HEART FOR HIRE ✓

Thirty Four

After Jeanette makes me promise that I must get a decent explanation from Zion, she leaves to check on Alex. And she is right. I deserve it, don't I?

"Where do I start from?" he asks.

Now that he does want to explain, I don't know where he should start from.
"From the beginning, I guess."

"Beginning it is," he adjusts his position on the couch and faces me. "That night at the theater when we first met, it was my sister's death anniversary."

"Rosalia's mum-"

"Yes," he nods his head but I can see that he doesn't like being interrupted. So, I decide not to do it again. "She died of sickle cell anaemia two years ago, the same condition that took our father too."

He takes a deep breath and continues.
"Her name is Julie. She was my best friend, we did everything together, she was my second mother, my shadow, my everything. I have no idea how my life would be without everything she did for me."

"My dad died when Julie was two and mum was pregnant with me. After I was born, my mum got busy with the company. She had to prove her worth to be married into the Thompsons because like you, she is a high school dropout. She had to work long hours to secure our future and make sure that we don't lack anything. So, my mum and I were never close. Julie was like a mother to me."

Well, that explains a lot. Like why Marble didn't hate me for not having a university degree. Or because of my job.

"When she died, I had nobody," Zion goes on. "Nobody paid attention to me. I wasn't close with my mum, so, I was basically alone. That's when I entered the attention seeking phase. I paid random people to take care of me. My house was full of servants because I wanted all my eyes to be on me. I hired women to sleep with me. I couldn't bear to be all alone. I had to be with someone every single hour of the day."

"Because I was overspending and spending so much time out of the company, the board threatened to remove me from my position as managing director. That night when I came to the theater, I was grieving for two things; Julie's death anniversary and the news that I was going to lose my position as managing director."

"Did you actually lose your position?" I can't help but ask. That's horrible!

"No, I didn't," he smiles weakly. "Because that night, I met you. Initially, I came to watch the movie because it was Julie's favorite. But I enjoyed it too and you were there the whole time, you bought me popcorn and a drink. Nobody had ever done that for me - except the ones I paid to do that for me. I laughed like I had never done before, so, I came to find you the next day."

"But I couldn't. It was your day off," he breathes out. "I loved the time we spent together so much that I didn't want to spend another minute elsewhere. I wanted your attention, that's all it was. The proposal and everything, I wanted your attention."

"And you had it," I whisper

"That's not all I got from you though," he shifts from his position and gets closer to me. "You introduced me to your friends, Jeanette and Alex. Instead of you, I had two more people. It's because of you that the company agreed to let me pay Alex to review our drinks online. It's a promotion strategy we hadn't thought about before. And whether you know it or not, it helped a lot. Way more than you think. So, because of that idea, the board allowed me to maintain my position."

"And not only that. The drink combination you kind of invented at the company was also the reason why I still have my position. I don't know how much I can do to thank you, you have done so much and you don't even know."

"It's not that much," I take a sip from a glass of water

"It is a lot," Zion reaches for my hand this time. I don't flinch, I let him take it. "It's my fault that I didn't appreciate you. I'm sorry that I made you feel unimportant because you are more important to me than anything. I know that I used my money as a way lure you closer to me and I'm sorry if it made you feel degraded. It's just because I didn't want you to go. I have grown so attached to you that I don't know what to do without you."

"Well," I breathe out, "you could have explained all this to me. I would have understood."

"I'm sorry," he strokes my hand. "I'm sorry that I suck at talking to people because the only person I talked to was Julie. I'm sorry because all that time I thought that the money I was giving you was enough, it wasn't. But you have to understand that I don't have anything else to give you other than money. I'm not romantic, I have crazy ex-girlfriends that go around poisoning me with Viagra. There isn't much I can give except money and sex."

"So, what does this mean?"

"It means that despite everything, I want you to give me another chance. I promise I'll do better, I'll treat you better. I won't be an asshole, I won't give you a reason to block my number like that again. Please Natalia."

"There is much that doesn't add up, Zion."

"I know. But will you let me explain the rest when I take you for lunch today? Please?"

"Lunch?" my eyes widen

"I know I had promised to take you to dinner but since you work at night, I'll take you to lunch."

"Like a date?"

"Whatever you want to be, this is about you Natalia," he stops stroking my hand and looks up at me. "But I'd very much love it to be a date."