Dana went to the restroom to freshen up after paying for the meal, when she returned, he was still in his seat, watching her with a strange kind of softness in his eyes.
"I'm done." she said, picking up her purse.
Alexei stood, offering a hand as a gentleman might, but also, Dana suspected, just to annoy her.
She took it anyway.
"Where to now?" he asked.
Dana glanced out toward the glowing boulevard beyond the glass. "Now? I walk back to my hotel. Alone."
He chuckled, not surprised. "Of course."
"But" she added "I'll consider that fruit wine festival. If you ask properly."
Alexei raised his brow, intrigued. "Properly?"
Dana gave him a smile. "You'll figure it out."
Dana did not wait for Alexei's rebuttal and started walking. She left the restaurant swiftly and stood at the less crowded side of the pavement, leaning on a lamp post, perhaps waiting for someone.
Alexei, on the other hand, did not expect her words and was momentarily stunned. He quickly recovered and rushed outside to follow her. As he stepped onto the cobbled street, his eyes found Dana resting quietly beneath the warm glow of the streetlamp.
Alexei slowed to a stop, simply looking at her. He couldn't quite understand why he was so drawn to her or what these unspoken feelings meant; feelings that only seemed to emerge whenever Dana was involved.
Just like now, in his eyes, Dana seemed to shine. Her slightly messy hair gave her the appearance of a carefree woman enjoying a day in Paris, a sharp contrast to her usual cold, detached, professional demeanor.
The atmosphere felt surreal, like something out of a dream. He could've ignored her earlier, pretended not to see her in the restaurant. But instead, he changed tables. Ordered food. Started a conversation.
He even had the sudden idea to invite her to a local fruit wine event after learning about her fondness for wine.
It was as if there was an invisible thread constantly pulling him toward her.
And though he didn't fully understand what he was doing, he didn't feel uncomfortable. Instead, he felt… content. As if following his gut and the beating of his heart for once might not be the worst idea.
Dana noticed him approach from the corner of her eye but said nothing. She just kept staring ahead at the busy street.
Alexei finally closed the distance between them and stood a few steps away. "You didn't really mean 'ask properly,' did you?" he asked softly, tilting his head with that playful edge she'd come to expect from him.
Dana shrugged. "Did I?" she faced him with amusement plastered on her face before speaking again. "I got curious about your so-called 'let me handle it like a gentleman' that I have to give you a stage to perform and shine your knightly qualities. After all, I've won that battle earlier." At the end of her speech, Dana gave a smile as she acted a gesture of a person calling the waiter for a bill.
Alexei understood what she meant and laughed handsomely.
"Alright then," he said with mock seriousness, adjusting his sleeves. "Miss Dana De Grantaine, accomplished strategist, sharp-tongued business genius, wine enthusiast… Milady, would you do me the honour of attending the fruit wine festival with me?"
Dana glanced sideways at him, lips curving slightly. "That's better."
"So that's a yes?"
She took her time answering. "As long as I get to choose the wine we sample."
Alexei placed a hand over his chest. "Ah! Truly a businesswoman, wouldn't take a deal without advantage."
He smiled before continuing. "You drive a hard bargain, as a gentleman, how could I refuse. Deal."
The walk to the park was gentle and unhurried. The city's pulse was alive; the chatter of locals, the buzz of music from a nearby corner café, the soft whoosh of bicycles passing by. But between them, a strange calm had settled.
They arrived at the gates of the festival. The park was alive with color—string lights overhead, booths draped in rustic cloth, chalkboard signs boasting names like "Château Cerise" and "Blush of Berry". The air was sweet with the aroma of fermented fruits and baked pastries.
Dana inhaled. "This is... surprisingly charming."
"Told you," Alexei said, holding out a pair of tasting tickets.
She raised an eyebrow. "This coincidence is quite suspicious."
"Hmm?" He didn't look at her as he replied.
Feeling in a mood, she cracks a tease on him. "Surely you didn't plan this?"
He smirked, responding to her teasing. "Maybe."
They started with a sparkling peach wine, delicate and crisp, followed by a honey-thick elderberry blend that Dana claimed, "tasted like regret, in a good way."
By the time they reached the plum wine booth, they were both slightly flushed—not entirely from the alcohol.
"I didn't expect this to be fun," Dana admitted, sipping from her glass.
"That's because you don't let yourself have fun unless it's in the form of ruining my investment plans."
She laughed genuinely this time and it caught Alexei off guard. "You're not entirely wrong."
They walked through the stalls, occasionally brushing arms, sharing quiet comments about the eccentric winemakers or rating the flavors with exaggerated expertise. Alexei noticed how Dana's eyes lit up when she discovered something new, how her usual steel composure melted into something freer.
It was nearly 8 p.m. when the last bell rang, signaling the end of the festival. Most booths began to close, and the crowd slowly dissipated into the wider park. The night had grown cool, a breeze dancing through the trees.
"Hungry?" Alexei asked, tucking his hands into his pockets.
Dana nodded. "Starving, actually."
"There's a quiet bistro not far from here. Candle-lit, small tables, slightly overpriced. Sounds like your thing."
She gave him a side glance. "Are you trying to impress me?"
"Is it working?"
"I haven't decided yet."
They walked together under the streetlights, the earlier tension between them now transformed into something softer; familiar but still charged. When they reached the bistro, it was just as he described: elegant, intimate, tucked into the corner of a sleepy lane.
A waiter seated them by the window. The table was dressed with a small oil lamp and a single white rose. Dana looked around, amused. "Romantic dinner now?"
Alexei smiled, removing his jacket and settling into the seat across from her. "I figured we've done rivals, strangers, and weird allies. Might as well try 'uncomfortable dinner companions' next."
She chuckled. "You skipped 'almost friends.'"
"I did," he said quietly, meeting her eyes. "Maybe that's next."
The waiter returned to take their orders, and they each chose a simple dish: roasted duck for Dana, a seafood risotto for Alexei, with a carafe of red wine between them.
As they waited, conversation flowed with ease; talk of their first disastrous pitch battle of their mentors of the things they wanted but never admitted to having time for.
Dana sipped her wine thoughtfully. "You ever think about just... walking away? From all of it?"
"The company?"
"The war," she said. "This endless game of one-upmanship. Who gets the better deal, who wins the client, who speaks first in a boardroom."
Alexei leaned back. "Sometimes. But then I remember who I'd be leaving the battlefield to."
Dana laughed again, but this time it was quiet. "You think I'd take over the world in your absence?"
"I think you'd do it better than anyone."
Their meals arrived, and the table filled with warm aroma and soft candlelight. Outside the window, Paris glowed.
There were still things unsaid between them, layers to peel, battles yet to fight.
But for this moment, they shared more than rivalry.
They shared a quiet night, good wine, and the beginning of something neither had expected.