Make A Deal

{Dorian /Elara}

{Dorian’s POV}

I sat in the meeting as the financial team gave their presentation.

The room was dark and tense and the only source of light was that of the huge tv screen in the conference room.

Suddenly my phone beeped and seeing it was from Pen, I lifted my hand, indicating for the man presenting to stop speaking before picking up the phone.

Pen: Sir, madam is requesting to leave the mansion to meet up with a friend.

I paused for a moment, my thumb hovering over the screen longer than necessary, before texting back.

“Have Dan drive her. Tell him to communicate with the twins about her schedule.

Her reply came almost immediately.

Pen: Understood, sir.

I locked my phone and placed it down on the table.

“Continue,” I said coldly, and the presenter cleared his throat and resumed speaking.

The meeting dragged on for another hour, before I finally stood along with Zeke who was seated beside me.

“Send me the revised figures by tonight.”

Everyone immediately rose to their feet.

“Yes, sir.”

I left the conference room and headed toward my office. The moment the door closed behind me, I sat on my chair and rested my head against it.

‘She just couldn’t keep her ass in one place, huh.’ I thought when another text came in. This time it was my grandfather.

Old man: When are you going to introduce me to my granddaughter-in-law? Or did you think I wouldn’t find out?

My jaw tightened.

Damn old man. Information travels far too quickly in this family.

A knock sounded on the door.

"Come in." I set the phone aside

Zeke stepped inside, carrying a tablet in one hand.

"The investors from Singapore want a response by tomorrow. They are asking for a personal meeting."

I paused and thought about it. This means I’ll have to fly over.

I suppressed a sigh.

"Fine. Schedule the meeting with them. We’ll leave this evening."

“Of course, sir.”

Zeke made a note on the tablet before turning to leave.

“One more thing,” I said.

He paused at the door and turned back, waiting for me to continue.

For a moment, I hesitated, carefully considering my words.

Then I finally spoke.

“While I'm gone, have the twins keep me updated on everything that happens.”

Zeke’s expression remained unreadable.

“Understood,” he replied and stepped out, closing the door behind him.

I cleared my throat and adjusted my tie before attending to the stack of files on my desk.

>>>>>

{Elara’s POV}

I quietly sipped my coffee as I waited patiently in the café for Shelly.

‘Where the hell is this girl.’ I wondered

I looked at the time and it was already 5:30pm. She's running very late, and I needed to be back before 8pm.

I brought out my phone to text her when a weirdly dressed woman walked into the café.

She glanced around the room as if searching for someone. Then she looked in my direction and paused.

‘Hold on. Is that...?’

Before I could process the thought, she was already making her way toward my table. I nearly jumped out of my seat.

“Sorry, sorry. I know I’m late, but I had to find the perfect disguise.”

“Shelly!” I gasped. Shock clearly written on my face as I studied her outfit.

“What the hell are you wearing?”

She had on an oversized coat, a floppy hat, and large black glasses that covered half her face. It was the kind of outfit that drew more attention than it hid.

“I got your text late, and I needed the perfect disguise, okay?” she said defensively, turning her head from side to side as she scanned the café.

“Where’s the bulky guy?” she whispered, referring to my driver, as she leaned close to me. Her hat almost knocking off my coffee.

I just stared at her speechless, along with other onlookers in the café. I had almost forgotten the deal I signed when I became friends with Shelly.

“Your outfit is just… wow.” I chuckled and sipped on my coffee.

“Hey! Don’t mock me. I put in a lot of effort just thinking of a disguise. I don’t want your husband predicting my life.” She removed the hat then reached across the table and stole one of the pastries from my plate.

“Speaking of husband,” she said between bites. “Tell me everything.”

I sighed, and wrapped both hands around my coffee cup. The drink had gone lukewarm while I waited for her.

Before long, I started talking.

I told her how I was caught that night, the event that happened at the registration office, and his rules but I left out the part that happened after the rules. The next thing I felt was a slap on my arm.

