Thalia could not believe what she was hearing. The gentle and amiable Xander was scolding her, it never happened before and now that this woman was here, everything was in shambles. Her senior was now able to say those harsh words to her. "I won't forget this." She turned around and left without turning back.
Xander sighed and looked at Amber, "I'm sorry for that. She's been spoiled ever since and her father's position gave her the courage to say those words. You don't have to mind her."
"You worry too much. Those words were only childishness and you know who I am so superficial words do not work on me." She was an alpha, that kind of provocations would not work on her but to hear her insulting other people did not sit well with her.
"By the way, why did you come?" Xander did not expect her to come since she did not message him like always so when they came out of the conference room, he was surprised to see Amber frowning at Thalia and for some reason, he did not want to interrupt them but then he heard Thalia's words and he got annoyed.
Amber raised the lunchbox she was holding, "I came to give you this and of course to see you working that's why I came in secret." She had a wide smile on her face while showing off the lunch she cooked for her mate.
"Then, you won't be able to have lunch with me," the man beside him spoke after hearing the woman's words.
Xander looked to the side where Mr. Crellac was standing with a smile, "Yes, I'm sorry. You can invite me again next time. And I believe an introduction should be done since the both of you might be seeing each other while Amber is still in Cartnan."
Mr. Crellac nodded his head and faced the woman who was defending the secretary a while ago. He was impressed by Amber's courage and the aura around her.
"This is Mr. Antonio Crellac, he is currently one of our clients and that brave woman is Amber Claire de Lune a special friend of mine." He introduced them to each other. The smile on his face did not escape Mr. Crellac after he introduced Amber. It seems that the term 'special friend' has a deeper meaning.
Mr. Crellac took the initiative to shake the woman's hand, "It's nice to meet you. I did not think that Xander would have someone like you by his side. He is a lucky man." He couldn't help himself from giving the woman a meaningful grin which made Xander's eye wide since he did not expect the man to say those words.
"Mr. Crellac!" Xander was flabbergasted at the man's sudden words. He then became embarrassed because of the man.
"I've told you already to just call me Antonio and besides am I wrong?" he asked as he looked at Xander.
"Yes, you are not wrong and besides I am also lucky to have him by my side. He might be a little bit shy right now but I believe that in the future he will be able to accept me." Amber answered with confidence. There was not a speck of embarrassment from her while she was saying those words.
Xander could only avert his gaze. He could not believe that something like that would come out from Mr. Crellac's mouth while Amber's thick skin, he could not get used to it. If they were still in Ceurian then it was fine for him to hear those kinds of words but to say it freely in front of other people that do not belong to her pack makes it awkward for him.
"I'll be leaving then. Next time I will definitely invite the two of you for a dinner." Mr. Crellac left while giving the both of them a meaningful smile. Lillian escorted the man to the elevator while Xander let Amber inside his office towards his private lounge area.
He enjoyed the lunch with Amber and even though she saw an unpleasant event, he was glad that she was not affected by it. "Oh, by the way, do you want to come with me to visit the site of Mr. Crellac's art gallery?" he remembered that he was scheduled to go and see how the project was proressing.
"Alright," Amber did not hesitate to agree. She had nothing to do so why not indulge her mate and stay with him a little bit more.
After their lunch, Xander drove to the site. Wearing some protective gear, he walked around with Amber while talking to her about how excited he was to accept the project since it was his first gallery project and the location was good. Amber could see how passionate he was while talking about the design they created to make it modern and attractive to all ages.
She was listening attentively and would also give some inputs or asked questions that Xander would gladly answer. Along the way, the workers would enthusiastically greet Xander and some of them would even tease him because he was with a beautiful woman according to them. She could see that the workers were very friendly with him and that the atmosphere in there was good.
"Those workers, they seem to be very friendly to you." She could not help but comment while they were taking a break under a tree where they casually sat down while looking at the ongoing construction.
"Yes, because I always make sure that their work place is comfortable and free of any negativity since I don't want their work to be affected. If the workers' morale is affected then the output would not be up to par and may even cause disappointment to our clients so I stay on a friendly term with them so that they won't think of me as an obnoxious employer." Xander had a soft smile on his face which made him more handsome in Amber's eyes. He seemed softer whenever he had that kind of smile which refreshed her because he was different from any of the men she had met, werewolf or not.
"You really are different," she unconsciously spoke up. Xander snapped his head and looked at the woman with wide eyes. He was startled. "Oh, did I say that out loud?"
"Uhm, I don't quite understand what you mean," he rubbed his neck and took a deep breath before returning his gaze towards the site.
"I have met so many people even before I became an alpha but no one was like you. I can't quite point it out but you are really different from them. Maybe because all of them would talk to me because they have a hidden motive while you on the other hand is like an open book, and even innocent." Amber's eyes looked intently at him without blinking. She even rested her head on her palms and did not avert his gaze even though she saw that he was becoming embarrassed.
Xander let out an awkward laugh because he was not sure of what he should answer. Should he say that he found Amber different and interesting too? It was also a surprise that both of them had similar views of each other. He covered his mouth and looked down in thought. He stole a glance at the woman who was still looking at him before returning his gaze to the ground.
"This may be sudden but is it weird that we have the same thoughts about each other because I also found you interesting and unique. You were not like the girls from my university years or from the women I have met during social gatherings I have attended or the women I have meet throughout all of the projects I have done." He confessed without looking at Amber. He was not sure of what expression he has if he would lift his head to look at the woman who had piqued his interest.
"It's not weird and I am not sure if it is the work of the mate bond or not but I am glad that both of us has the same thoughts. That only means that I have a chance." Amber's heart warmed up after hearing him say all of those. It only means that Xander had slowly accepted her existence even though she was not human like him. The thought of having a place in his heart made her smile even more.
He sighed, "That's enough for now." He stood up but he was still looking in front as he refused to face Amber, "I'll send you to your residence. Let's about this another time."
Looking at how awkward he was standing and how stiff he had become, Amber did not have a choice but to let it go for now. They had more time in the future to talk about it so she was not in a rush.
Inside the car both of them did not spoke but she was okay with it when she remembered something. "How have you been? Have you felt uncomfortable this past month?"
Xander hummed, "I've been doing well. Aside from that time - " he abruptly stopped when he realized that he was about to tell her about the stalking incident he experienced.
Amber faced the driving Xander with a slight frown, "Aside from what?" she instantly became curious because he did not finish what he was about to say.
He did not want Amber to learn of it so he shook his head, "It's nothing. The matter had been solved so there's no reason to talk about it again." And besides ever since Amber came to visit him often, the feeling of being watched disappeared so he was able to sleep peacefully these past few days.
Amber did not believe him one bit and instead she remained silent while narrowing her eyes towards him. "I won't ask then. If you have any problems in the future, you can always call me or Zael." She volunteered since he will surely not ask for help when he has a problem.
"I understand, in the future I'll be counting on you." He turned his face slightly in order to let her see his reassuring smile.
"I'll be looking forward to it then."