Chapter 2.

Tiffany's POV

Immediately Tiffany returned to the dining area, the sight of their table made her heart skip a beat.

Contrary to the way she'd left him, her father was no longer alone. Instead, he sat at the table with two other men, one older gentleman and a younger one, additions that could only be the guests they were expecting. Her dad looked to be deeply engaged in an amusing conversation with the older, while the younger sat rigidly, arms crossed, nodding and offering stiff smiles in intervals. There was a cold but regal air to him, and the way he held himself forcibly reminded Tiffany of the phrase "proud peacock."

As if he'd somehow magically heard her thoughts, the man suddenly lifted his head, his eyes instantly finding hers in the dim lighting, and even from across the room the shock of his gaze made her feel a little dizzier, a little weaker than she had been before.

Her heart skipped another beat. God, he was handsome.

He raised an eyebrow at her, a movement so miniscule and lasting for seconds so few that she thought she'd imagined it, and then, he looked away, face impassive as if he'd simply just glanced at a bit of wallpaper.

Somehow she managed to retain control of her wobbling legs, and made her way back to the table, her heels making soft, clicking sounds on the plush carpet. Her dad smiled when he saw her, and introduced her immediately she was seated. Her seat was placed so that she was seated beside her father, and directly opposite the young Mr. Gold.

"Richard," her dad said, waving his hand in her direction as if he were a car salesman, his eyes shining with pride, "My daughter, Tiffany. Tiffany, this is Richard Gold, Chairman of Gold Enterprises."

Tiffany extended her hand, as was customary and lady-like, and Mr. Gold accepted it pleasantly, placing a small dry kiss at the back of it.

"Richard, you bastard," the man said, a twinkle in his eyes not unlike her father's, "You didn't mention she was this gorgeous." Tiffany blushed, and hoped they wouldn't notice that anything was wrong with her makeup. "My pleasure to finally meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine, sir," she said, deciding at once that she liked the man, if he was a little strange.

Mr. Gold released her hand, seemingly pleased. He straightened up and leaned back into his chair, making an almost dismissive gesture to the man seated beside him with a face stony and impassive. "This is my son, Shawn."

Tiffany allowed herself to glance at the man, now. She had been trying her best not to do it, in case she was caught staring again. Up close, he was even more handsome than she had originally thought. Sitting beside his father, they looked more like brothers than a parent and a child. They were both tall, dark and handsome with matching deposits of rich, black hair that was dusted with grey in the old Mr. Gold, and sleek and black in the young Mr. Gold. But there was just something about Shawn's face and demeanour that was reminiscent of the domineering CEOs in the manhwas Tiffany used to obsess over as a child.

He really was gorgeous.

To her trained eye, she could tell that he could be a model himself if he wanted to. Pictures of him were not scarce in any capacity, being as widely-known in the business community as he was. Being the third youngest successful director in all of Canada didn't come without it's own wealthy share of fame, afterall. But now she realized that all the professional pictures in all the magazine expositions she had hastily read for research had done little to do him justice.

Sitting across from him, the sharpness of his features was more plain than ever. He had finely sculpted cheek bones, which rested under eyes of the most captivating shade of blue that almost looked grey in the ambient lighting of the restaurant, and led in an elegant taper to a set of full, pink lips. The features were individually soft, but the overall effect was completely the opposite. Instead, he gave off a somewhat hard and unforgiving feeling that made Tiffany shift nervously again in her chair.

Currently, the three of them were all looking at Shawn, expectant, waiting for him to do something, but he simply sat there and stared. Tiffany looked around, uncertain. Should she speak first? What was his problem? Perhaps he was a bit slow?

She was just about to open her mouth to re-introduce herself, when, much to her surprise, horror, and (even though she would deny it later,) amusement, Mr. Gold reached out a hand and thwacked his son hard, on the back of his head.

Tiffany and her father stared wide-eyed at this interaction, but Shawn only rolled his shoulders with a light glare leveled in his father's direction. Apparently, it happened all the time for them.

"Have you no manners, boy?" his father asked him, brow raised. "Introduce yourself to the lady."

Shawn looked straight at Tiffany then, and the look in his eyes made her recoil. What the hell? Why was he looking at her like that?! She almost refused to give him her hand. Afterall who knew what would happen? He might break it, or squueze it so hard it bled, if the look on his face was any indication of his intentions.

Instead, he released her hand almost as soon as it made contact with his.

He crossed his arms and leaned back into his chair in a gesture imitating his father's. "I have my manners," he said, and Tiffany realized it was the first time she was hearing him speak. For some reason she had expected him to have a high, cold, biting voice, but instead his voice was a smooth, rich, baritone that would have been pleasant to listen to if the words flowing from his lips were anything less insulting.

"Unlike some others." His eyes found Tiffany at this last statement, and she bristled immediately.

Luckily, her chance of retorting was taken away by the waiter who appeared then to take their orders.

She breathed out in frustration, trying to calm her temper down as everyone selected what they wanted.

Tiffany ordered the salmon fillet with Dutch carrot puree, and looked up to see Shawn staring at her again as if she had just done something irretrievably nasty, but at this point she decided she was done. He had been nothing but cold, unwelcoming, and rude to her since she'd entered the room, and if that was how he wanted things to go, then Tiffany Dion was up for the challenge.