Veronica noticed this gaze and then said nothing, instead unconsciously straightening her back and pushing her shoulders more back as she bounced down the stairs. She looked at the spread Jason had prepared and she smiled, turning to Jason with appreciation.
"You didn't have to go all out," she remarked while taking a seat. Jason noticed how her eyes softened as she glanced over the meal and he smiled, shrugging.
"For the lady of the house? It's only fitting." When Veronica heard this, she turned to Jason, who sat down beside her and seeing the grin on his face, she smiled yet again.
What a dork.
As they ate, Veronica teased him, saying that he was better suited to restaurant work with the way he arranged everything. Jason laughed at that, brushing it off with a wave of his hands.
"Nah I'm focused on Sales. Digital products, physical products… it does not matter to me. Although… I wouldn't mind cooking in a kitchen this nice for the rest of my life." Jason said that and then took a bite out of his pizza, and little did he know that she turned to him looking at him with an odd look after he said that.
He had said it meaning that he wanted to have a nice kitchen like this. But she may have taken it differently, thinking that Jason wanted to cook for her forever. Well, Jason had not meant for that kind of misunderstanding to happen, and even if he knew, he would allow it.
Flirting with beautiful women was something amazing for any man after all.
As Jason began speaking passionately about his interests, Veronica's gaze sharpened with interest. This guy was talking and making movements with his hands that he could not even notice how he was fumbling with his pizza, letting the sauce land on his plate and splatter on his shirt.
What a dumbass.
She leaned in, absorbing his words as he painted a picture of his future with a business he wanted to run and the way he was going to scale it, to a level that was even bigger than anything his family ever built.
There was something genuine and raw in his enthusiasm, something that reminded her of her youth and she soon forgot about her food entirely. As Jason was going on about his future business plans, he caught this stillness from her, and he tilted his head with a grin. "If I'm this interesting, maybe I should stop talking so you can eat."
Veronica heard these words and blushed, sla[pping Jason's arm and saying, "What, are you teasing me? How dare you!" She narrowed her eyes but inwardly, her heart was racing as she realised that she was staring at him. A self-conscious laugh escaped her as she said, "It's your fault, really."
After saying that, she didn't even allow Jason to speak up and merely took a bite of her food. Jason chuckled as she raised her thumb, giving him a thumbs up in approval for the salad he had made. Hearing Jason chuckle, she was not even offended and she rolled her eyes instead.
They ate and had a conversation like that, and soon enough the mood became more subdued. After finishing their meal, Jason began to share fragments of his past, his tone softening as he spoke up. "I wasn't always… well… the man you see before you today."
Veronica sensed this shift and turned to him, placing her glass on the counter as Jason continued.
"My parents… As I told you before, they were gone in a flash."
"I know…" Veronica said, nodding. She had heard about Jason's situation from him and after doing her research she had really found the situation to be extremely odd. A son of the Cross family was ignored just like that?? The son of a millionaire inherited nothing. How does that happen?
Jason nodded as he spoke up. "What you don't know is that there is more to the story. At one minute I had a family, at another I had nothing. My relatives abandoned me, writing me off from my inheritance, and they even foisted some debts on me."
"I was then forced to leave and soon enough I realised that everything else in my life was just going terrible. His University forced him to deregister, coming out of his studies as a dropout. My friends in life had abandoned me since I was abandoned by his family and we had nothing in common. His friends in university had abandoned me too since I was nothing now… and it didn't end there. My girlfriend dumped me too.
I lost everything so fast, so quickly. I thought I had nothing. I tried applying to jobs but everything did not work out. I was thoroughly depressed back then and when I tried for your job, I believed nothing would work out. But now… I am grateful that I entered your office that day."
As Jason said this, Veronica's expression softened, as a mixture of empathy and sorrow made her tears start flowing out of her eyes. She reached out, touching his hand gently as he continued, sharing how dreams of finishing university had been torn away, his friendships gone cold, and his girlfriend had left him for another man in his darkest hours.
Veronica's hand tightened around his. "I had no idea…" she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "Jason, it's incredible that you have been able to hold on through all of that. Most people would have given up. And I'm glad you walked into my office too. After all, I would never have met you."
Jason's heart skipped a beat. And he found himself smiling brushing a tear away from her cheek. "Well, at least now I know there's someone who truly values me." He tried to keep the tone light, but Veronica caught the underlying meaning. And the underlying pain.
She looked into his eyes, an anger coming from her insides. "They were all fools, Jason. Every single one of them. Anyone who can't see your true worth and potential doesn't deserve to know you."
For a moment, Jason and Veronica sat in silence, holding hands. Jason felt an unfamiliar warmth blossoming in his chest. It was rare for him to let down his guard and yet with her, right there, he could feel something. She felt safe with him.
And from the way she was looking at him… Did she feel the same way as him?