Chapter 10

Her lips parted as her eyes opened wide. "No way. Seriously? Didn't your mother tell you? "

He remembered Raquel in the kitchen and laughed. Looking up at her Atiya , he realized she was meant for business. "My mother is not an amateur cook. It's been a long time since I've seen her pick up a spatula." The dining room was not eating at his table. Eating dinner alone didn't seem very pleasant. And most nights he came home well after dinner anyway. Atiya folded his arms. "This is very sad. There is nothing more satisfying than taking bread out of the oven and watching your family devour it. Taking something out of the ingredients, making a meal, and feeding it to people. Is. It's the best. ' Her expression softened as she closed her eyes and smiled. A deep pain in her chest startled Aquila . She seemed to be talking about everything he ever wanted. Why did he feel it wasn't his job? It was decided that he would fly here and fly there. Do that, do that, her passion for cooking no longer matched his passion for investing. "I envy you," he whispered, and his body turned red with embarrassment. Did he just say it out loud? I'm glad Raquel didn't come to hear it. If she had confessed, she would have had a heart attack. And he will disappoint her. Once again. Atiya opened her eyes and stared at him. "why? I'm sorry, but that's a fact. You are a millionaire You can buy literally anything you want. "

Aquila frowned at the words. "That doesn't necessarily mean happy."

Her fingers fiddled with the intricate carvings on the chair in front of her. "What do you need to be happy?"

He stared at her. He didn't know the answer to that question. Was it bad that he didn't know? Luckily April appears through the door and interrupts the conversation. She had a pot full of gravy that smelled divine. Aquila reached out and snatched the steering wheel from her. "Here, let me help you," he said. He was always bad at talking about his past and how he was feeling. He appreciated the work. She smiled at him. "thank you very much. You can leave it there." She leaned over to Atiya , then back to Atiya . "It's been a long time since we've had a man in this house. Well, apart from the plumber who came in last week to get a cat out of our pipe," she smiled at him. "There is no dull moment in the old house in town."

Aquila stared at her. He wanted to know how the cat got stuck in his pipe, but before he could say anything the phone rang. He took it out of his suit and looked at it. Did Raquel know where she was? When he learned that Sam had just sent him the latest stats from one of his investments, his chest was filled with relief. April cleared her throat. "Important?" she asked. Aquila clicked the side button and the screen went black. "no."

She looked at him and then waved her hand towards the table. "Well, if there's nothing, let's eat."

They all pulled up chairs and sat down. Atiya started to plate the pasta as April said goodbye. After she filled April 's plate, Aquila handed her her own plate. "So Aquila , what are you doing?" April asked, pouring hot sauce over the pasta. "April , let's not embarrass him," Atiya said, giving him a bewildered look. "Are you embarrassing him? Why are you ashamed to ask him what he's doing?" April leaned toward him. "Are you a stripper?"

The sound of dishes falling on the table caught everyone's attention. Atiya 's cheeks were almost the same color as the sauce. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, glaring at April . Aquila turned around and chuckled. "No, I'm not a stripper."

"See? He's got nothing to be ashamed of." April waved at Atiya as she started filling her mouth with noodles. "Even if it looks like that, you have a body for it." April reached out and squeezed her biceps. "April !" Atiya hissed. April just laughed.

Not knowing what to do, he smiled and pulled his arm back. "Thank you." He glanced at Atiya , desperately trying to keep the conversation going. Atiya looked like he had swallowed a thorn. It's probably best for the two of them to change the subject. "I am an investor."

"Do you work at a bank, for example?" April turned Fork in his direction. Aquila took out a piece of garlic bread from the basket Atiya handed him. "No, I don't work for a bank. I own my own company. Scott Investments. We look for start-ups and invest in them." I was happy to participate in a conversation that I had no idea what was going on. Most of the time, he runs every business idea people come up with. As for April and Atiya , they seemed more interested in him as a person than as an investor. Was life that normal? April watched him for a moment before nodding. "I get it. Alberto was a banker," she said. Aquila looked up at Atiya . Catching his gaze, she leaned over the table. "Alberto was April 's one-time lover."

"Oh, who died the day before your wedding?" he asks, and April nods. Atiya , wasn't he? "

Atiya took a bite and nodded. "If you don't mind, how did he die? You may ask," Aquila asked, brandishing his fork in the pasta. April waved at him. "Always listen, son. It's good to be curious."

"But be careful. If you have that kind of relationship with April , you'll think she can ask you personal questions too," Atiya whispered, leaning over. "Personal question."

"Atiya Maurie Bailey , I don't mean it."

Atiya nodded at April , but she shook her head when she met Aquila ' eyes. "It's okay. I'm an open book," he said, raising his hands and cursing himself. Why did he say that? Was he really ready to pour out all his heart on these women? "I'll hold you to this, young man," April said, pointing at him. "Anyway, Alberto, he was what the kids of today would call a tall, pale, handsome man. He was Italian and spoke with that deep accent. He made bad news sound good. 'April 's eyes softened and April 's face became funny. "The night before we get married, he goes out with her friends to a pre-wedding party. Of course they get drunk. The stupid man decides to take a bath when she comes home. . The next morning he is found in the bathtub. He's dead," she slammed her hand on the table, cutlery jumped, "the man had a heart attack In the bathtub," she said.

Aquila stared at her, then at Atiya . April seemed a little too excited to tell this story. "sorry."