Heart of Stone

Conference Room

"Well...did she say when she would like to meet?" Alexander asked.

"Given that she felt uncertain of your feelings, I thought it would be best if you reached out to her with a date and time." Caroline said.

"Alright, I'll do that." He said.

"But Alexander, you need to at least try to get along with her. She seems very understanding. You need to communicate with her and make sure that her family is staying afloat." She said.

"Yes, mom, I get it." He sighed.

"I know how you can be. I just need to make sure you understand how important this is to your grandfather." She stressed.

"Yes, I do. I promise you I will reach out to her. Now, please, I need to go." Alexander said.

"Alright, fine. I'll talk to you later." Caroline conceded.

Alexander ended the call and placed his pen down on his desk. He got up and walked around it, coming over to where Eloise sat. She looked up at him with a small smile, her brown eyes sparkling. He leaned down and cupped her face, placing a gentle kiss on her pink lips.

"I'm sorry about that." He apologized.

"It's alright." She smiled.

"You look beautiful." He murmured, brushing his thumb along her jaw.

"Thank you." A bit of pink crawled up her face. "I told you I was feeling better."

"Well, I'm glad to see it." He said.

A knock on the door heralded Marcus, stepping into the office with a bag. He closed the door behind him and set the food down on the coffee table.

"As requested." He announced. "Hi, LouLou."

"Hi, Marcus." She said.

"I hope you're hungry." Alexander said as he opened the bag.

"Ohh, you didn't have to do that." Eloise said, surprised.

He gave her a small half smirk.

"Is there anything else you need?" Marcus asked Alexander.

"For the moment, no. Why don't you also take your lunch break?" He suggested.

"Well, if you insist." He joked with a small, amused smile.

Alexander nodded and he left swiftly.

"Why don't we eat in the conference room? It'll be more comfortable." He suggested.

She nodded and he picked up the bag of food, leading her into the other room. He held the door for her and even waited for Luna. He set the bag on the glass table and opened it, unpacking the food. He arranged it neatly, revealing a selection of gourmet sandwiches, salads, and a variety of sides.

"Wow, this all looks amazing." Eloise said, taking a seat. "You really didn't have to do this."

Alexander gave her a small smile.

"I don't have to do any of the things I do for you." He pointed out.

She smiled, settling in to eat her food. They ate in comfortable silence for a few moments, savoring the different flavors, before Eloise decided to break it.

"So... tell me something about you. I want to know something most other people don't know." She said.

He contemplated for a moment as he swallowed his food, but he already knew the one thing most people were surprised by.

"Something most people don't know about me is that I really enjoy cooking exotic dishes. I like food art. But...I haven't had as much time for it as I used to since becoming CEO." He said.