The Royal Affair

Zest For Life

Karina's POV.

"Wow! you look beautiful." Martin said.

"You think so?" I said.

"Yes I'm sure that you're going to have fun with Sean." Martin said.

I must say that I felt nervous. Going out like this for the first time with a guy I like is a bit intimidating than I thought it would be. I suppose I should just be thankful for this time.

I have pulled out all the stops. I have even put on some make-up. I don't remember the last time I felt like this.

Sean texted me and told me that he was outside waiting for me.

"Wish me luck." I said to my little brother and took my purse.

"You don't need luck, you just have to have some fun." He said.

"Right!" I said with a laugh. That's because I can't remember the last time I had fun.

I made my way downstairs and went out. Sean was waiting for me outside. He was standing next to his car. He came forward when he saw me.

"I knew you were hiding a gorgeous lady underneath." he said with a smile. These are for you." Sean handed me a bunch of white roses.

"Thank you, these are lovely." I said and took the flowers. They smelled wonderful. I seem to be having a lot of firsts with Sean.

He was wearing black Versace t-shirt and a black Jacket on top, he also had on black Jeans and black sneakers. Black looks good on him.

I knew that this guy was loaded. Even his cologne smells expensive. He opened the door for me and I got in. He was being the perfect gentleman.

"So where are you taking me?" I asked him.

"Somewhere were we're going to party and have fun." he said.

"Alright then, I guess we can go." I said and made myself comfortable in his seat. They were leather seats and they had that new car smell. Something I'll probably never experience.

He drove us to a club. Midnight Apple was the name of the club. There was a long line outside. I must admit that I even felt like going elsewhere.

"Don't worry about the line, we're good." He said and got out of the car. He opened the door and took my hand.

He led me to the door where there was a guy with what looked like a list on his hand. I suppose our names were there.

"Sean, it's been a minute man." The bouncer said.

"I know, I've been busy but I'm back now." He said.

"Good, don't disappear like that." he said.

"Let's go babe." He said and led me into the club. I was really impressed. He didn't even look for his name in the list he had in his hands.

"Just like that?" I asked.

"What my lady?" He said with a laugh.

"I mean there was just so many people standing there, I thought that I we would have to wait on the line." I said.

"Well let's just say that I have some perks." He said with a smile.

"Okay. you're a man of many mysteries Sean." I said.

"I suppose so..." He said and led me into the club.

It was loud and it was full, people where dancing and having fun. This place was huge. I've never been in a club like this.

Sean took my hand and led me upstairs.We went up and he led me to a glass booth, there was a girl standing by the door.

"Sean? Is that you?" The girl said.

"In the flash. " Sean said with a smile.

"Good to see you again." She said with a smile and gave him a hug.

"This is Raina, she's our hostess and share going to be taking care of us for the night." He said with a smile and led me into the glass booth.

There was couches and a table inside the booth. I also saw a bottle of champagne on the table chilled inside an ice bucket.

I took a seat and Sean got in and closed the booth, suddenly it was quiet. I couldn't hear the loud music anymore.

"Okay, so these booths are sound proof?" I asked.

"Yes they are but we can use this for the music." He said holding a remote. He pressed it and I heard music coming from the speakers.

"Okay now this is super cool." I said in surprise.

"Right?" he said with a smile. "So what's your poison?" he asked.

"My what?" I asked confused.

"I meant drinks...what are you drinking tonight?" Sean asked. he could have asked me that.

"I'll have wine, Pinot Noir will do." I said.

"Excellent wine choice for dinner, we're at a club try something new." he said.

"Okay in that case I'll have a cocktail, strawberry daiquiri." I said with a smile.

"I should have known that you would choose a girl drink" he said with a bit of a laugh.

"I told you that I'm not much of a drinker..." I said.

"Alright then." he said and pressed a button on the couch. Raina came into our booth.

"I'll have a Redbull vodka, Ciroc, and the lady will have a strawberry daiquiri." he told Raina.

"Coming Right up." She said and left to get our drinks.

"This place is great." I said.

"Yeah my brother owns this place." He said.

"Wow, that's wonderful. I like it. " I said with a smile. "Now I know why everyone knows you." I said with a smile.

"Well that's because this was my club." He said.

"What?" I asked with my eyes wide.

"Yes, I wanted something different so I sold it to my brother, well at least a large percentage of it." Sean said.

"So tell me again why you're working at my mother's restaurant?" I asked.

"I told you that I needed the experience." He said.

"So you're going to work in a restaurant?" I asked.

"Not exactly, I want to work in my own restaurant. I told your mother about this when I signed the contract." He said.

"Well she didn't tell me." I said.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to take your business, the recipe's I've added on are going to stay with the restaurant, I signed a non compete contract as well." He said.

Okay I know that my mother went to business school and she's good at it but even this was too much for my mother. How did she even know about non compete contracts and why didn't she tell me about it?

I wonder what else is it that my mother has been hiding from me. I mean I thought that we made decisions together. I thought that we ran the restaurant together and now this?

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing..." I said with a smile. Raina came back in with our drinks on a tray. She had a bottle of Ciroc vodka, three Redbulls, A small bucket with crushed ice inside.

