Graham takes a deep breath after finishing a long meeting with his employees. It's been an exhausting yet very productive day for him.
He says goodbye to a couple of people who cross his path. Most of the workers have finished their shift and are getting ready to go back home. The young businessman, on the other hand, must stay for a little longer to revise some contracts.
Even if he didn't have anything else to do, though, he would stay at his office until late at night. The reason is that he enjoys the long ride to his house by calling Aiden.
If he went home earlier, he could end up getting too immersed in a book or a documentary, which would make him miss the daily conversation with the man he cherishes the most right now.
The brown-haired male finally arrives at the 7th floor. He realizes that his secretary isn't in her working area, but he doesn't pay much attention to that before opening the door to his office.
When he sees his father sitting by his desk, he understands why Ms. Jordan wasn't around.
Of course she would betray the little trust he put in her. He had already expected it to happen. Actually, Graham had wondered why his dad was taking so long in visiting him to talk about his supposed compromise.
Now that he's here, though, he would have preferred to never have this talk.
"When were you planning to tell us about your fiancé?" Salvatore asks with a raised eyebrow.
Graham closes the door behind him and takes his time to walk towards his leather chair, opposite from his father.
"I'm guessing Aleena told you about the ring."
"Yes, she did. And I don't really understand why you didn't want me to know beforehand. Were you afraid that she would reject you?"
"No", the youngest replies, still deciding between confronting his dad for lying and continuing playing his game for a little bit longer.
"Then what was it?"
"I had only dated Ms. Walker once, so I wasn't really sure if I wanted to propose right away."
Salvatore exhales the air in his lungs with frustration.
"Son, every woman on the list is interested in marrying you. Some for money, some for your looks. They don't care if you've just met, they'll happily accept the ring."
Graham purses his lips together before stating firmly: "They may not care, but I do. How many times do I have to ask you to let me do it my way?"
The father lets out a deep breath before shifting on his seat.
"Did you propose to Ms. Walker?"
"No. Not yet."
"Your time to find a wife will run out."
"I know, dad."
"Your mother doesn't know about this, but she may not be as patient as me."
Their chocolate eyes meet accidentally. Graham senses something different in his father's facial expression.
Instead of showing the dissatisfaction he felt when discussing this topic for the second time, Salvatore's eyes are filled with concern.
Graham doesn't remember receiving that look from his father before. Not ever once had he truly worried about his son. Which makes him believe that the uneasy feeling in his eyes exists because of Myrtle.
Honestly, the young man always had the feeling that she was the one behind the idea of the arranged marriage. Now that he has confirmed that information, he believes it's better to not confront and blame his father for it.
"I'll find a good fiancé. Don't worry about it."
"Oh and please do tell me when you finally propose. The media is waiting."
The truth is that the media isn't too interested in Graham Larson's marriage. Otherwise, they would have already made an article about his supposed proposal at Indigo, or he would have been followed around by photographers. After all, Aleena made the event way bigger than it had to be.
His parents are the only ones who desperately want to know about his marriage. Which is why they are hiring a private investigator for their only son.
This reflects exactly how much they trust their own son. It's easier for them to make someone follow him closely instead of just asking him what they want to know.
"Sure."
Salvatore doubts for a brief second before nodding in agreement. His face changes back to being expressionless as he gets up from the chair and walks towards the exit.
"Oh, by the way. Aleena forgot to arrange some stuff for my birthday dinner and there's no good catering or music group available. Tell me if you know someone."
Without adding anything else to the conversation, Salvatore exits the room and leaves his son alone with his thoughts.
Of course he knows someone who could help at the dinner with the meals. However, he doesn't know if it's the best idea to tell Aiden about it.
After sitting by his desk and sighing, Graham takes a folder and places it closer to him before opening it to start reading the files it contains.
Time passes by without him noticing. He's about to finish revising the second document when the alarm on his phone starts ringing.
He silences the device and continues reading diligently the contract in front of him. It's until he's satisfied with his corrections that he closes the folder and gets up from his chair.
Then, he saves all his belongings in his briefcase, leaving everything in order for his next day at work.
His steps are relaxed as he walks towards the elevator. When he arrives at the parking lot, he says his goodbyes to the security guard and enters his car.
Once he's fastened his seatbelt and started the engine, he connects his phone to the car's speakers and dials Aiden's number.
"Hello. How was your day?" Graham greets after hearing the tone a couple of times.
"Hi Gram Gram", the chef replies excitedly, using the nickname he chose for Larson just a couple of days ago. "Today was just like any other day for me. What about you?"
"Well, my father finally came to talk with me about Elyse."
Aiden blinks a couple of times when hearing the news. He's clearly worried about his uncertain future with Graham.
"Did you tell him that you already know that the company is doing well financially?"
"No", he replies with a sigh as he drives outside the building and into the crowded street. "It felt as if he had another motive to find a wife for me."
