Richest Man: It All Started With My Rebate System

The host led them through and Steven held the door as Lena stepped inside.

She glanced back at him as she passed. "Thank you."

"Of course," he said simply.

They were shown to their table, a quiet corner with a candle burning low between them. Steven waited until Lena was seated before he sat down.

She looked across the table at him and she smiled in relief, like she had been carrying the day on her shoulders and had just set it down.

"You look really stunning tonight," Steven said.

Lena held his gaze for a moment and a small smile filled with a mixture of satisfaction, and pride, flashed across her face.

She had been intentional when she was choosing the dress, as she wanted to look her best. And she was really happy that Steven likes the dress.

"Thank you, Steven," she said, her voice filled with warmth.

"You don’t have to thank me. I’m actually short of words on how to describe your beauty."

"What a smooth talker," Lena giggled.

Steven smirked, saying nothing.

The menus came and they looked through them silently, made their order and the waiter took note.

When the server left, Steven set his menu down and looked at Lena.

"The property you mentioned Friday," he said. "The one with good bones. How is that moving?"

Lena’s eyes came alive immediately, when she heard Steven’s question.

"I had a follow up call with the owner’s representative yesterday," she said. "He’s motivated, which helps. The building has been sitting longer than it should because people keep looking at the surface and walking away. But underneath all of that, the structure is solid, the location is better than people give it credit for, and the numbers work if you’re willing to see past what it currently looks like."

"Which most people aren’t willing to do," Steven said.

"Yeah. It’s sad though," she agreed. "But that’s the part I love. When everyone else has already decided something isn’t worth their time, that’s usually when it gets interesting."

"And this one is interesting," Steven said.

"Very," she said, with confidence that wasn’t boasting. It was just certainty. "I’m putting the formal recommendation together this week. If it moves the way I think it will, it closes before the end of the month."

Steven watched her as she spoke, the way her hands moved slightly when she was excited about something, the way she held eye contact without it feeling like a challenge. She was someone who meant what she said and said exactly what she meant and he had not met many people like that in his life.

"It will close," he said.

She smiled. "Thank you."

"You’re welcome," he said.

He had no idea how he found himself falling for her but he was here now.

She laughed genuinely, and leaned back in her chair. "Okay. Your turn. The MSF course. How did it go?"

"I passed," he said.

"I know you passed. How did it feel?"

"The morning was classroom work. Theory, hazard perception, braking physics. I had read most of it beforehand so it wasn’t new, but hearing it with consequences attached to it changes how it lands."

"And the afternoon?"

"Range work. They put us on training bikes. Low speed drills first, then braking, then cornering."

"That’s a good sign," she said.

"It was," he said. "Tomorrow I go to the DPS and get the endorsement added to my licence. After that the Superleggera is legal."

Lena gave him a look. "And then, I have to start worrying about you every time everyday."

"I understand that you’re worried about me but I promise that I will be safe."

"Yeah, right. But remember to call me before you go out on a bike ride and please put me as your emergency contact, in case anything happens. Though I hope it doesn’t come to that."

"It won’t. Thank you," Steven said, with a warm and happy smile on his face.

"You don’t have to. It’s my job to worry about you," Lena said.

The food arrived and as they ate, the conversation flowed, without anyone steering it, simply touching down on things and lifting off again naturally.

At one point Lena said something about a colleague that made Steven laugh harder than he expected to. It was a laugh that had actually surprised him.

She smiled brightly looked pleased with herself. "You know, you look even more handsome when you laugh like that."

Steven was stunned for a moment, not expecting to hear such from her. He found himself lost for words and was only able to regain his composure a few seconds later, as a bright smile bloomed on his face, with him being unable to control it.

"Thank you. That really caught me off guard," he said.

"I know and I also love the way you looked so shocked."

Steven said nothing, smiling from ear to ear, unable to control himself. Lena has her ways to get to him and he really doesn’t mind.

The table went quiet after that, as the both of them are their meal comfortably, while stealing glances at each other.

The night went on and it was already past midnight, and time for them to leave. Steven called the server to pay the bill and after he was done, he stood up and he walked out together with Lena, into the cool night air, side by side.

At the edge of the parking lot they slowed their steps and then stopped.

Lena turned to face him, the bright smile still on her face.

"I had a really good time tonight," she said.

"So did I," he said.

She was looking at him the way she had been looking at him across the table for the past hour, like she had something to say but has no idea how to say it. And Steven felt the weight of everything the past two weeks had built between them sitting right there in the space between them.

He stepped closer and she didn’t move back.

His hand found hers and she looked down at it for a moment, then back up at him, and her eyes were soft in a way he had not seen before.

He kissed her gently and she kissed him back, her fingers tightening slightly around his, and for a moment the city around them was completely irrelevant.

When they pulled apart she stayed close, looking up at him with a vibrant look that told him everything he needed to know about where they stood now.

She pulled away gently a few seconds later.

"Good night, Steven," she said softly.

"Good night, Lena," he said.

She squeezed his hand once before letting go, turned, and walked to her car.

He stood and watched her go.

The Mercedes pulled out and the tail lights disappeared around the corner and he was still standing there, the night air on his face, feeling something warm and settled in his chest that had not been there two weeks ago.

He walked to the Aston Martin and got in.

He sat for a moment before starting the engine.

Then he smiled to himself, quietly, and drove home.