A jug of daiquiri and two glasses, and strawberrys in a plate. I take it that mine was the one with a strawberry, a long straw and an umbrella toothpick.

"I'll take it from here, thank you Raina, if you could bring us some peanuts and some chips and dip." He said.

"On it " She said with a smile.

Sean poured the drinks for us. He gave me mine and took his. I took a strawberry and had a bite.

"So how did you end up working at your parents restaurant?" He asked.

"My dad died and I had to take over. I dropped out of business school and joined the family business." I said.

"So being a chef was always a dream of yours?" He asked.

I mean this was never the plan, after my dad died, all of my plans changed. I changed and I became the head of the family. I became the glue that holds everything together.

Still I held on and did what I had to do. That is why it has to be different with my little brother. He has to make it. He has to live his dreams.

"No, this wasn't even my third option. When my father died I had to do everything I could to keep the business going, Against my mother's wishes I quit school and became a chef." I said.

"So if you had a chance to go back to school would you do it?" He asked.

"Yes." I said without hesitation. "I want to someday run my own business, the restaurant business wasn't even in the plan. I wanted something different.

I wanted something that could lift up a lot of women because women are the ones who have to go through a lot. Especially single mothers.

My plan was to own a business where I could be able to fund small businesses and grow them. That way, I could lift up a lot of women and do my bit for struggling mother's." I said.

"Wow, your dream is too great to give up on. You should never give it up and I want you to promise me something." Sean said.

"What?" I asked.

"Promise me that when you get a chance to live that dream, promise me that you won't let anything stand in your way." He said giving me a serious look.

"I will, I promise."I said. This is a promise I meant. I mean I still wanted to live my dreams. I just didn't want my mother to suffer in the process of me making my dreams come true.

"Good" he said and took a sip of his drink.

I had my cocktail and had another one, on my third cocktail I heard a notification on my phone. I went I saw that I had a message on f*******:.

You know I'm going to kill my little brother, I had forgotten that he signed me up on that stupid site. I told him that I'm not a social media kind of person. I pretend that I didn't hear a ping but then another ping came.

"You got a text?" he asked.

"I think so, Martin signed me up on a bunch of social media platforms." I said.

"Alright then, you should turn off all notifications, I did that." He said.

"I'll do that, I feel like dancing." I said and Sean turned the music up. I got up and danced. I think that the cocktails are starting to work on me.

He stood up and danced with me. By the end of the night I was tipsy and tired. Sean took me home. He watched me as I got in.

I heard his car leaving as soon as I switched on the light in my bedroom. I would say that this night was a great success.

It also showed me something about the way I feel for Sean. He is a nice guy and I like him. I just hope that we can get to get out more. Tonight was fun.

I went to bed and took out my phone. I texted him and thanked him for a good time. I ended the text with a smile emoji.

He texted back and told me that he had fun and that we should do it again soon. I'm glad I went out tonight.

I must admit that Sean couldn't have arrived at a much better time in my life. The restaurant is finally doing okay, we are not rolling in cash but atleast we now all have salaries.

For the first time in a long time, I had fun. I enjoyed myself and I went to bed feeling happy. I thought about what Sean said.

About the promise I made to him, I decide to make it a promise of my own. I will do whatever I can to fulfill my dreams. If an opportunity comes I will take it without asking twice.

That night I slept peacefully. I woke up on time despite coming in late last night. I had a bit of a hangover, it was expected since I drank about six glasses of cocktails last night.

My mother was in the kitchen, which was weird since she had to be downstairs in the restaurant preparing for it to open.

"Good morning mama." I said.

"Good morning baby, sit down, I need to tell you something." She said.

"This sounds serious." I said.

"It is..." She said and I immediately got worried. I took a seat.

"We're gonna have to sell the restaurant, at best we have a year. " she said.

"But I thought that business was going well, I thought that things were good." I said.

"Yes baby they're but I owe over a million dollars in taxes, where would I find that kind of money?" She asked.

"So if we don't get that money you will close down the restaurant?" I asked with tears in my eyes.

"Yes baby, I know that you wanted to keep your father's dream alive but we have to move on, let's take this year to work as hard as we could so that we can try something else." She said.

"Something like what mama?" I asked.

"I don't know baby but we have a year to think about it. if we sell the restaurant and the apartment we will have enough to pay the tax and still have enough for maybe a small house, we can then use the rest to start a new business." she said.

"I wish there was another way." I said.

"I know baby, me too." My mother said.

"Alright, let me get ready for work." I said and went to take a bath. I needed to think.

I have to find a way to keep the restaurant. I just have to think hard and I know that I can think of something. I had a year to save the restaurant. I need to try my best

My mother was right. This is my father's dream not only that. This is the only thing I have left of him. That's why I can't let the restaurant go. I can't let my father's dream die.

I gave up everything to keep his dream alive. It can't all be for nothing. I didn't give up everything just to lose it all again.

Martin is smart. We have no doubt that he will get a scholarship and make his dreams come true. I just can't think of this place gone.

I hope I can do enough to save the restaurant and my father's dream. I can't let it go. I can't.