7

ELENA DUVAL

Tiffany left much later in the day. She had to return to work after receiving an urgent call from her boss about a scoop in town. It turned out my dearest friend was now one of the best reporters at JK Media. And I was really happy for her. Tiffany also belonged to a wealthy family. Her parents owned the biggest media house back in Texas and in a few countries, including New York.

I stepped out of the shower box and pulled on the robe, hanging close by. It was a few minutes past midnight and I couldn't seem to fall asleep. I couldn't stop thinking about my sisters and then my mind shifted to the gala this weekend. I had to be there. I had to meet Tyler.

I changed into some night pants and a shirt. I couldn't wait for tomorrow. Tiffany and I were going shopping. I was changing more than my closet. I was going back to the young lady I used to be, and if I wanted to have a successful attempt at ensuring Dimitri took me to the gala, I had so much work to do.

I headed downstairs to the kitchen to get some water. As I was about to head back to the master's bedroom, I heard the double doors of the main living room open and close. Maybe it was Dimitri, I thought but as I listened for any sound of footsteps, all I could hear was the deafening silence of the night.

I left the kitchen using one of the doors that led to the main living room. The lights had been turned off, and as I moved closer into the darkness, I could hear subtle whispers coming from the other side of the large room where the minibar was.

“You had one simple task, Torin, and you fucking messed it up. He's gonna be so fucking pissed,” One of the voices said, pouring in a drink.

“How was I supposed to know she was the fucking goddaughter of Kristoff Mendoza. I had no fucking choice—”

“And now we're in this fucking shit because of you, imbecile,” The first voice whispered yelled back in fury. “Give me one fucking reason why I shouldn't blow your fucking brains out this second, at least it'll save Dimitri and me from this fucking mess you've created…” The man was saying, pulling something out of his jacket, and there was a loud clicking sound.

“Don't fuck with me, Luca,” The second voice whispered yelled in muffled rage, also pulling something from the back of his jacket, pointing it at the other man, Luca.

My hand flew to cover my lips instantly, as I felt every blood in my veins drain out.

Was that… were they holding a pistol at each other?

I was almost frozen in my spot. I wished I hadn't left the kitchen. I didn't know what to do, I could try to silently sneak back to the kitchen, but for some reason, I couldn't move my damn legs.

Oh god! If they were to find me here… I could be the one receiving the bullet instead. They could just… I might be the one…

“What the fuck is going on here?!” 

Instantly, the thoughts running wildly in my head halted at the sound of that voice. It was cold and deadlier than ever. It was Dimitri's.

It was like everything around me froze instantly, including the other two at the minibar. Without warning the lights flipped back on, and my eyes connected with Dimitri's cold, dark ones, boring down at me with an unreadable expression.

“Fuck,” I heard the curse leave the lips of one of the men at the bar. I wasn't sure if it was Luca or Torin. But as I spared a quick glance their way, one had their back to me while the other had wide eyes on me with his hand hidden in his pocket.

I felt my lips parched as I swallowed a hard lump, bringing my eyes back to the devil's cold gaze.

A shiver in my bones, and I couldn't stop the tremble against my joints. I felt like a deer caught in the headlights and was about to meet its end.

“I… uhm… you're… uhm…” 

“What are you doing downstairs, shouldn't you be in bed already?”

“Yes. You are right, uhm… I should. I just couldn't sleep, so I decided to wait for you to have dinner,”

“Dinner?” He cocked his head sideways, his gray eyes boring right through me. “At this time? I told you I'd be late,”

“Oh, did you?” I held the bottle in my hand tightly. “I can't remember. I keep forgetting everything I hear and see every ten minutes,” I said, raising my voice a little so the other two at the bar could hear me. They had to know I didn't hear or see anything.

“I see,” There was a dark, knowing feeling in his voice as he ran his thumb through his bottom lip. “Let's consider that a good thing, Elena, now go to bed,”

I nodded quickly, and without hesitating, I moved my legs to motion, climbing the stairs to the bedroom.

Once I was in, I shut the door and collapsed against it. I released a breath I didn't even know I was holding and everything that happened downstairs replayed once more in my head.

And without a doubt, I knew Dimitri Castello could be worse than the devil himself.

*****

By the time I woke up the next morning, Dimitri and his guests had already left. And trust me I was glad, I didn't want to be reminded of what happened last night.

I started the day with a run around the mansion. After I was done, I had breakfast and Tiffany arrived an earlier later. We took one of the cars in the garage, and Greta insisted one of the security guards follow us, Allen. It wasn't an option. I learned that he was the new bodyguard that was assigned to me after my accident.

