Grace wasn’t sure why she even listened to Davian’s weird request in the first place, especially when it had already started raining and the weather could take a turn for the worst at any moment.
Still she found herself returning to her apartment in order to get changed. She informed her team that she would be heading out with Davian for a while, leaving all seven of them stunned. Before they could have asked anything, she slipped inside the bedroom and closed the door.
She quickly got changed into a comfortable set of black trousers and sports bra before putting on a black jacket. She then put on combat boots and pulled her hair in a high ponytail.
On her way out, she grabbed her phone and once again ignored her team. They were clearly desperate for answers but she had nothing to tell them, at least not at that moment.
As she stepped out into the hallway, she found Davian already waiting for her there. He was wearing a white shirt and black trousers unlike his usual office suits, but he still looked absolutely breathtaking as usual.
"Let’s go." He said and she followed after him. They took the elevator and headed to the basement where Davian’s car was parked. He opened the passenger side door for her, surprising her again.
"Thank you." She whispered before climbing into the car. He used to do such sweet things back when they were acting as a couple, but this was different as there was no one there for whom they had to put on such an act for.
Davian settled down in the driver’s seat and started the car. The drive was long and filled with mostly silence. Though she wanted to ask him again where they were heading, she refrained from doing when she remembered his response from earlier.
Though the rain started slow, it had grown stronger over the past two hours. Still, the only hurdle it created so far was the traffic. Half an hour later, Davian finally pulled the car in front of a huge building that seemed like a warehouse.
Grace was confused as she climbed out of the car and followed Davian who was holding an umbrella for them. He led her inside the warehouse and she found herself staring at a sea of huge crates that were filling the entire building.
"What is this?" She asked while turning her attention away from the crates and fixing her gaze on the man standing next to her.
"Supplies." He answered, leaving her completely stunned in the process. "Weren’t you busy collecting supplies for the past two weeks? So here I’m offering you more supplies as my sincerity for our partenrship."
Grace stared at him in shock for a few moments before returning her gaze to the endless numbers of crates sitting in front of her. While she was still trying to process what he had just said, he surprised her even further.
"There are a total of twenty-eight warehouses of this size in the entire Sunspire City and all twenty-eight of them are loaded with supplies - food, grains, medicines and medical supplies, weapons, cooking supplies, fuel and firewood, hygiene supplies, tools and equipment, clothing and bedding supplies, shelter essential supplies, solar appliances and machines, and everything else I could gather is in these warehouses."
There was silence as Grace said nothing in response for the next several moments. When she finally did, it was a sincere question that she wanted him to answer just as sincerely.
She fixed her gaze once again on his face and while staring into the depths of his orbs, she asked, "Why are you doing this, Davian? Why the sudden change in your attitude toward me? Why bother about my plans and actions? Why try so hard to become my partner?"
She noticed something flashing in his eyes, but she wasn’t quick enough to catch it. He took a step closer, looming over her as he gazed down into her eyes. When he spoke, his voice was low and soft. "Do you want the truth?"
"Only truth, Davian." She replied, not breaking the eye contact even though a voice inside her kept telling her that his so-called truth was going to be something she couldn’t anticipate coming her way.
"Alright." He said while taking another step closer that left merely inches between them and forced her to crane her neck further to look up at his face. "Then I’ll tell you the truth. I want to work with you from now on. I want you to accept my partnership, my resources, and everything else I can offer you without worries because..."
When he suddenly stopped, Grace felt the urge to strangle him to force the rest of that sentence out of him. But at the same time, that little fear that had been bubbling inside her grew further as her anxiety peaked.
"Davian?"
"I like you."
Silence.
There was nothing but a dead silence and the faint sound of rain hitting the roof of the warehouse while Grace stared at Davian in pure shock. Her mind was still struggling to wrap itself around the words that just left his mouth.
He was joking, right? She found herself thinking, but didn’t dare to say it out loud as deep down she already knew the answer.
"How could...? Why?" She asked while staring into his eyes, not really sure if she asked the right question or not.
"Why can’t I?" He asked in return, looking at her as if she was asking the stupidest question.
"No. I mean... how can you suddenly start liking me? All of a sudden?" She rephrased, staring at him with dozens of questions filling her eyes.
He gave a little shake of his head as he replied, "Not all of a sudden, Grace. I have liked you for so long, it’s just... I was never strong enough to confess." His voice was filled with regret as he spoke.
"Then why confess now?" She found herself asking.