0 Celsius: To thaw a frozen heart novel Chapter 11

He knows

Alessandro's p.o.v

Sapphire Brown

When I hear her name the first feeling I feel is betrayal....

Betrayal for playing with my heart like a child plays with a toy.

Betrayal for pretending to be the girl I would fall for and not what she was.

Betrayal for saying that she loved me when she only loved my money.

I still remember that day like it was yesterday

The day our paths crossed and got tangled.

Flashback 3 years back........

'Bon appetit'

A simple cafe with a simple name

With wonderful food and service

It was located in the heart of the city with business skyscrapers all around it.

I was having a simple meeting with my associates when a girl came with our order

She looked down minding her own business like we were minding ours

But soon our businesses interfered as her hands slipped the glass of coffee and it landed straight on my Armani suit.

Before I could look up to see her face she ran at full speed towards the main counter.

My associates started shouting behind her and stood up from their seats.

Every eye in the cafe turned towards us and I sighed

They were attracting too much attention for a petty matter.

"Gentlemen please calm down, this is a mere suit"

I told them

One of them handed me a napkin and said

"But Mr Romano how can you be so calm? The girl just ruined your suit and ran away like she didn't do anything. She can't even afford this suit with her yearly pay!"

"Mr Drake it's fine.."

As I was cleaning my suit with a napkin I completely blocked whatever they were saying

Suddenly I saw slender fingers holding a wet cloth helping me out.

They were so gentle like they were touching a million dollar statue which would break if she applied some pressure.

The stain was being stubborn but she still continued with her gentle assault.

I finally looked up to see her and my hands stopped

She was already holding my gaze with her hazel eyes and I must admit that she looked different.

Different from the other faces I see caked in make up and altered by surgeries

She had a different kind of innocence on her face that can easily be distinguished from a thousand others.

Women I mostly meet are sexy or hot but she was an exception.

They are bold while she is weirdly shy,

They call for attention while she ran from it,

Their voice held confidence while hers stuttered like a kindergarten kid.

"I am really sorry!!..I Didn't meant to..I got ..my foot stuck in the chairs leg ..and I lost my balance...This shirt must be very ..expensive...I can't even afford it and I just stai-"

So cute

I thought

Stuttering is not a symbol of weakness as some people think ..it simply means that a person can't convey his/her message as they are not able to find correct words

In short their brain outruns their tongue and what comes out are mixed senseless crooked words which make no sense at all.

Cute ...isn't it?

"It's alright..don't worry ..this is just a mere shirt!"

I smiled up at her and she looked surprised but returned it.

"Are you sure. I mean it must be worth thousands of dollars.."

She values money ...and it's good that she knows it's worth

How each penny is backed by hard work

"Worth of clothes is defined by the person who wears them not the other way round....ragazza carina"

I was taught well by my mother how to be ethical even when no one around you is.How money can buy you enough but your personality can turn heads and give you respect .

The manager arrived who was the same lady with specs

"I am really sorry on her behalf Sir...we will take full responsibility for her actions.."

I looked at her and she refused to meet my eyes

She was definitely shy

"It's alright...this was just an accident so don't blame her for anything whatsoever..."

I said referring to her

"..No ..sir I won't ...then she is forgiven I guess?"

Manager looked expectantly at me

"fu perdonata nel momento in cui posai gli occhi su di lei"

(She was forgiven the second I laid my eyes on her)

I gave her a smile and she looked confused

Good that she doesn’t understand Italian or else she may think I was flirting with her while I was just speaking the truth.

I held out my hand for her to shake

She wiped her sweaty hand on her apron before shaking my large strong ones.

I noticed her actions and a small smile escaped my lips

She was something else

"Nice meeting you Bambino...I am Alessandro Romano"

"I am...Sapphire Brown Mr Andro"

Beautiful name...but what surprised me more was her boldness to give me a nick name at our first meeting