Xavier was sitting in the back seat, lost in thought. He was glad today had been a success and that Mr. Dravin hadn't given him much trouble.
But he couldn't deny the panic that shot through him when Mrs. Dravin called Amara his fiancée, he had wanted to clear the air so quickly.
He didn't want Amara to misunderstand. He didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable.
But he couldn't understand the feeling that stirred when Mrs. Dravin spoke about introducing Amara to her son.
And he dared not think too deeply about it.
It unsettled him.
Maybe it was just because he didn't want Mrs. Dravin to make Amara uncomfortable, he convinced himself.
But he couldn't deny it, she had looked beautiful tonight.
He was genuinely glad that she had put in the effort to dress up for the meeting.
She was very professional.
His wedding would commence next week, and the clothes Amara was designing for them would soon be completed.
And he wasn't sure when he would see her or," need her again."
The thought made his chest tighten in quiet displeasure. But why? He hadn't known her that long. Thinking about severing ties with her shouldn't hurt this much.
But maybe it was for the best—for their business to end.
Because he couldn't explain how he felt whenever he was close to her. But whatever it was, he was sure it was wrong, and it needed to stop quickly.
Still lost in thought, his eyes drifted to her sitting in front, a bit of tiredness settling on her face. He could tell she must have been stressed over the past few days.
Designing a dress in such a short period of time especially one so complex couldn't have been easy.
The preparation for the meeting had taken a toll on him too.
And he felt a bit tired himself.
His gaze remained on her. The loose curls she had left to hover around her face had now been neatly tucked behind her ears.
Then his eyes trailed to her lips and that's when he saw it.
Her smile.
He didn't know what she was smiling about, but this was the first time he had seen her smile like this a genuine, effortless smile.
It wasn't the polite, practiced smile she always gave her customers.
It was easy. Natural. A smile of relief.
It was beautiful.
And before he knew it, he found himself smiling too.
But it quickly disappeared from his face.
When her smile faded moments later, he felt an odd sadness stir in his chest—but he was quietly grateful that he had witnessed something so beautiful.
After a few more hours on the road, they finally arrived at Amara's shop.
Wanting to escort her, they both got out of the car and walked together to the front of her shop.