"Maybe he is afraid that you might die alone."
"I don't think that's one of his concerns, if I'm completely honest with you." He shakes his head.
"Are you planning on asking him about it?"
"Yes. I want to confront him but I believe I could wait for a little longer. Since I've stopped dating Ms. Walker, he'll eventually know that she won't be my fiancé. And when he starts asking about that, I'll start demanding answers as well."
"Don't you think we should stop dating?"
Graham frowns at that comment, hating the idea of having to keep hiding his preferences.
"Of course not. I don't want to miss any opportunity to be with you."
"Are you sure that he won't hire a hitman to get rid of me?"
"That won't ever happen. Even with his flaws, my dad is civilized."
"I'll believe you for now, but only because I already have something in mind for our next dates."
"Do you? I'm very intrigued, please tell me more."
"Well, I heard that there's going to be a trivia night in a pub called The lost ice cube."
"Have you gone to that place?"
"No, but I asked a friend about it and he said the place is quite nice. Don't you like the idea?"
Graham leans his head to the side.
"I don't love it, but I could give it a try."
"Yes! You won't regret it. We will have a lot of fun."
"I'll believe you. Now, what about the other date?"
"Oh, I'm sure you'll like this idea a lot more", the red-haired man states with a grin. "So far we have only done activities that I like. Including the trivia night."
"You're right. If I remember correctly, the ideas I suggested were called extremely boring."
"I was just joking. I actually enjoy going to museums every now and then. But that's not the point", Aiden explains with a chuckle. "What I want to say is that I'm considering buying some tickets for a classical music concert. I just need you to confirm that you'll have the time to go."
"You won't clap in the middle of the concert, will you?"
"No. I promise I won't even smile until it ends."
Larson laughs at the thought, his muscles relaxing a bit as the topic changes.
"I want to see that."
"It's decided, then. I'll send you the information about the concert tomorrow so you can schedule it in advance."
"Sure thing", Graham agrees before sighing with contentment. "I can't wait to spend those nights with you."
"Me neither."
Larson is finally leaving the traffic behind, which means that they can talk for a bit longer until he arrives home.
"How's your hand? Has it healed?"
Aiden looks at his bruised skin, the marks barely noticeable by now.
"Not really. It actually hurts a lot. I think I need one more of your healing kisses."
"Ah, that's so cheesy. I was genuinely concerned for a moment, Aiden."
"I'm sorry, I had to say it", he replies with laughter. "In all seriousness, though, the bruises have almost faded completely."
"You better be careful with not hurting yourself again."
"I'm being very careful, don't worry."
"Good." Graham presses the button to open the garage and parks the car inside. As the engine goes silent, he considers once again asking Aiden to be the head chef at his father's birthday.
Since plenty of important people will attend the dinner, Larson knows that this could be a good opportunity for Aiden to be recognized for his skills. Unfortunately, he may put him in an awkward situation with his parents.
"What are you thinking about, Gram Gram?" The red-haired man asks with curiosity after long seconds of quietness.
Finally, Graham realizes that he wants Aiden to be at his father's reunion, which means that the one who must make the final decision is the chef, not him.
"It's my dad's birthday in 2 weeks."
"If you're about to ask me for suggestions regarding his gift, I have no idea."
Larson smiles and shakes his head at the response.
"It's not that. The thing is that he has high standards of catering and hasn't found a good option for that."
"Uhm, I think you should tell my boss about it, not me", he replies with an uneasy chuckle.
"No, I'm not talking about hiring Indigo's service. I'm talking about you being in charge of that."
"But… What about your dad?" Aiden asks while anxiously biting his lip.
"It would be just for work. I mean, you can join the party later but see it as a professional opportunity. There will be CEOs of important companies who could hire you or invest in your future projects if they like your food, which they'll definitely love."
"How many people will be invited?"
"Since we are allegedly close to bankruptcy, there will only be around 30 people."
"30 people? I can't do all the work."
"I know, we could hire the cooks or a sous chef if you need it. You'd just be the one in charge of everything."
Aiden sighs deeply, considering giving up because it could be impossible that Graham loses an argument like this.
"Why do you always have a solution for everything?"
"That's basically my job", Graham admits with a chuckle. "Still, if you don't want to do this, I completely understand."
The youngest takes more time to think about it. Eventually, he agrees with Larson and believes it's an unmatchable opportunity to boost his career.
"No, it's ok. I'll do it if you give me options regarding your father's likes and dislikes. Is he allergic to anything?"
"No, but he is very picky. I'll send you a list later."
"Alright."
"I have to hang up but please let me know if you'll need anything."
"I will. Rest well, Gram Gram."
The oldest smiles fondly, his heart flustered as every single time he hears Aiden calling him by that nickname he thought was ridiculous at first.
"You too."