Divorced Heiress
Chapter 43

"So, are you finally going to tell me? What happened with Alexander? Does he know about Tristan?" He asked, moving his chair closer to me. He was ruining the peaceful atmosphere by reminding me of the incident at the event.

I finished the rest of my third glass of champagne and settled into my seat before taking a breath.

"More or less." I replied, looking at him intently, and his curious gaze locked with mine. After all, I had told him that I would tell him what was going on.

"Michelle Boyer told him about my son, but considering she knows very little about Tristan, God knows how she told him. Now she thinks my son is from any man and claims him as if it affects her. She's unable to suspect that he's his, even when I tried to imply it. Anger won't let him analyze the situation clearly. "I mocked, remembering how incredibly slow he was

"I see." Paul responded and chuckled, teasing Alexander.

"Are you going to tell him someday?" He asked after a few seconds lost in his thoughts.

"I have to do it, he's the father, he has the right to know his son. I would prefer Tristan to stay away from the Lancasters a thousand times, but I can't keep hiding it. I'll tell him at the closing parade. Today, I was about to invite him to my house so that he could meet Tristan earlier than planned, but he interrupted me in a very unpleasant way. It's impossible to talk to him when he's so disturbed." I told him a small part of that phone call that left me stunned at the time, and he looked at me with a furrowed brow. "Are you really going to tell him?" He asked incredulously, and I looked at him confused.

ut a humorless laugh.

ose to Tristan? I don't think it's a good idea."

but it's the right thing for my son. I couldn't continue being selfish, Tristan had a father and he needed to know him.

Did he not hear what I said? I nodded my head in response, as if it were the most obvious thing, and hel "After all, after what he did to you, how badly his family has treated you, are you going to allow him to I raised an eyebrow, not understanding why he disagreed with my decision. Maybe it's not what I wanted, "Why are you telling me this? Alexander is the father, and he has the right to know. I have made the de It annoyed me that he reacted that way. As much as they hurt me in the past, Tristan shouldn't have to Maybe I should have thought about that before, but I was so hurt, so blinded by resentment, that I thought In the future, he could reproach me for allowing him to grow up without his father, and that would hu Paul remained silent for a few seconds and looked out of the window as he ran his hands through his "You're right, Sari, I'm sorry for reacting that way, it's just that the news caught me off guard. You know somewhat uncomfortable.

"I know." I responded simply, looking at his hand that was unconsciously playing with my fingers.

to tell him, and yes, I will allow him to get close to Tristan if he wishes." I responded, creating a tense and uncomfortable atmosphere. he consequences.

was doing my son a favor by keeping him away from that family, when it was the opposite. more than anything in the world.

ut hair. Then, he looked back at me with a calmer expression and nodded before taking my hand across the table.

much I adore Tristan and want the best for him and for you." He said, lowering his guard when he noticed the sincerity in his words, although I still felt

Paul noticed how tense I was and poured another glass of champagne for both of us. But before taking a sip, he pulled out a burgundy-colored box from somewhere, and I couldn't help but feel surprised.

"Sari, I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, that's not my intention. I want you to feel free and relaxed with me. I think I achieved that until I brought up Alexander, so I won't meddle in that matter unless you ask me to." He said. Gradually, my muscles relaxed, and I felt calm and tension-free.

Paul opened the box, revealing a beautiful gold pendant with a small, delicate heart-shaped emerald stone surrounded by small Swarovski crystals. My goodness.

"I saw this pendant and thought of you. It's simple, yet so beautiful, it makes you want to look at it for hours and treasure it like the most valuable thing. This emerald stone reminded me of your eyes, with that enchanting look that is sometimes filled with complicity. No one else could wear this pendant like you." He said.

I was speechless because I never expected Paul to give me such a beautiful piece of jewelry. It was simple, yet it could catch anyone's attention, especially with those words that flowed so naturally.

"Paul, you shouldn't have bothered." I said with a hint of shame. Only one man had ever given me jewelry in my life, and that was my father, so receiving a gift like this felt a bit strange.

Paul stood up from his chair with a faint smile and approached me. To be more precise, he stood behind me and gently pushed my hair to one side before carefully placing the pendant on me. His fingers brushed against my nape, and my skin tingled from the contact, while a wave of warmth traveled through my stomach, making me feel extremely strange.

After finishing his impeccable work, he offered me his hand to help me stand up from the chair. I didn't know what his next move would be, but I still got up and stood face to face with him. He didn't let go of my hand, and I didn't do anything to make him release it. "It's not much compared to what you deserve. It's our first date, and I wanted to make it as special as possible. Now you carry me in your chest, and I hope you'll let me enter your heart soon." He said, sliding his fingers down my right arm, causing a tingling sensation, until they reached my chin.

For the first time all night, I felt nervous about his proximity, but I didn't look away from his eyes that were gazing at me intently. His free hand gently held me by the waist, bringing my body closer to his, leaving only a few centimeters between us where our breaths mixed together, and I knew what he wanted to do.

My mind debated whether it was a good idea to let him continue or if I should stop him before we did something that maybe we would regret tomorrow.

I got lost in the sparkle of his brown eyes that were looking at me with tenderness, conveying warmth and causing my hands to tremble for a few seconds.

I opened my mouth to tell him that what was going through his mind wasn't a good idea, and his hesitant eyes traveled to my lips. Before I could utter a word, he closed the distance between us, firmly pressing his lips against mine.

My body froze as his soft lips, flavored with champagne, timidly moved, inviting me to join the kiss. My breathing became unsteady, and I felt the nerves completely consuming me. He cradled my cheek in his hand and I let myself go with the moment, reciprocating Paul's unexpected kiss.

I felt my heartbeats increasing more and more, and when I felt his hand traveling from my waist to my back, I realized what I was doing.

He was kissing me. On the first date!

I slowly pulled away from his lips, breaking the kiss that was making me lose my sanity. I didn't want to open my eyes because I felt his scrutinizing gaze on my face.

Neither of us said a word, however, his hand remained on my back and the other on my cheek, as if he didn't want to let go of me at any moment. I made my best effort to calm down my racing heart and my suddenly agitated breathing, as if I had just run a marathon.

I shouldn't feel this way.

Finally, I opened my eyes and met his gaze, ignoring his lips that were just moments ago on mine.

"Paul, this..." I dared to speak after a few seconds of complete silence, but I didn't know what to say without sounding rude.

This what?

This shouldn't have happened.

This was moving too fast.

This was wrong.

"I know it was too fast." He said, realizing that he couldn't continue with whatever he was about to say.

"And I'm sorry if it was uncomfortable for you, but I couldn't resist and I don't regret it. You don't know how long I waited for this."

I took a step back, freeing myself from his grasp on my back, and shook my head, processing what just happened.

"Sari, you can forget it if you feel more comfortable and pretend like it never happened. I apologize again. Let's go home." Forget it. Pretend like it never happened.

Of course!

As if it was as easy as saying it.

How was I supposed to forget that Paul kissed me?

How was I supposed to forget the sensations it aroused in me?

How was I supposed to pretend like it never happened?

How could I forget it, when I actually enjoyed that kiss?