Lured into Love (Blossom in Winter #2) - Melanie Martins Page 0,100
for. That’s all. I’m sure your channel will grow and get millions of subscribers.”
“I hope one day that’ll be the case. There’s a lot of teamwork behind it,” I tell him. My gaze goes to Petra, and she gives me a bright smile, her expression glowing with pride. And I try hard not to get fixated on it.
After dinner, and while Roy goes to his office to make some phone calls, Petra invites me to the terrace to check out the impressive skyline. “It’s amazing at night, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” I tell her, taking in my surroundings. “I wish my apartment had a terrace, let alone one this big.”
Only street noise fills the space between us as we stand together, watching the sights around us. Discretely enough, my gaze goes to her as she seems to be engrossed in her thoughts. And as I contemplate every feature of her face, I can’t believe how lucky I am to be here. Damn, I never expected, not even in a million years, that one day, a regular guy like me would be having dinner with the one and only Petra Van Gatt and her dad. Last year, when I first met her, Petra seemed to be a princess of Wall Street, polite to everyone but totally unapproachable and out of my league. But now? Now I want to believe that I might stand a chance. Not that I expect her to fall in love with me right after a breakup, but maybe in a year or two, once her wounds have healed completely. And I’m okay with that. Petra is a chick worth waiting for.
“My dad likes you a lot,” she tells me. “It’s the first time he hasn’t said anything nasty about a male friend of mine.”
“I guess most guys would’ve jumped on you at the first chance.” My tone comes out a bit cheeky, and I then add, “You dad likes me because I’ve got no interest in getting a slap in the face.”
“Smart boy,” she teases back.
My phone beeps with a notification from Patreon. And as I check it, I can’t help but shout, “What the fuck?!” I can’t believe what I’m reading! “Your dad just subscribed to my Patreon for a monthly donation of ten thousand dollars. That’s insane!”
While I appear utterly shocked, Petra doesn’t even bat an eye. “To be fair, that’s probably what he pays in hookers on a monthly basis…”
And now I’m rendered totally speechless at her answer. “Really?”
“Yeah, most likely.”
“Your dad pays hookers?” I repeat, making sure I heard her properly. “I mean, he doesn’t seem like that type of guy.”
She just shrugs her shoulders in return. “Love is too expensive for him.”
The more she speaks, the more I need to ask her, “You don’t really like him, huh?”
“Nope,” she tells me just as dryly. “Dad believes everyone and everything can be bought.” And as she keeps looking at the skyline ahead, she adds in a tone deeply concerning, “Whatever stands in his way must be destroyed. Even if it’s his own daughter’s happiness.”
Wow. There’s a sadness in her voice that makes my heart tighten. And as I keep observing her, I can’t help but notice how deeply she is still affected by the breakup. After all, I know both she and Alex love each other. It’s not like the dude doesn’t care about her. Nope, it’s because he doesn’t have much of a choice. Sometimes I’d love to tell her everything I know about her fiancé and the breakup. But I can’t. Otherwise, she might just stop trusting me, and that’s not an option for me. So instead I say, “Do you think your dad is trying to buy me?”
“For ten thousand bucks?” she asks. “That would be a very cheap price. But if you want a piece of advice, don’t take his money.” I crease my brows instantly. Ten thousand bucks a month would help quite a lot to grow the channel and reach more people. “If my dad asks you for a favor and mentions what he can or cannot do for your channel, make sure you can send the money back to him if you have to, so you don’t feel obligated to do anything for him in return.”
“But, like, with ten thousand bucks, we could grow the channel a lot and pay for ads, you know. And this money is from a Patreon subscription, which means I don’t have to do anything in return for your dad.”