Chapter 291 - Valentine's Day Special - 2.14.2020

[Reader Advisory: This chapter is not a continuation of the previous chapter. This is a special edition to celebrate Valentine's Day.]

Young Mansion

It was early morning at the Youngs and Grandpa Theo was having his morning tea with a few cookies on the side. He liked his morning tea with a splash of milk and some sugar — sweet and creamy to start the day. He liked dipping the cookies into the warm milk tea before taking a bite. This was heaven for him and a really good day starter.

"Good morning, Grandpa!" Katherine greeted as she walked towards her grandfather in the garden, enjoying the quiet morning.

"Mm, good morning, Pumpkin. Come have some tea and cookies with me. It's such a fine day today, isn't it?" He poured some tea for Katherine and placed it in front of her when she sat opposite him.

"Thanks. You look like you had a really good sleep." She took a sip of her milk tea which instantly brightened up her mood.

"I did, actually. It's Valentine's day… Your grandmother and I used to celebrate it when she was still with us."

Seeing the smile on his face, Katherine felt sad for him because he had been alone for so many years now. "I miss Grandma… I remember the two of you used to bake cookies like these together on Valentine's day and send us some in a tin can."

"Ah… those were the days. If only I could bake them myself… but I never really knew how to make them on my own. Your grandmother kept the recipe to herself. I also don't know much about being in the kitchen. These aren't the same as the ones we used to make but they're close enough," he said, referring to the cookies that the house chefs made. 

He brought the teacup to his mouth and drank his tea, a smile lingering on his lips as he set the cup back on the table. Katherine remained quiet, unsure of how to respond to her grandfather.

"Join me for dinner today. I'll bring you to a really nice restaurant tonight. I have already booked it so you can't say no," he demanded.

Slightly chuckling, Katherine could only nod. How could she refuse him after listening to his sad story? "Of course, Grandpa. I would love to have dinner with you. Just send me the address later and I will see you then?"

"Mm. You'll be late for work now. You can go ahead."

"Thanks, Grandpa." Katherine kissed Grandpa Theo's cheek and left for work.

…

Meanwhile… at Park Mansion

Damien entered the dining room and saw Nana had just finished eating her breakfast and was now drinking her green tea. "Hi, Nana… I just came to pick up some things."

Nana looked at him and narrowed her eyes. "You only come when you need something. You rarely visit me these days."

Sighing, he could only purse his lips into a thin line after hearing Nana's guilt trips. "I'll make it up to you soon, Nana. I promise. I'll take you out and do whatever you want to do for the day."

"Then why don't you take me out to dinner tonight? There's a restaurant I want to try out." Nana took a sip from her green tea, appearing so casual about her suggestion.

Damien scratched his head. He was in a dilemma as he was actually planning to ask Katherine out, assuming she would even agree to go on a dinner date with him on Valentine's day. Running his tongue on the side of his mouth, he tried to negotiate, "I would love to, Nana… But—"

"Excellent! I will see you tonight! Keep your phone lines open and I will call you to tell you where to meet me." Nana got up and hastily walked out of the dining room, leaving Damien panicking.

"Nan—wait. I—"

Too late. Nana disappeared. She ran like the wind.

Running a hand on his face, Damien sighed. There goes his plans for the night.

…

The Restaurant

Katherine was supposed to meet Grandpa Theo at 6:30 in the evening but she arrived thirty minutes early. Seated by the window, she played with her phone as she waited for him to arrive while also trying to avoid looking at other couples who were having their Valentine's date in the restaurant. 

She hadn't heard from Damien the whole day except for his usual good morning texts. She didn't expect him to text her because she was clearly trying to distance herself from him too but… a Valentine greeting would have been nice. "Tsk," she clicked her tongue.

Wondering if she should text him a greeting instead, she hovered on their message thread in her inbox and contemplated.

Outside the restaurant, Damien just got out of his car when he saw familiar figures inside a vehicle across the street. "Nana? Chairman Young?" He furrowed his brows and followed their stares.

His eyes landed on a lonely Katherine sitting by herself in a nest of couples inside the restaurant. Putting two and two together, he quickly realized what the two cupids were doing. Damien chuckled at the realization and found it hilarious yet it still worked out for him in the end. 

Just then, a teenage boy selling flowers passed by him and he bought one long stem of the red rose and gave him a hundred dollar bill and told him to keep the change before entering the restaurant.

He was determined just a minute ago but now that he was standing several meters away from her, he suddenly found himself nervous.

He could have bought dozens of roses but the temporary beauty of flowers wouldn't be able to match Katherine's timeless beauty.

Approaching the table, Damien tilted the rose towards her, catching her attention. When she looked up, she saw his gorgeous smile and heard him utter, "Hey…"

"Damien… What are you doing here?" she asked, receiving the red rose from him.

…

Inside the vehicle across the street, Grandpa Cupid and Nana Cupid had wide smiles on their faces as they watched Damien take the seat in front of Katherine. He made her smile with something he said and she smelled the rose before putting it down on the table.

Katherine and Damien were talking about something that the two of them found funny because they looked genuinely happy with the smiles on their faces.

"Omo… Omo…" Nana's hand flew to her mouth when she saw the couple holding a menu up, covering their faces and blocking their view of the couple from where they were sitting inside the vehicle. The couple looked like they kissed and the cupids couldn't be any happier.

…

The Restaurant

"Do you think they bought it?" Katherine said, looking at Damien straight in the eye. There was about a good few inches between them as they hid behind the menu.

Very subtly, he took a quick sneak peek. "Yeah, they're giggling like kids."

"I wish I could see the look on their faces. I bet it's good." She started to move her head to take a peek herself but before she could move any further, he stopped her.

"You know what's even better? If we make it real. They're already thinking that it was anyway…" he said.

"What do you—"

Katherine swallowed the rest of her words when Damien cupped her face and pulled her in for a kiss.

The kiss was gentle and sweet but it took her breath away.

When he broke the kiss, she slightly followed him only to snap out of her daze, realizing that he had already pulled away.

"Happy Valentine's day, love," he whispered.

Subconsciously, she touched her lips and cleared her throat, bringing the menu closer to her and stuttered, "L-Let's just order food."

A playful grin formed on Damien's face when he saw her blush.

Sometimes… you just gotta do what you gotta do for love.