Chapter 10 - THE DINNER SHE FINALLY ACCEPTED
Three weeks after the gala, Audrey agreed to dinner.
Not because Mateo had bid a million dollars.
Not because he owned her family's debt.
But because he had spent three weeks treating her like a person.
He listened.
He answered questions.
He respected her boundaries.
And he never once told her she should be grateful.
They met at a small Italian restaurant in Greenwich Village.
No photographers.
No private dining room.
No expensive spectacle.
Just a table near the window.
Mateo arrived first.
He stood when Audrey entered.
She smiled.
"You don't have to do that."
He smiled back.
"I know."
She sat down.
He studied her.
"You look different."
Audrey raised an eyebrow.
"Better or worse?"
"Rested."
She laughed.
"I've been sleeping."
"A dangerous habit."
"Apparently."
They ordered dinner.
For the first time, Audrey talked about something other than money.
She told him about her childhood.
How she'd loved mathematics.
How she'd wanted to study architecture.
How she'd once dreamed of designing affordable housing.
Mateo listened.
"Why didn't you?"
Audrey looked down.
"My father needed help with the company."
He nodded.
"And you stayed."
"Yes."
She paused.
"I thought if I worked hard enough, he'd finally be proud of me."
Mateo's expression softened.
"Was he?"
Audrey shook her head.
"No."
Silence.
Then Mateo said:
"My father was the same."
She looked up.
"He wanted me to become exactly like him."
"Did you?"
Mateo considered.
"For a while."
Audrey studied him.
"And now?"
He looked toward the window.
"Now I'm trying to become someone my brother would recognize."
She smiled faintly.
"That sounds difficult."
"It is."
They sat quietly.
Then Mateo asked:
"Would you ever go back to architecture?"
Audrey stared.
The question surprised her.
She had spent years being asked what the family needed.
Nobody asked what she wanted.
She smiled.
"Maybe."
Mateo nodded.
"Then maybe you should."
She looked at him.
"You make it sound simple."
He laughed.
"It's not."
Then his expression softened.
"But wanting something for yourself shouldn't be a crime."
May you like
Audrey smiled.
And for the first time in years, she allowed herself to imagine a future that belonged to her.