Our first stop was one of the beauty salons on the other side of town. Tiffany was a premium member and soon, I found myself staring right into the large mirror in front of me, as Tiff, the stylist and I kept suggesting what to do with my hair.

“I want to look different,” I said, staring at myself in the mirror. From my peripheral vision, I could see Tiffany's big smile.

“She's all yours, B,”

*****

An hour later, I couldn't take my eyes off the girl staring back at me in the mirror. She looked completely different. She looked beautiful.

Almost in disbelief, my hands brushed down the softness of my brown hair. B had reduced the length from my waist, stopping somewhere near just perfect at my back, giving it subtle curls.

I spared a glance at Tiffany and Blair Rose who stood behind me, watching me. My lips stretched into a wide smile as I almost squealed. “I love it,”

Tiffany and I did our nails before we went into the spa across the street. She was also a regular there as well. After hours of beauty treatment, we stopped at a restaurant close by to stuff our stomachs, before heading to the mall. It was one of Ford Empire's subsidiaries. I didn't even know until Tiffany told me. They had several subsidiaries in every chain of business. No wonder he was the top dog in the business world, leaving a sea of companies at its feet.

We shopped for almost everything in the curated luxury store, from accessories to clothes, bags, and shoes. I was revamping everything about me and every expense was being charged on the black Amex card.

By the time we were done with our to-do list for the day, it was way past evening. Allen drove Tiffany and me to Rich Gibsy, a famous fancy restaurant on the other side of town to have dinner. 

After we were done with dinner, we had a bottle of wine over dessert, and another one until I had begun to feel tipsy. I had no idea how long it had been, but it felt nice to go out and have fun, sitting and chatting with my best friend about random stuff. We had completely lost track of time. It was nearing almost nine by the time we dropped Tiffany off at her penthouse and headed back to the mansion.

I saw a short line of cars parked in front of the mansion. I recognized the one in the front. It was Dimitri's armored black Mercedes. It was rather odd he was back by this time. And had guests too. It was a good thing though. It was the perfect opportunity to give him the gift Tiff and I had picked out for him while shopping, and while at it, I could ask him about the gala.

Allen pulled up behind the third car and I stepped out of the car, pulling out a shopping bag, while Allen and a few staff at the mansion helped me with the rest. 

I made my way into the mansion, scanning through the main living room and the dining hall. Dimitri and his guests were neither there nor at the bar. That left his office. I made my way to the master's bedroom on the top floor. Dimitri's office was also on the top floor, a few steps away from the hallway that led to our bedroom.

I was making my way to the bedroom when I heard the mix of several voices as I approached the office. The door was slightly ajar which gave me access to see into the room. And unexpectedly, my gaze found him.

All the air whooshed out of my lungs.

Dimitri stood beside his desk, staring out at the darkness from one of the windows. I could only see his side view, and even though I didn't like to admit it, Dimitri Castello was depressingly just as stunning in person as he was on the magazine covers.

His brown hair was a perfectly coiffed mess, and the office light fell on them beautifully as though the whole world was set to highlight his beautiful looks and his ruggedly masculine charm. 

There were generically good-looking men and there was him.

My heart sank deeper in my chest, and I found myself leaning closer against the door, ignoring the low voices that filled the room. But Dimitri hadn't said a word.

I really wasn't expecting what happened next, without warning the door I was slightly leaning on was pulled open widely, and I completely lost my balance.

My eyes widened as I stumbled into the office, a second from crashing against the perfectly polished marble tiles.

“Fuck it,” I heard the outbursts of a familiar voice and before I had the unfortunate fate of collapsing ungracefully on the ground, firm hands caught me instantly.

I felt my pulse quicken as my eyes lifted to meet the familiar face. He was one of the men arguing at the bar last night.

Instantly, he positioned me back on my heels. It was then I noticed the several pairs of eyes that were now staring at me.

One of them was James and the other, I suspected was the other guy from the bar last night. I felt abashment curl up on my skin, inflaming my cheeks as my gaze met with each other's shocked ones. They were staring at me wide-eyed, almost in shock as well that for a second I thought something was on my face.

But that wasn't the case, the reaction I was getting from them was almost identical to the one I received from Allen earlier in the day when Tiff and I left the store. A pure, unadulterated look of shock, and their shock was from the change in my looks. 

Weirdly, amid the uncomfortable and awkward silence, I felt a strange confidence from their stares, and my fingers around the small gift bag tightened. Suddenly, I was curious to see the reaction of one man.

Heat slipped beneath me as my gaze met with his and I almost died.