Bella was nervous as she walked into the room in Twenty Madison Park. Sitting at the table was Zane Father and Mother.
"I'm so glad you could come Bella. Please take a seat." Mr. Heart said.
Mrs. Heart just gave a phuff sound. Her Husband then gave her a dirty look.
"Father, Mother. It's good to see you." Zane said as he held the chair for Bella to sit.
"I took the liberty to order a few dishes. I also got a Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Montrachet Grand Cru. Bella it's a Chardonnay from Côte de Beaune, France." Mr. Heart said trying to sound pleasant.
"Merci, ils ont gagné quelques récompenses pour ce vin." [Thank you, they have won a few awards for that wine.] Bella said in French.
This surprised Mr. Heart that Bella could speak French and knew about wine.
"Bella speaks and reads French, German, and Spanish. She is also learning Italian right now." Zane said.
"Very impressive. I see why my son has fallen for you. I want to apologize for everything in the past. Puissance Entreprise is very important to me and I lost my head a little. Please forgive me." He said to Bella.
"Of course. Family is very important." Bella said taking a sip of wine.
Bella was trying to opened minded but she still did not trust Zane's family.
After Dinner and light conversation, Mr. Heart was ready to get to the main business at hand.
"Son, I asked you here today to discuss coming back to run Puissance Entreprise. The board is ready to throw everything away unless you come back." He started out.
"I have my own business to run now. Why should I give that up?" Zane said.
"I know, and I see that it is doing really well. However I really need you now. Please think about it. You don't have to give me an answer now but I do need one by next Wednesday before the board meeting." Mr. Heart said.
"Zane, Family should come first. We are willing to forgive you for choosing this girl over us. So please do as your father asked." Mrs. Heart said.
Zane shook his head. He could see his father was trying but his mother was still being rude to Bella.
"Mother, You just don't get it? Bella is my family. There should be nothing for you to forgive. However Bella and I will need to think about forgiving you for the way you are treating her. Father I'll give you an answer in a few days." Zane stood up and pulled Bella chair out. He left without another word.
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"Can you believe that. Our son is..." Mrs. Heart started to say.
"A man in love. He is right and you were very rude to the girl he chose to be with. If we don't want to lose him we have to respect his decision." Mr. Heart got up and walked out leaving his wife dumbfounded.
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"What are you going to do?" Bella asked as Zane got in the driver seat.
"Not sure. What do you think?" He asked.
"Your father was extending an olive branch. But I don't want you to over work yourself." Bella said placing a hand on his knee.
"Bella... Thank you. My company did fair before and Mary Ann knows everything inside and out. So I would not have to spend a lot of time handling things there. However Puissance Entreprise has a lot of problems right now and would take a lot to get it back to were it once was."
"I will support you in any decision you make." Bella said.
They drove home with out another word. Zane thought of what he should do.
When they reached home Zane went into his office and Bella got ready for bed. As she waited for Zane she read.
◇◇◇♡♡♡◇◇◇ BRIAR ROSE cont.
So she roamed about by herself, and looked at all the rooms and chambers, till at last she came to an old tower, to which there was a narrow staircase ending with a little door.
In the door there was a golden key, and when she turned it the door sprang open, and there sat an old lady spinning away very busily.
"Why, how now, good mother," said the princess, "what are you doing there?"
"Spinning," said the old lady, and nodded her head.
"How prettily that little thing turns round!" said the princess, and took the spindle and began to spin.
But scarcely had she touched it before the prophecy was fulfilled, and she fell down lifeless on the ground.
However, she was not dead, but had only fallen into a deep sleep; and the king and the queen, who just then came home, and all their court, fell asleep too, and the horses slept in the stables, and the dogs in the yard, and the pigeons on the house-top, and the flies on the walls.
Even the fire on the I hearth left off blazing, and went to sleep; and the meat that was roasting stood still; and the cook, who was at that moment pulling the kitchen-boy by the hair to give him a box on the ear for something he had done amiss, let him go, and both fell asleep; and so everything stood still, and slept soundly.
A high hedge of thorns soon grew around the palace, and every year it became higher and thicker, till at last the whole palace was surrounded and hidden, so that not even the roof or the chimneys could be seen.
But there went a report through all the land of the beautiful sleeping Briar Rose, for thus was the king's daughter called; so that from time to time several kings' sons came, and tried to break through the thicket into the palace.
This they could never do; for the thorns and bushes laid hold of them as it were with hands, and there they stuck fast and died miserably.
After many, many years there came another king's son into that land, and an old man told him the story of the thicket of thorns, and how a beautiful palace stood behind it, in which was a wondrous princess, called Briar Rose, asleep with all her court.
He told, too, how he had heard from his grandfather that many, many princes had come, and had tried to break through the thicket, but had stuck fast and died.
Then the young prince said, "All this shall not frighten me; I will go and see Briar Rose."
The old man tried to dissuade him, but he persisted in going.
Now that very day the hundred years were completed; and as the prince came to the thicket he saw nothing but beautiful flowering shrubs, through which he passed with ease, and they closed after him as firm as ever.
Then he came at last to the palace, and there in the yard lay the dogs asleep, and the horses in the stables, and on the roof sat the pigeons fast asleep with their heads under their wings; and when he came into the palace, the flies slept on the walls, and the cook in the kitchen was still holding up her hand as if she would beat the boy, and the maid sat with a black fowl in her hand ready to be plucked.
Then he went on still further, and all was so still that he could hear every breath he drew; till at last he came to the old tower and opened the door of the little room in which Briar Rose was, and there she lay fast asleep, and looked so beautiful that he could not take his eyes off, and he stooped down and gave her a kiss. But the moment he kissed her she opened her eyes and awoke, and smiled upon him.
Then they went out together, and presently the king and queen also awoke, and all the court, and they gazed on each other with great wonder. And the horses got up and shook themselves, and the dogs jumped about and barked; the pigeons took their heads from under their wings, and looked about and flew into the fields; the flies on the walls buzzed away; the fire in the kitchen blazed up and cooked the dinner, and the roast meat turned round again; the cook gave the boy the box on his ear so that he cried out, and the maid went on plucking the fowl. And then was the wedding of the prince and Briar Rose celebrated, and they lived happily together all their lives.