18- Strange Behavior

Saturday morning was different from all the others.

For the first time since moving into the Vance estate, Elena hadn’t woken up thinking about files, meetings, or whatever tasks Kaysen might assign her. She had plans with her friends, and that alone put her in a better mood than she’d expected.

She chose a simple dark-colored dress that fell just below her knees and left her hair loose over her shoulders. After applying a little perfume, she stood in front of the mirror, studying her reflection for a moment.

She looked as though she were reclaiming a small part of her life.

When she went downstairs, she found Kaysen in the sitting room, seated on the leather sofa and going through some papers. He raised his eyes as soon as he heard her footsteps.

He said nothing at first.

He simply looked at her for a long moment before closing the folder in his hands.

“Going out?”

“Yes. I told you yesterday that I was meeting my friends.”

“I remember.”

Silence settled between them for a few seconds.

Then he said,

“The car is ready.”

“I didn’t ask for a car.”

“I know.”

She looked at him, trying to work out whether he was waiting for her to object or simply informing her.

“I’ll be going with them, and I might come back with Mina.”

“All right.”

His answer was calm, but his eyes remained on her until she turned toward the door.

Just before she left, she heard his voice again.

“Elena.”

She turned.

“Enjoy yourself.”

There was nothing particularly strange about the sentence, yet the way he said it made her feel as though he meant something else.

She offered a small smile.

“I will, Mr. Vance.”

⸻

The restaurant was crowded, with soft music blending into the conversations around the tables.

The moment Elena stepped inside, she heard Mina calling her from across the room.

“Elena!”

She raised a hand with a smile and headed toward her, but before she could reach the table, Adam appeared beside her.

“Finally!”

The surprise left her no time to respond. He opened his arms and pulled her into a tight hug, lifting her slightly off the ground before setting her down again.

Elena laughed, placing her hands on his shoulders.

“Adam! You still act as though I’ve been gone for ten years.”

“That’s exactly how long it felt to me.”

He stayed close, studying her face.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.”

Then he casually kissed the top of her head before stepping back.

Mina watched them with a wide smile.

“Well, I think I’ve officially become the third wheel.”

Elena laughed and pulled her by the hand.

“Don’t start.”

They sat together, and soon enough, the old conversations returned. Adam remembered the smallest details about her, sometimes interrupting to finish a story she’d started, while Mina laughed at their familiar arguments.

Elena felt a sense of ease she hadn’t realized she’d missed so much.

She didn’t have to think before laughing, choose her words carefully, or watch someone’s expression in case she’d said something displeasing.

She could simply be Elena.

When Adam reached across the table and stole a piece of dessert from her plate, she lightly slapped his hand.

“That’s mine.”

“You don’t even like it.”

“Who told you that?”

“I’ve known you longer than you’ve known yourself.”

“How arrogant.”

He laughed, then pushed the plate toward her.

“Fine. Take it. I don’t want to get into a battle I can’t win.”

She was laughing when her eyes happened to drift toward the restaurant’s glass entrance.

Her smile faded.

On the other side of the glass stood Kaysen.

She had no idea how long he’d been there, or why the air around her suddenly felt heavier.

He was wearing a black coat, his hands in his pockets, his face revealing nothing. He wasn’t looking at the restaurant in general.

He was looking at her.

More specifically, at Adam, who was now leaning toward her to say something that made her laugh again.

Kaysen didn’t smile.

He didn’t look angry, either.

But his stillness was more unsettling than any obvious display of emotion.

Elena excused herself from Mina and stood before heading outside.

“Mr. Vance?”

He didn’t answer immediately.

His eyes settled on her face, then briefly lowered to her dress before returning to her eyes.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

“I am. Did something happen?”

“No.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

“I was in the area.”

She looked at him suspiciously, but he gave her nothing she could use to ask another question.

“Have you introduced yourself to everyone?”

“Almost.”

“Almost?”

“Why are you asking?”

He tilted his head slightly, his eyes remaining fixed on her.

“The man who hugged you when you arrived. Who is he?”

Elena looked at him in surprise.

“Adam. He’s been my friend for years.”

“Very close to you.”

It wasn’t a question.

Her eyebrows drew together.

“He’s my friend, and I’ve missed him. I don’t see anything worth commenting on.”

A brief silence followed.

Then he said quietly,

“And I haven’t commented.”

She was about to respond when Adam’s voice came from behind her.

“Elena? Everything all right?”

She turned toward him.

“Yes. I’ll be back in a moment.”

Adam approached and stood beside her without showing the slightest sign of unease.

“Adam, this is Mr. Vance, my manager.”

Kaysen shook the man’s hand without changing his expression.

“Pleasure.”

“Likewise.”

They exchanged a brief look before Adam smiled.

“We were just talking about an old trip. Elena was the biggest troublemaker among us back then.”

“That’s a lie.”

Adam laughed, then placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I’ll leave you two to talk. Don’t be too long, all right?”

Elena nodded.

But the moment Adam’s hand moved away, Kaysen shifted a step closer, leaving her nearer to him than she’d been a second earlier.

He hadn’t touched her.

Yet she felt his presence pressing into the space between her and the other man.

He waited until Adam had walked away before speaking.

“He seems accustomed to touching you.”