“Ouch!” I gasped

“I told you not to let him touch you. Why did you kiss him?”

“I didn’t kiss him okay? He approached me before I could even react.” I said rubbing the area I was hit.

“Well that’s what men do. They’ll crawl on you before you can even blink, so you have to be on guard at all times.” She sighed and rested her back against her chair as if thinking about something

“Look, the only way out of this is to make a deal with him.”

“A deal?”

“Yes.” She leaned forward, lowering her voice. “Find out how much your uncle owed him. Once we know the amount, we can work from there.”

I stared at her.

“Work from where exactly? Shelly, what if it’s millions of dollars?”

“Then we’ll panic when we get there.”

“Shelly!”

“Look, it’s either that or you get a job.” She said matter of fact. The teasing edge in her voice completely faded, then replaced with a serious tone.

“Are you really going to let your talents go to waste? It’ll really hurt your parents if you give up on your dreams just because you lost them.

My eyes widened slightly, before my gaze dropped to the cup of coffee in front of me. Tears burned in my eyes as a familiar heaviness settled in my chest. It's been years, but the pain still lingered, refusing to fade.

Shelly’s hand rested on mine from across the table and gently squeezed it.

“I'm sorry. She said softly. “I shouldn’t have brought them up like that. But think about it, Elara. Whenever you talk about designing, there’s this spark in your eyes. You light up in a way I don’t see with anything else.”

A small smile tugged at her lips.

“And if you ask me, that’s my favorite thing about you.”

I lifted my head and stared at her, unsure of what to say.

“I mean, I like designing,” she continued with a shrug. “But you, Elara? You love it. It’s a part of who you are.”

Her grip tightened around my hands.

“So please… don’t give up on it, okay?”

She dipped her hands into the big bag she came with then brought out a book and slid it across the table to me.

“I saw this on my way here, so I thought… you know…”

I looked down at the book and slowly flipped it open. It was one of my old drawing books, the same one I’d given her after the tragedy.

Around us, cups clinked against saucers and a barista called out someone’s order, but the sounds seemed distant.

All I could see were the sketches.

Page after page revealed designs I’d once poured my heart into.

My fingers lingered over the sketches as memories surfaced one after another.

Oh Shelly.

I closed it and hugged it close to my chest. A tear slipped down my cheek before I could stop it, and this time, I didn’t wipe it away.

For years, I’d convinced myself that giving up was easier than risking failure.

Across the table, I felt Shelly’s chair scrape softly against the floor. Before I could look up, warm arms wrapped around my shoulders. The suddenness of it stole the breath from my lungs.

“I miss them,” I choked out.

The confession felt small compared to the weight I’d been carrying. But Shelly understood.

“I know.” She said, making circles on my back. “I’ve got you, Elara.”

I sniffed trying to compose myself seeing as we were still in the café. The knot in my chest loosened just enough for me to breathe.

She slipped off her glasses and gently placed them on my face.

“There, there,” she said with a teasing smile. “We can’t have a baddie crying in a café, can we? I’d rather not have your giant driver give me a huge punch for making you cry.”

I chuckled at that and pushed her away gently.

“You’re crazy,” I said, shaking my head.

“Wow. So ungrateful,” she shot back, laughing along with me.

Minutes later, we walked out of the cafe. The sun had already gone down.

I adjusted Shelly’s oversized glasses and handed them back to her.

“You know, normal people don’t carry disguises around in giant bags.”

She gasped dramatically.

“And that’s why normal people get caught.”

Before I could respond, the familiar black car parked across the street came into view.

My smile faded.

The bulky driver was already standing beside the vehicle.

Waiting.

Suddenly, it hit me. The time.

My stomach dropped.

Panic surged through me as I fumbled through my purse and pulled out my phone. The screen lit up, and my eyes widened.

8:03p.m.

Oh no.