt queasy for real this time.