Jacob took Melanie to an Italian restaurant. It was not a fine dining restaurant where they had to follow a dress code. It was more like a casual dining which looked simple, yet elegant.
"Italian?" Melanie looked at the restaurant named 'Delizioso' which looked like a small library from outside. There was an arch at the entrance which was painted in light yellow while the entire restaurant was painted brown. There were two white statues at the entrance door which reminded her of the sculptures from the Renaissance period except that the sculptures here were not bare.
"Yes. What could be better than Italian food for a date?" Jacob grinned. "Shall we?"
"Sure." The couple walked in and Melanie was immediately drawn to the architecture.
The dining hall was huge and was closed in with a stunning erection of metal frames supporting a glass ceiling which was completely transparent. One could easily see the sky from within just by looking up. It was still dusk and one could see the red rays which was slowing fading and was being encroached by the dark. She wondered how it would look at night.
"Hello Mam, Sir. Welcome to Delizioso." One of the waiters approached them with a smile.
"We have a reservation in the name of Jacob Smith."
"Yes Sir. Let me check." The waiter took out a small notebook from his pocket.
"Yes Sir. Please do follow me." He led them to a table in the middle of the hall.
The waiter handed them the menus when they were seated comfortably. After a lot of thinking and asking for suggestions from the waiter, the couple finished ordering and waited for the food to be served. Till then, they sipped on their mocktails trying to make small conversations.
"Do you know the person from the arcade?" Jacob asked suddenly taking Melanie off guard.
"No. This is the first time I am seeing him. Why do you ask?"
"He talked something about meeting you a few days back."
"I don't think so. I don't remember meeting him." Melanie tried recalling to see if she met him somewhere in the last few days. But the only thing she could recollect was the conversation she had overheard accidentally. It was then she realized how cunning her aunt's family was. The naive Melanie back then did not know a thing about their wickedness as they had been careful enough to mask it in front of her. The memory about it only brought grief followed by anger. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and smiled at Jacob who was staring at her.
Jacob returned her smile. He did not want to look like he was jealous of the man knowing the woman he wanted to pursue. He was more concerned that the devil-like man would come after her seeking revenge for she had done to him in the arcade. He knew who that man was and looking at Melanie's ignorant face, he realized she knew nothing about him.
"Do you know who that man was?"
"No. Is he someone I should be knowing?" Melanie turned back to look at him. She had been wandering her eyes all over the place especially at the glass ceiling which was reflecting the night sky.
"Have you heard about Adrian King?"
"Yes. I have." Melanie had heard a lot about him both from the tabloids as well as from her informers. He was a well-known figure in the business world.
"That man with whom you fought today is him." Jacob disclosed making Melanie's jaw drop.
"What?"
"Yes."
"When did he return to the city?"
"A few days back. Didn't you see the news?"
"I haven't kept a tab on what was happening for the past few days," Melanie answered, still pondering if the man was Adrian or not. She had seen his pictures before. However, she had long forgotten his face. It was just a waste of memory for her to remember unwanted people.
The waiter returned with the food at that moment and the conversation came to a pause. Melanie took the first bite from the delicious food in front of her and her eyes closed automatically in delight. It made her wonder why she had not heard about the restaurant when the food was this good.
It did not take long for the two people to finish their food while chatting on some random topics.
When the time came for them to leave, Melanie insisted on taking a cab. She did not want to trouble Jacob as he stayed in the opposite direction of her house. It would take him a long time to reach home if he dropped her.
"I had a good time today," Melanie said as they walked towards his car.
"Me too. I had fun."
The walked in silence until they reached his car.
"Damn, the distance from the entrance to the parking is short." He muttered under his breath.
"Did you say something?"
"I was just saying Let's meet tomorrow." He gave her an awkward smile. He wanted to give her a hug, but he was not sure how to take the first step. He originally wanted to kiss her. But that would be huge considering that it was just a first date. So, he settled for a hug.
Melanie gave him a questionable look seeing him hesitate. She was not sure what was wrong with him. It took her some time to realize that he wanted to ask her something.
"Do you have something to say?"
"No. I'll see ya." Jacob couldn't muster his courage. So, he gave up the idea of asking her a hug.
Melanie waited until Jacob drove away. Though at first, he wanted to wait until she hailed a cab. After much reluctance, he left when she said she had already booked a cab and it would be here any moment.
After seeing off her colleague, she walked around the area. There were a lot of people who had come to dine and shop. She saw many couples and families having a good time and she smiled in sorrow. She was missing her parents badly.
Her phone rang disturbing her thoughts. She picked it up without seeing who it was.
"Mel, where have you been? I have been trying to reach you for long." Lexi's voice boomed from the other side.
"Why do you even care?"
"Mel, what is wrong with you?"
"I know the truth."
"What truth?" Lexi asked skeptically.
"I overheard everything you people were speaking in the room when the party was going on," Melanie answered, her voice raising an octave in anger.
"You heard it? Thank God. I thought you missed it this time too." Lexi said with a sigh of relief.
"Don't try to be smart."
"Mel, listen to me. I have not wronged you in any way. It was my parents. I told you long back not to trust them, especially my mother. You were the one who did not believe my words. They are greedy and selfish and they will not hesitate to sacrifice their own daughter for profits. You are just her sister's daughter. They do not deserve your trust."
Melanie reminisced all the times when Lexi had tried to warn her against her aunt. It was she who had neglected her words. Lexi had been her support for a long time and she had given her a blind eye.
"Why? Then why did you support them in their plans?" She asked, a tear slipping down her cheeks.
"I never supported them, Melanie. I was with them to know their plans."
"Why?"
"To protect you, otherwise you would be dead by now."