Kimberley Price lifted her head from her mobile phone when she heard the sound of the door opening and was at a loss for what to do.

She didn't know whether to remain seated or stand, or even allow her hands to remain on the table, or better still place them behind her while standing, maybe keeping her head down would make her look humble and sincere enough. Kimberley's breathing was a mess because just maybe the person who entered may be displeased if she breathed out too loud. At least, so she thought.  

Jeremy Pope looked at the breathtaking  sight of a woman before him and could not help but subtly raise his brows in curiosity.  

Could someone tell him from where the sun rose today? It seems like it rose from the West. 

 A meek and speechless Kimberley Price seems too far fetched. Maybe pinching himself a little could wake him up. 

While taking his sit, Jeremy proactively cleared the tense atmosphere with a "Hello Miss Price" 

Kimberley was brought back from her reverie upon hearing Jeremy's voice. With a start, she responded with "oh! H..hel..loo". Jeremy was so amused he nearly laughed out loud. To prevent an awkward moment,  he lifted a fist to his mouth and forcefully cleared his throat before saying with a straight face "apologies" 

Kimberley immediately waved her hand while vigorously shaking her head to indicate she didn't mind and continued swiftly to say "I understand you have a proposition for me and..." Before she could continue rambling, Jeremy attempted to stand while straightening his clothes and said "It seems you have somewhere else you need to be Miss Price, so let's just call it a day..." But before he could stand on his feet properly,  Kimberley grabbed his hands out of impulse and hurriedly apologized,  "pardon my insensitivity, Mr Pope. I'm just too nervous. I have nowhere to rush to. Please sit"

Jeremy was overwhelmed with emotion when he realised Kimberley's hands were on his, seemingly suggestively. His eyes darted towards Kimberley's hands on his silently, to which her eyes followed his movements and she suddenly froze for a few seconds before retracting her hands as though being scorched by something hot. Averting her eyes, she took in a deep breath to calm her scattered emotions "Please pardon my manners. I apologize" 

Jeremy looked at Kimberley whiles being lost in his thoughts " damn, that was too fast" Kimberley on the other hand kept berating herself for her clumsiness and stupidity.  She kept wondering if she hit her head against something before the meeting or suddenly became speech impaired. 

[Sigh]

Realising she was at fault, Kimberley picked the menu she hadn't touched since her arrival at the restaurant and ordered some random dishes absentmindedly while passing the tablet to Jeremy who made his choice also. While picking his dishes, Jeremy couldn't help but admire Kimberley for being so absentminded that she ordered mango desserts that she detests with a passion. 

Hoping to watch a good show, he pretended to have seen nothing and made his pick whiles selecting some of her favourites alongside.

A waiter brought in the appetiser after waiting a while from pressing the doorbell. Before the main dish, the appetiser was served and Kimberley realised she never placed such an order. Glancing at Jeremy from the corner of her eyes, she averted her gaze to the food and started stuffing everything edible into her mouth.

Kimberley could not remember how she got through the meal but the packed dessert on her sit is proof of the meeting she just had. Knowing fully well that Kimberley couldn't take the mango dessert, Jeremy suggested having it packed for her to take home and she agreed readily without being asked twice.  But the problem is not with the dessert in her hands, rather, the dilemma she is currently facing.

Thinking back to what Jeremy said, Kimberley finally realised why she was feeling restless about the meeting all along. 

In his own words, Jeremy gave away no emotions as he said "marry me and the entirety of Pope Industries is yours to command. That's my offer." Turns out it wasn't your regular business meeting after all."

The chauffeur couldn't help but sneak glances at her while keeping his thoughts to himself. After all, he couldn't just ask Kimberley what was on her mind. He didn't have so much courage to spare.

Kimberley felt a headache coming due to her scattered emotions and could only close her eyes to calm herself while being chauffeured home.

Meanwhile, in Brent Cross, a suburb of London, Jeremy Pope couldn't describe his feelings at the moment. He was amazingly ecstatic, he just couldn't help humming his favourite Ed Sheeran song 'shape of you '.

More chapters ahead...