The Ties of Fate

Nathan woke up the next morning, feeling a mix of energy and determination. Dressing in a crisp suit, he left for work with thoughts of Elena still lingering in his mind. 

When he arrived at the office, Thomas greeted him as usual. 

"Good morning, sir," Thomas said with a respectful nod. "You have a visitor waiting for you in your office." 

Nathan frowned slightly. "Who is it?" 

"It's your mother," Thomas replied, his voice cautious. 

Nathan's expression immediately hardened. "Get back to work," he said curtly before stepping into his office. 

Inside, Mrs. Reed sat on one of the leather chairs, her posture elegant and composed. She looked up and offered him a soft smile. 

"Nathan," she said warmly, "I was worried about you. How are you?" 

Nathan's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here?" he asked sharply. 

Mrs. Reed sighed. "I heard about your accident. I came back from Germany to check on you." 

Nathan folded his arms, his tone icy. "Is this another one of your tricks? You don't have to bother about me anymore." 

Mrs. Reed's face fell slightly. "Nathan, do you still think I caused what happened two years ago?" 

Nathan's voice rose as he yelled, "Yes! It was all your fault!" His anger filled the room, echoing off the walls. 

Mrs. Reed flinched but kept her composure. "Nathan, I—" 

But Nathan wasn't interested in hearing more. He turned and stormed out of the office, leaving her sitting there in stunned silence. 

Nathan found Thomas waiting by the car and motioned for him to follow. 

"Is there a problem, sir?" Thomas asked cautiously. 

"No," Nathan replied sharply. "Drive me to Elena's café." 

When they arrived, Nathan stayed in the car while Thomas went inside to inquire about Elena. He approached Mia, who was busy taking orders. 

"Good afternoon," Thomas said politely. "Is Elena around?" 

Mia smiled and replied, "She's on break today." 

Thomas nodded in thanks and returned to the car. 

"She's not here today," he informed Nathan. 

Nathan thought for a moment before saying, "Take me to her house." 

As they drove, Nathan glanced at Thomas. "Are all the gifts ready?" 

"Yes, sir," Thomas replied confidently. 

When they reached Elena's house, Nathan stepped out and knocked on the door. A moment later, Elena opened it, her expression turning to surprise. 

"Mr. Nathan? What are you doing here? How did you find my house?" 

Nathan smiled softly. "I drove you home yesterday. Of course, I know where you live." 

Elena laughed nervously. "Right. Well, come in." 

Nathan gestured for Thomas to return to the office, assuring him he'd call if needed. Inside, Elena led Nathan to her small but cozy living room. 

 As they sat down, Nathan leaned forward slightly, his tone warm. "How are you today, Miss. Elena?" 

"I'm fine, thank you," she replied. "And you? Are you feeling better after the accident?" 

Nathan nodded. "Much better. Thanks to you, I've been feeling great." 

Their conversation flowed naturally. Nathan asked about her work and dreams, listening intently to every word. 

After a while, Nathan asked, "Do you like gifts?" 

Elena tilted her head, curious. "Why do you ask?" 

Nathan shrugged casually. "No reason. Just curious." 

"Well, yes, I do," Elena replied with a chuckle. "Who doesn't like gifts?" 

Nathan smiled and stood up. "Wait here for a moment." 

He stepped outside and made a quick call. Moments later, a car arrived, its trunk filled with beautifully wrapped gifts. 

When Elena saw them being carried toward her house, her eyes widened in disbelief. "Mr. Nathan, what is all this?" 

"These are for you," Nathan said simply. 

Elena immediately shook her head. "No, I can't accept this. It's too much!" 

Nathan chuckled. "Miss. Elena, it's nothing. Just a small gesture for our friendship." 

"Nathan, I mean it. This is overwhelming," Elena insisted, her tone firm. 

"Miss. Elena," Nathan said gently, "please. It's my way of showing how much I appreciate you." 

Despite several rounds of polite refusals, Nathan's calm persistence finally wore her down. 

"Alright," she said reluctantly. "But this is way too much." 

Nathan chuckled. "Thank you for accepting." 

The gifts were carried inside, though there were so many that some had to be stored in her bedroom. 

As they finished, Nathan asked, "Are you free tomorrow? I would like to take you somewhere." 

Elena smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Mr. Nathan. I'll be on duty tomorrow. I won't have much time." 

Nathan nodded, masking his disappointment. "That's fine. Another time, then." 

 Later that afternoon, Nathan told Thomas to meet him at the café. When Nathan arrived, Thomas was already inside speaking with Mr. Gordon. 

"Good afternoon, Mr. Gordon," Thomas began. 

"Good afternoon. How can I help you?" 

"I'm here on behalf of Nathan Reed," Thomas said. "He would like to compensate you for giving Elena a week off work." 

Mr. Gordon raised an eyebrow. "A week off? She's one of my best employees. Why would I do that?" 

Thomas handed him an envelope filled with cash. "This should more than cover any inconvenience. Nathan values Elena and hopes this will suffice." 

Mr. Gordon looked at the envelope, then nodded. "Alright. Consider it done." 

Thomas returned to Nathan with a grin. "Mission complete, sir." 

That evening, Elena called Mia to share the day's events. 

"Mia, you won't believe this," Elena said. 

"What? Tell me!" Mia replied eagerly. 

