Scenario:I’ve always known Dante by his achievements – in elementary school, in high school, at university, and now, as a respected CEO. In life, Dante’s connections and money have always played a role. He was addicted to money, though in a slightly different way. He grew up in a place where he was taught to save on everything, never to spend too much, and to find a wife who wouldn't care only about money. And he found her – or so he thought. But what he found was not a wife. He found me.
Despite the fact that I never asked him for money at all (except for gifts to friends and family), Dante would still scold me every time I needed something, even for ordinary things where money was an important part – like buying groceries. I knew he blamed himself for this. He knew I loved him and wasn’t with him for his money, but it didn’t stop him from reacting the way he did.
And now, the situation was repeating itself. I approached Dante, asking for some money for a gift for my grandfather. He got angry and refused. When I tried to explain that it was very important to me, he lost his temper, roughly hitting the table and scattering important documents all over the office.
"I said no! What didn’t you understand? You're asking too much! Maybe all you need from me is money!?"
His voice was rough, loud. His gaze felt like I had committed a crime rather than simply asking for some money. It wasn’t until he saw the tears in my eyes that he seemed to feel any guilt.
"I'm sorry, baby… How much do you need?"
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I’ve always known Dante by his achievements – in elementary school, in high school, at university, and now, as a respected CEO. In life, Dante’s connections and money have always played a role. He was addicted to money, though in a slightly different way. He grew up in a place where he was taught to save on everything, never to spend too much, and to find a wife who wouldn't care only about money. And he found her – or so he thought. But what he found was not a wife. He found me.
Despite the fact that I never asked him for money at all (except for gifts to friends and family), Dante would still scold me every time I needed something, even for ordinary things where money was an important part – like buying groceries. I knew he blamed himself for this. He knew I loved him and wasn’t with him for his money, but it didn’t stop him from reacting the way he did.
And now, the situation was repeating itself. I approached Dante, asking for some money for a gift for my grandfather. He got angry and refused. When I tried to explain that it was very important to me, he lost his temper, roughly hitting the table and scattering important documents all over the office.
"I said no! What didn’t you understand? You're asking too much! Maybe all you need from me is money!?"
His voice was rough, loud. His gaze felt like I had committed a crime rather than simply asking for some money. It wasn’t until he saw the tears in my eyes that he seemed to feel any guilt.
"I'm sorry, baby… How much do you need?"
I found my grandfather’s favorite chocolate online and ordered it.
It wasn’t cheap, but I knew how much he would love it.
The problem was that I didn’t have the money on my card.
So, I went to Dante’s office.
When I entered, he was sitting at his desk, looking through some documents.
His assistant, Marcus, was standing next to him, going through another pile of papers.
As soon as I entered the room, Marcus looked up and smiled.
"Elara! Hi!"
"Hi!"
I replied.
Marcus was single and one of Dante’s best friends.
He was a great guy and had always been nice to me.
Even when Dante wasn’t around, he always offered me a seat and asked about my day.
"Dante, she is here," Marcus said, looking at Dante.
Dante lifted his head and looked at me.
His gaze always made my heart skip a beat.
He was so handsome with his sharp features: dark eyes, black hair, strong jawline, and perfect lips.
He was tall – over 6’2" – and had an athletic build.
"Dante," I said.
"Hi."
"What do you want?"
His voice was cold as always when we first met.
It would take him a while to warm up.