She looked at him sharply.

“Mr. Vance.”

“What?”

“You’re behaving strangely.”

For the first time, something shifted in his expression. It wasn’t quite a smile or an open display of anger, but a fleeting tension in his jaw that disappeared almost immediately.

“Perhaps.”

His answer unsettled her more than a denial would have.

“I’ll go back to my friends.”

“Of course.”

He didn’t stop her.

But she’d taken only one step when his voice reached her again.

“Elena.”

She turned.

“Don’t let anyone confuse familiarity with entitlement.”

She stared at him for a moment.

“Adam isn’t confusing anything.”

“Good.”

He said it coldly, then turned his face away as though the conversation were over.

She went back inside, but the evening no longer felt as carefree as it had a few minutes earlier. She tried to follow Mina and Adam’s conversation, yet she became increasingly aware of the time, the phone beside her hand, and the man she’d left standing outside the restaurant.

⸻

An hour later, the gathering came to an end.

Elena said goodbye to Mina, then stood with Adam near the entrance. He hugged her again, this time holding her a little longer.

“Don’t disappear again, all right?”

“I’ll try.”

“Don’t try. Call me.”

She smiled.

“Okay.”

When he finally stepped away, Kaysen was already beside the car parked in front of the restaurant.

She couldn’t tell whether he’d been waiting for her or had only just arrived.

He opened the door for her without looking at Adam.

Elena got inside.

⸻

Kaysen didn’t move immediately after sitting down.

He closed the door, placed one hand on the seat behind her, then leaned forward slightly to tell the driver to return to the estate.

His face was closer to hers than she’d expected.

She caught the familiar scent of his cologne, noticed the light reflecting off his watch, and realized his gaze hadn’t settled directly on her eyes.

He waited until the car pulled away.

Then he asked,

“Did he always hug you like that?”

She turned toward him slowly.

“Is that what’s bothering you?”

“You answered a question with another question.”

“Because your question is strange.”

He leaned back against the seat, keeping his eyes on her.

“I know.”

A brief silence followed.

She could see the tension in his jaw, even though his voice hadn’t changed.

“Adam is an old friend. There’s nothing between us.”

“I didn’t ask whether there was anything between you.”

“But you’re acting as though you’re waiting for an explanation.”

He leaned toward her slightly.

“Perhaps I want to hear your explanation.”

Elena felt a discomfort she didn’t like. She wasn’t accustomed to Kaysen putting her in a position like this, especially when he didn’t raise his voice or give her any clear reason to defend herself.

“I don’t need to justify hugging my friends.”

“I didn’t say you did.”

“Then stop looking at me like that.”

He didn’t look away.

“Like what?”

She swallowed, then turned toward the window.

“As though I’ve done something that deserves punishment.”

He didn’t answer.

A moment later, she felt him move closer. He reached for the seat belt where it had twisted against her shoulder and straightened it.

It was a simple gesture, but he came closer than she’d expected.

Her breath caught for a moment.

His fingertips brushed her shoulder by accident before slowly moving away.

“It was twisted.”

He said it as though nothing had happened.

She looked at him and found that he’d already returned to his seat, though his eyes were still on her.

“Thank you.”

The words escaped before she could think.

He merely nodded.

Then silence returned.

When they reached the estate, Elena got out first and headed toward the entrance without waiting for him.

But she heard his footsteps behind her.

She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned.

“Are you going to keep behaving like this?”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Quiet, irritated, as though there’s something you don’t want to say.”

He approached until there was barely a step between them.

“And you want me to say it?”

She didn’t know how to answer.

He was close enough for her to notice the faint traces of fatigue around his eyes and the familiar scent of his cologne that had lingered with her throughout the drive. He wasn’t touching her, yet he made his presence felt in every detail around her.

“I just want to understand what happened tonight.”

He looked at her for a long moment.

“Nothing happened.”

“You don’t seem convinced.”

His gaze briefly lowered to her lips before returning to her eyes.

“Not everything I feel needs to be laid out in front of you.”

Her heartbeat quickened, and she couldn’t tell whether it was because of her irritation, his proximity, or the sentence that had left an unexplained space between them.

She lifted her chin slightly.

“I’m not responsible for everything you feel, Mr. Vance.”

He continued looking at her.

Then he raised a hand and gently moved a strand of hair caught against the edge of her coat. The touch lasted only a moment, but it left her more unsettled than she wanted to admit.

“I know.”

He said it quietly.

And somehow, that answer was worse than any objection.

Because he sounded as though he understood exactly what he was saying, yet he still made no effort to step back.

He released the strand of hair and finally moved away.

“Good night, Elena.”

She climbed the stairs without answering.

When she reached the east wing corridor, she paused and rested one hand against the railing.

He hadn’t stopped her from going out. He hadn’t demanded that she return, and he hadn’t raised his voice once.

And yet she’d returned from that evening with the strange feeling that she hadn’t been alone during the gathering, even when he was nowhere near her.

Kaysen remained at the foot of the stairs, looking toward the place where she’d disappeared.

He could tolerate her laughing with other people.

He could accept that she had friends and a life whose every detail he didn’t know.

But the image of that man’s arms around her remained in his mind in a way he wasn’t prepared to acknowledge, not even to himself.