"Nathan came to my house with an entire car full of gifts!" 

"A car full of gifts?!" Mia exclaimed. "What's going on between you two?" 

"Nothing!" Elena protested. "He said it's just for our friendship." 

Mia laughed. "Friendship? Please, Elena. He likes you. No man does that for just a friend." 

Elena blushed. "You think so?" 

"I don't think—I know," Mia teased. "And I think you like him too." 

Elena groaned. "Mia, stop. It's not like that." 

"Sure, sure," Mia said with a giggle. "But if he shows up tomorrow, you'd better call me immediately!" 

The next day, Elena arrived at the café, ready for work. Mr. Gordon called her into his office. 

"Good morning, Elena," he greeted. 

"Good morning, sir. Is everything alright?" 

"Of course," Mr. Gordon replied with a smile. "I wanted to let you know that I'm giving you a week off." 

Elena blinked in surprise. "A week off? Did I do something wrong?" 

Mr. Gordon chuckled. "Not at all. You've been working hard, and someone arranged this for you." 

Though confused, Elena thanked him and left the office. Mia, noticing her lack of uniform, asked, "Why aren't you dressed yet?" 

Elena explained the situation, and Mia smirked knowingly. "Looks like Nathan strikes again." 

Elena sighed. "I'll message you later." 

Mia winked. "Oh, you'd better!" Elena arrived home after she visited the café, her thoughts swirling with the unusual kindness of her boss, Mr. Gordon. She couldn't understand what had come over him but decided to let it go. As she sank into her favorite chair, the comfort of her cozy living room began to relax her. 

She was on the verge of drifting off to sleep when her phone rang, startling her. Picking it up, she saw Nathan's name flashing on the screen. 

With a soft smile, she answered. "Hey, Mr. Nathan. How are you doing?" 

Nathan's smooth voice came through, warm and cheerful. "I'm doing great. And you?" 

"I'm good," Elena replied, laughing softly. 

Their conversation flowed easily as they exchanged lighthearted jokes. Nathan's humor made Elena laugh so much her sides began to ache. 

After a few minutes, Nathan's tone grew more casual. "I don't want to keep you from work, so I'll let you go. We can talk later." 

Elena paused, then chuckled. "I'm not at the café. My boss gave me a week off, apparently for no reason. So, I'm just at home, resting." 

Nathan pretended to be surprised. "Really? A whole week off? That's great." 

Elena laughed. "It's unexpected, but I won't complain." 

Nathan's smile was audible through the phone. "Well, since you're free, why don't we go out? Just as friends, have a nice time and unwind a bit. What do you think?" 

Elena didn't hesitate. "Sure! I'd love to. I've been cooped up all day." 

"Great," Nathan said enthusiastically. "Give me ten minutes. I'll be there soon." 

After they hung up, Elena quickly got up and began getting ready. She chose a simple white short gown, light makeup, and a touch of lip gloss. Standing in front of the mirror, she adjusted her hair and paused, realizing she might be overdoing it. 

"Hey, Miss. Elena, calm down," she muttered to herself. "It's just a casual outing with a friend, not a date. Stop acting like this is something more." 

Shaking her head at her behavior, she added a final touch of lip gloss and smiled. Just as she turned to sit down and wait, a knock at the door startled her. 

She opened the door, and there stood Nathan, looking as dashing as ever in a casual yet sharp outfit. For a moment, Elena was speechless. Her heart raced, and she felt uncharacteristically shy. 

"Hey," Mr. Nathan said with a small smile, snapping her out of her trance. 

"Hi," she replied quickly, trying to compose herself. 

Unbeknownst to them, Thomas, standing by the car, noticed Elena's flustered reaction. He smirked to himself, deciding to save the observation for later. 

Nathan asked, "Ready to go?" 

Elena nodded, grabbing her purse. "Yeah, I'm ready." 

They walked to the car, and Nathan opened the door for her like a gentleman. She slid into the back seat, and Nathan joined her while Thomas took the front seat with the driver. 

On the way, Nathan and Elena shared a lighthearted conversation, their laughter filling the car. The connection between them felt natural and easy as if they had known each other for years. 

Elena assumed they were heading to a park or a quiet café to relax, but when the car stopped, she looked out the window and saw a high-end boutique. 

She turned to Nathan, surprised. "A boutique? I thought we were just going out to have a good time." 

Nathan smiled mysteriously. "Relax. I have a surprise for you. You're going to look like a princess today." 

Elena blinked in confusion. "A princess? Mr. Nathan, what are you talking about?" 

Nathan chuckled softly. "You'll see. Come on." 

Intrigued but slightly hesitant, Elena followed Nathan into the boutique. As they entered, the staff greeted them warmly, and Nathan gestured for them to attend to Elena. 

"I want her to have the best," Nathan told one of the staff members. "Something elegant and unique, fit for a princess." 

Elena tried to protest. "Mr. Nathan, this is unnecessary. I'm fine as I am." 

Nathan turned to her with a playful grin. "Trust me, Miss. Elena. Just this once, let me spoil you." 

Feeling a mix of excitement and embarrassment, Elena relented. "Alright. But don't go overboard." 

Nathan smiled, satisfied. "Overboard? I'd never." 

As the staff led Elena to try on dresses, Nathan sat back and waited, eager to see the transformation. For Elena, the day was turning into something far beyond her expectations.