"The mafia rules," he grimaced.
"That gets me so angry, I told you that the rules can be changed but you don't want to think about it."
"Lena, eat." He said in an authoritative tone.
She didn't want to argue with him, she wanted their date to go on smoothly. So, she was avoiding the things that would irk him up.
"I met Gaby, she's cool and she loves you so much."
"She used to be my baby. I should invite her to dinner one of these days." He wiped his mouth with the napkin and started devouring the crab and callaloo.
"That would be nice," she agreed. "Darian, how do you manage to work as a mafia boss and a CEO? You do the two and balance it well. Isn't it hard on you?" She was worried.
"All my life, I have been built to be strong. The mafia is my father's inheritance, I have to hold onto it. The company was built with my sweat, I have to hold on to it too. It doesn't matter how hard it gets, they are both important to me and I can't let one suffer for the other."
"I thought the company was part of your family inheritance too."
"No, I started it from scratch. It's mine." He replied to her. "Do you love the food?"
"Yes, it's perfect. Things are perfect whenever I am with you." She muttered, her voice not audible enough for him to hear her words. But that was how she wanted it.
Silence filled the atmosphere between them as they continued to eat.
There were no more questions she could ask him. She admired him as he ate. She remembered a question she had had on her mind for a long time now. She opened her mouth to talk but swallowed her words. She wasn't sure if Darian would want her to ask questions about his mother, but she was curious.
"My mom died in my third year in the university," she noticed how he shifted uncomfortably on the chair. His eyes darkened and he gave no response to her words. "I miss her so much but life has to go on."
"Yes, may her soul rest in peace." He mumbled.
"Darian, you have…"
Lena was cut short by a loud voice yelling Darian's name in the background. They looked in the direction of the voice. Lena couldn't recognize the woman, she looked back at Darian.
"Who is she?" She asked.
"Fuck," Darian muttered when he saw Thelma coming toward them. She stopped in front of them and smiled. "What are you doing here?" He asked sternly.
That was not good, he didn't ever want them to meet each other. They were not supposed to meet each other.
"Hi Darian," Thelma drew out a chair and sat on it. "There is a meeting with a client, I came early to book reservations." She smiled.
Lena had stopped eating. She was wondering who the strange woman was and mad that she didn't even acknowledge her presence.
"You look good, I didn't know you'd be meeting with a client too." Thelma stared scornfully at Lena. "Hello?"
Lena nodded her head. "I am his wife, not a client." She corrected Thelma.
"Oh," Thelma covered her mouth with her palm. "Oh dear, I had no idea you're the one. Sorry for being rude, you look so good. He chose well." She assessed Lena from her hair to the shoes she wore. "I am Thelma, his secretary." She introduced herself.
"Oh, I see. Nice meeting you." The two women exchanged handshakes.
"Thelma, you should go make the reservations for the client you are meeting. My wife and I are here on a date and we do not need a third party." He said harshly, his voice laced with fury.
If he had known Thelma would be there, he wouldn't have brought Lena.
"You are right, boss." Thelma straightened out of the chair, kicking it in, she smiled at Lena. "We will see each other again. Right?" She asked.
"Yes, maybe some other time." Lena wasn't interested in seeing her again. Her first impression of her was poor, but she kept on with the act.
"Goodbye, Darian." She winked at him and walked out of them.
Darian lost his appetite when Thelma showed up, he couldn't pick up the cutleries anymore. He wanted to haul Lena out of the restaurant, the date had already been ruined. But she would be suspicious of him and he didn't want that. He was done with Thelma and he was never going to make the mistake anymore.
The client Thelma was waiting for finally arrived and their table was directly in front of them.
Seeing Thelma making eye gestures to him was sickening, she was barely listening to what the client in front of her was saying.
Her eyes flickered from Darian to Lena. He didn't like how she looked at Lena like she was some plague. He was left with no choice but to take her out of the restaurant before Thelma murdered her with her deathly stares.
Darian was sure Lena would have been dead if looks could kill.
"Let's go out of here," he said to Lena, hoping that she wouldn’t suspect anything.
"Oh, why? I haven't tasted our Caribbean cuisine. How can we leave now?" She whined. "I don't want to go please." She pouted her lips.
"I will tell the waiter to pack the food," his phone beeped two times and rang out loudly. He looked at the screen and sighed thankfully. Finally something to save him. "Gaius is calling, I have to attend to something important." He told her, motioning to one of the waiters, he ordered him to pack the food.
They did and he left with Lena, relieved that Thelma was out of his sight, but he was bothered, the text he got from Gaius was disturbing, and he couldn't wait to see what he was talking about.