The royal city of Port Cressida has a new King.
Casper Ashe.
After spending years chained to the floor of a dungeon, haunted by visions of a beautiful woman, Casper is finally free. As Port Cressida's new King, he has two priorities: restore peace t...
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Kuro's Restaurant
Sophie Reese
Casper waved to the bartender for another drink as I downed my Bellini in a couple gulps. I needed alcohol in my system to handle this. Never in my wildest dreams did I think my rescuer would be this good-looking - not that looks should matter... but it did. My body reacted to him in a way I had never felt before. It was embarrassing. My cheeks were on fire, and my heart felt like it was doing backflips on a trampoline inside my chest.
I kept telling myself not to be so stupid. This guy could still be a pervert or worse... but I just couldn't get past those blue eyes.
The bartender passed me another Bellini, and I took a good gulp. I would have downed the whole thing if Casper hadn't stared at me.
"Sophie, are you alright? Did that man frighten you?"
I shook my head, "No, he didn't frighten me... although I was surprised and horrified that someone his age would have the nerve to proposition me like that."
"It's my fault. I should have asked Nico to wait in the bar for you. Men must bother you all the time when you go out."
"Um, I wouldn't go that far."
"Forgive me, Sophie. I was careless. Please accept my apologies."
"No, please don't apologise. I owe you so much already. You saved the Little Dove Community Center. There are no amount of words in the world that can express how grateful I am to you for rescuing that centre. You have no idea how much that centre means to me."
He dropped down onto the barstool beside me and shrugged off his suit jacket. "Well, when I heard about all your good work at the centre and how it had been brought out by Brad Evans, I felt compelled to help."
"How did you find out about my work?"
He paused and stared awkwardly down at the bar. "I don't recall the exact details, but a friend mentioned it. I think he had a distant relative that used to come into the centre."
"Oh really? Do you remember what they came in for? I might remember them."
"Er, he never mentioned a name, only that it was sad the centre was closing. He showed me your page, and I was inspired by your story. I have to say that you are a remarkable young woman, Sophie."
"I can't take full credit for that. It's my Grandparents who really deserve the kudos. They helped set up the centre back in the forties after my Grandfather came back from fighting in the second world war. He and my Grandmother organised and ran the centre for decades with the help of local volunteers. It used to be a real hub of activity for the neighbourhood. But, a few years ago, my Grandmother suddenly died, and my Grandfather suffered a stroke. I did my best to step into their shoes, but I found myself torn between trying to run the centre and caring for Grandfather. Then the building got condemned... Grandfather died, and it all began to spiral out of control."
