Legacies: Winters

Chapter Thirty Seven

As the night neared and I explored more of the home, I had settled in the kitchen allowing the staff to go home for the night while I made something for Alex and I. I hadn't expected the kitchen in his London home to be large but it consisted of a long bar style counter with seats on the opposite side, a six burner induction stove, dual sink, a complete café bar hidden behind a panel, numerous cabinets, and drawers, a long with an island in the middle of the kitchen which made me wonder just how long his staff spent in this room if they needed the counterspace of a five-star restaurant.

I had also seen so many members of the staff leave for the evening which was why I likely hadn't noticed Alex's sudden absence. I also may have just been used to it since I would allow him to work on his trips especially since I knew that it was nearing the last month of the quarter and that was important for Winters Enterprises which was seeming to scale almost three hundred sixty million per month this past year and with Alex seeming to be growing his company that meant more people, and increased pace that I was hoping upon our return to New York I'd be able to help with.

At least for now the least I can do is make him food for when I eventually see him.

As I put the ground beef into the pot to cook I began prepping the other parts of the goulash that I was making and hoped that I could have it made and plated by the time that Alex appeared in the kitchen, whenever that would be.

I had gotten used to cooking for Alex and I which my family would have liked, though I wasn't so sure about Alex's old money parents who likely had someone for every aspect of their lives and would probably frown at the fact he chose someone who didn't come from wealth, was new money, and preferred to do the degrading task of cooking on my own. I knew of several wealthy people who viewed it as beneath them, or as a broke person's job but still I insisted on doing it for him.

The money was pointless if it controlled someone's life.

Alex had slowly begun not being as all consumed by the money in his life or the money that he made that he was convinced was for his family, but I honestly believed was for his own satisfaction to heal something in him that he wouldn't ever admit was true, and I could work with that. I was okay with him keeping his own pain to himself especially if he thought he was better without acknowledging it.

I just wouldn't let him vent it against me.

He'd improved greatly compared to when I had met him and I wouldn't take credit for those changes, I would take credit for curbing his attitude towards people by making sure that he wasn't going to unjustly fire someone and then drown himself in legal fees as a result of being sued.

I had also watched him take the weekends off consecutively since the end of March and he didn't seem like he'd let up on the habit that I convinced him to do so that he could get rest from being exposed to a work environment. If he chose to prep for the next week while sitting in the living room of his penthouse while I read a book, I was perfectly happy with that.

Making Alex dinner had also stopped him from immediately coming home and working because it had forced him to sit at a table destress, have a meal, and then if he was still in a work mood he went to his office, but more often then not he sat down in the living room or went out onto the balcony and had a whisky while looking over Central Park.

As the meal was finished cooking I scooped equal amounts into two blates and covered each with a towel before cleaning up the dinner mess which was when I heard the sound of an engine moving along the street and a moment later Alex reentered the house with a box in his hand and I stared at him then the sapphire blue box with a curious look.

"Alexander, what is that?" I ask recognizing the Swarovski box.

"Something for you. As a present for helping me, and also keeping me in line. You're the only person that can do it well, so that deserves commemeration" Alex replies walking over to the counter and setting down the box before he spotted the food I'd made and lifted the towels to fold each of them.

"You're an amazing woman, you know that. I appreciate you cooking for us" he says and I cast him a smile as I pulled out forks for us both, and went to carry the bowls across the room towards the dining room. As I rounded the counter he placed a hand in my way.

"We can eat at the counter Angelina, we both know that it happens more then it should" he says a smile as if he enjoyed that I broke some of the rules his family likely drilled into him.

"It makes sense to me" I say, "besides why have so many sitting places but never sit in them".

He laughed, actually laughed and twirled his fork before starting to eat the meal I'd made though I didn't start until I got a reaction from him.

"This is excellent" he says before stabbing another group of noodles and lifting it to his mouth.

"Good" I say before beginning to eat my own though Alex seemed to want to see me open the box first which I was still eyeing cautiously.

I appreciated the gesture but I also didn't know what to expect and that thought alone scared the shit out of me.

"Just open it, it not bad, at least I hope not" Alex says and I pull it to me before lifting the lid and staring at a beautiful white gold necklace with princess cut diamonds on every link for the first half of the necklace.

"Alexander!" I breathe and he smiles like he's won something which if I had an award to give he would have.

"Do you like it?" he asks hiding his apprehension with a confident smirk.

"I love it" I say setting down the lid and walking around the counter and wrapping my arms around him, I hadn't even really thought about it either though it was an object and nothing would ever measure up to having him.

"I hoped so" Alex says before I lean up and press my lips to his and he immediately went to balance himself before his arms wrapped around me.

"I love you, even if it seems like I'm saying it because of the gift. I love you Alexander" I say tilting my head down but not looking away from him, only to see something flash over his face, like he was shocked at my words.

"I... love you too" he says as if the words were unfamiliar to him, and I'm sure they were, I'd been his general first girlfriend as an adult that wasn't there for what he could provide me. Sure he helped me career wise but the emotional bond that we shared was something even I was unfamiliar with, and I had a few boyfriends before him. None like Alex in the slightest.

Cradling the sides of his face I leaned up again and placed another kiss on his lips. "Just for good measure" I add and he smiles wryly.

"You're an interesting woman, Angelina Saint Laurent, but I am one lucky bastard".

"My lucky bastard" I smirk and he narrows his eyes in humour, something only he did.

"You're just mine. I'm quite shit at sharing" Alex expresses and a small piece of me revels in the openly stated possessiveness. Everyone might call someone being possessive a negative trait, but in my eyes it's an unspoken way of being so important to someone they want you and only you.

Lord knows I don't even like other women looking at Alex.

"Well we can be shit at sharing together" I say with a wispy smile as I snuck a bite from his plate and ate it staring straight at him as he shook his head.

"Oh you..." he trails off and I walk back around the counter and take my blate before he could do the same back though he just looked amused, and I intended to keep him like that if possible.

Chapter is completed and I'm happy with it, comment, vote, and share. Anyways

Peace✌️