"I don't really mind getting hurt."

Blare's eyes widened and stared at Ace's sincere eyes.

He chuckled at her reaction and added, "As long as it's you. It's worth it."

As soon as Blare heard the last words, her heart thumped. She quickly looked down and covered her mouth with her hands.

Even if the words sounded cheesy, her heart responded with sweetness.

Blare never heard such words directed at her. She'd seen it in movies and would squeal - feeling the love between the actors. But such cheesy yet sweet, honest words made her shy.

Ace lowly laughed. "So, can I eat with you?"

Once again, Blare looked up and saw the man's rare emotion.

Ace's facial expression was usually stoic, he smiled sometimes, but was full of teasing. She also saw him get angry at the gala.

But this was the first time that he - a smile which was filled with affection. His perfect lips curved upwards and his cheeks are raised, showing how delighted he was.

Blare had always regarded Ace as a handsome, 30-year-old man. But seeing his rare expression just now and thinking about his chivalrous actions made Blare see Ace in a new light.

'He is definitely the best man that I've ever met' she suddenly thought as her gaze focused on his expression.

Ace faked a cough, stopping Blare's daydreaming.

Blare also faked a cough and said, "Please come in, sir."

Ace stepped in as soon as Blare made way for him. Blare closed the door and took the lead towards the reception room.

When Ace reached the table, he prepared the food that was inside in the big paper bag. Seeing two food containers that had carbonara and bread garlic, Blare assembled four ceramic white plates, spoon and fork, two glass tumblers and a ceramic pitcher that was already filled with cold water.

As soon as Blare finished preparing, she sat on a chair.

"Should I brew some tea, sir?" Blare enthusiastically asked.

Seeing the food, she gulped and her stomach quietly grumbled.

"No need, I'm fine with cold water," Ace replied. 

Ace sat down across from Blare as he finished placing the carbonara and garlic bread separately on the plates. Since their plates were already filled with carbonara, Blare did not insist and said, "Okay, sir. Thank you for the food." 

While both were eating, Ace occasionally glance at Blare. 

On the other hand, Blare did not dare to look towards Ace and only focused on eating.

Minutes passed, and both finished dining.

Ace asked, "How was it?"

"It's very flavorful! Where did you buy it, sir?" Blare honestly replied.

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Ace chuckled and said, "I cooked it myself."

"Oh wow. That's amazing!" Blare happily praised the man.

Ace only smiled gently while looking at her. Since he didn't say anything, Blare felt awkward.

She blurted out, "I can't cook... Uh, I'm just saying haha."

It was half true when Blare said she can't cook. After all, she can only fry and cook basic cuisines with manuals. Without those, she can't guarantee if the food will be edible.

"Do you want to learn?"

Blare heard the eagerness in Ace's tone, so she didn't hesitate to say, "I want to, sir Ace"

_______________

Blare's days passed peacefully. Ace became her "teacher" in cooking and Aiken is no longer showing up in front of her.

Although peaceful, she was always encountering her step-brother, Harry at a bakery shop that was close to her apartment.

She would always glare at Harry, but he would just stare at her indifferently. Eventually, Blare didn't pay attention to him anymore and Harry also didn't disturb her.

A year has passed and her business - which she named Comperio - had its first opening.

"Rhieanne, have you told the technicians to double-check all the machines yesterday?" Blare asked while examining the place - her internet cafe, Comperio.

The petite woman - Rhieanne - taps her tablet a couple of times and looks at Blare, "Yes Ms. Lilith, there were no problems and all the machines are working in perfect condition."

"Great! (exhales) The flyers, uh, the advertisement! How was it perceived?" Blare looks eagerly at Rhieanne. There was a hint of nervousness in her tone.

Rhieanne assured her, "It was perceived very well, there were even some suggestions on what kinds of books should be accessible on our online page."

"We're gonna take those suggestions in the near future then! Everything is ready so... at exactly 10 am, we're gonna open this place." Blare looked proudly at her surroundings.

All the furniture in the Comperio was built of natural clear stain maple wood. Blare wanted a more relaxing atmosphere, so she made every room soundproof and chose the walls to be painted with pale yellow.

For the months that had passed, Blare sketched and painted a lot. Most of her paintings were corporate buildings at her own perspective, houses and mansions with a homey appearance, ancient castles from the east and west, every kind of people, and different kinds of flowers.

But what Blare was fond of the most were flowers. The paintings about flowers were hung in every room while some of her large paintings about ancient castles from the east and west could be found near the entrance - mainly where students would register and get their unlimited drinks - and in the 'library' - the place where the academic books were placed.

Building the place wasn't exactly cheap, all of the materials that were used are of high quality. So Blare made an additional investment of £2,000,000 to be able to build the place to her liking. Especially machines - such as computers, lights, drinking machine, and aircon.

Lilith never had negative responses when Blare uses Harold's money to build her business, so Blare proceeded to spend it for the Comperio. Even so, she vowed to pay Harold in the future.

So, most of the £2 million came from Harold. Even after the gala, he never stopped sending Blare her £300,000. While a small part of the 2 million pounds came from her monthly salary.

Blare had a monthly salary of £16,000 in the Sapphire Conglomerate. She became an apprentice in interior design and got recognized by the Head of Design, Mr. Fleming, after working for 6 months. 

After her training in the Design Department, Blare was satisfied with her past position. Since they were a team, they would all create ideas for product designs, logos, and all the stuff that would get the attention of the consumers. She also presented her layouts for the company's real estate. Unfortunately, none got accepted because her designs were very basic.

Lilith only learned architecture from the internet. Although her sketches were pleasing, they were only ordinary.

However, her talent was noticed, and she received an offer from Mr. Fleming to become his apprentice.

Blare weighed the benefits. Being in the Design Department gave her slightly higher earnings. Even so, being an apprentice and learning through Mr. Fleming would gain her more experience and skill. Moreover, learning interior design would help her strengthen what Lilith had learned from the internet.

So Blare chose the latter.

It has been a year and a half since Blare started working at the Sapphire Conglomerate. She was still an apprentice and continuing to learn under Mr. Fleming's wing.

At the same time, Blare found talented people for her business. One of them is Rhieanne - her assistant.

The other person was Lance, who she appointed as a manager.

There are also other 4 workers who manage the counter - the two handle the client's payment and the other two handle the cleaning.

And so, the doors of Comperio opened. What greeted the people inside the internet cafe are the welcoming crews and the comfy environment that the place emits.