Chapter 23
Elena
Elena parked her car in the parking spot and made her way toward the café.
It wasn't even close to evening, yet the clouds had rolled in and turned the city a few shades darker, as though someone had dimmed the lights without warning. A playful gust of wind tugged at her coat, making her misstep for a second before she recovered with what she hoped looked like grace.
Most people noticed the change. A few glanced skyward, frowned thoughtfully, and then continued on their way. Apparently, dramatic weather wasn't enough to interrupt a Tuesday.
It had been a week, and Elena still hadn't replied.
A week since he'd asked her out.
There hadn't been a grand speech or some dramatic declaration. He'd simply told her he wanted a chance—as if it were the most obvious thing in the world—and then left her alone with her thoughts.
Unfortunately, her thoughts had proven to be terrible company.
Every day, she came a little closer to throwing caution to the wind and saying yes. Every day, she reminded herself why that was a bad idea.
No matter how miserable the whole situation made her, Elena stood her ground.
Mostly.
Because beneath the frustration, there was concern.
Something had happened. She knew it had. She'd seen it in his eyes, heard it in the things he didn't say. And whatever it was, it was serious enough that he couldn't bring himself to tell her.
That should have made her sympathetic.
Instead, it made her frustrated.
If he trusted her enough to ask for a chance, why didn't he trust her enough to tell her the truth?
Elena pushed open the door to the café.
It was exactly the sort of place William would pick—warm lighting, too many plants, and enough cozy corners to convince people they were starring in an indie movie instead of answering emails.
A smile tugged at her lips as she stepped inside.
William wasn't there yet. He was meeting her to hand over the last of the paperwork now that her divorce was officially finalized.
The thought brought an unfamiliar sense of lightness.
Thank goodness for William.
He was a good friend and a really damn good lawyer. The entire divorce process had terrified her from the start. She'd been dreading unpleasant confrontations and the possibility of having to face Kyle again.
Instead, William had handled everything with his usual competence and endless patience, sparing her from most of the mess.
For that alone, she owed him more coffees than either of them could reasonably drink.
Elena's gaze swept across the café, searching for William's familiar suit jacket.
Instead, her attention snagged on a woman seated near the opposite corner.
She looked barely out of her teens, with dark brown hair falling just to her shoulders and an untouched cup of coffee sitting in front of her. Two men occupied nearby tables, dressed casually enough to blend into the afternoon crowd.
To most people, they would've looked like ordinary customers.
Elena knew better.
Wealth attracted security.
And security had a particular look—the careful placement, the unobtrusive sightlines, the way they watched every entrance while pretending not to watch anything at all.
One of the men casually scanned the room.
Yep. Bodyguards.
Her gaze drifted back to the young woman.
Something about her seemed familiar.
Elena found herself staring a second longer than was polite. Dark hair framed a delicate face she almost recognized. Time had changed her just enough that Elena was on the verge of looking away when recognition finally clicked into place.
Wait.
No way. It was Carter's younger sister.
"Caroline?" she called.
The young woman blinked in surprise before her face brightened instantly.
"Elena?”
Caroline immediately pushed back her chair and got to her feet.
She had barely taken two steps before one of the men moved.
The one in the beige jacket smoothly intercepted her path, extending an arm just enough to create a barrier without appearing confrontational. The movement was effortless, practiced—the kind of thing that came from years of doing exactly this.
Caroline stopped short.
"Oh, for God's sake."
The bodyguard didn't budge.
She folded her arms and tilted her head back dramatically.
"It's okay, Derek. This is Elena."
Then, with the air of someone explaining something painfully obvious to a stubborn child, she added, "She's Carter's ex-girlfriend. She's not trying to assassinate me."
A faint blush crept into her cheeks.
"Can you please stop acting like every human being within a ten-foot radius is a threat?"
Derek remained entirely unimpressed.
His gaze swept over Elena from head to toe with polite but unmistakable suspicion before he finally stepped aside.
Even then, he didn't go far.
Elena had the distinct impression that if she so much as sneezed too aggressively in Caroline's direction, Derek would somehow be there before the second sneeze.
***
Caroline slipped into the chair across from Elena while Derek retreated to his previous position, though "retreated" was probably too generous a word. The man was still close enough to launch himself across the table if Elena suddenly revealed herself to be an international supervillain.
Hmm… now that Carter’s a billionaire, maybe he thought his sister would become some kind of easy target. Maybe that’s why he went overboard with the security.
Around them, the café hummed with quiet conversation and the occasional clink of ceramic against wood.
The warm glow of hanging lights reflected off the large windows overlooking the street.
Outside, the clouds continued to gather, turning the afternoon a shade darker.
A few customers glanced toward the sky before returning to their drinks and conversations.
It was New York. A little dramatic weather wasn't enough to derail anyone's day.
Up close, Elena could still see traces of the teenager she remembered.
Back then, Caroline had been the kind of girl who spent social gatherings tucked into a corner with a fantasy novel twice the size of her head, emerging only to passionately explain some obscure piece of lore nobody else understood.
The memory made Elena smile.
Caroline's features had matured, and she carried herself with far more confidence now, but there was still something undeniably gentle about her. She looked like the sort of person who apologized when somebody else walked into her.
"Look at you," Elena said, shaking her head fondly. "You've grown up.”
Caroline laughed softly and tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear.
"That's usually what happens when people don't see each other for years."
Elena laughed.
"Fair point. So where have you been all this time?"
"We moved to London about four years ago," Caroline said. "I've actually been staying at Carter's place while I was here, but I'm flying back tonight. I'm on my college break."
She brightened visibly. "I got into Aurelia."
Elena smiled. "Yeah, Carter told me."
The pride on Caroline's face was impossible to miss. She looked genuinely excited, and Elena couldn't help feeling happy for her.
Then Caroline's eyes widened slightly.
"Wait." She leaned forward. "So you and my brother are back together?"
The eagerness in her voice was almost comical.
Elena was momentarily distracted by how much Caroline looked like her brother. The same warm brown, puppy-dog eyes. The same expressive face.
A wave of unexpected affection washed over her.
"Oh, no," Elena said quickly. "No. We're just working together."
Caroline's smile faltered. "Oh."
But she recovered fast, reaching for her coffee as though she hadn't reacted at all.
Unfortunately for her, Elena had known her since she was thirteen.
The disappointment was impossible to miss.
Same, Elena thought, unable to hide that she felt exactly the same disappointment.
“So you’re on your way to the airport?” Elena asked, her eyes briefly dropping to the neatly placed bags beside Caroline’s chair.
“Yeah,” Caroline said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m waiting for William.”
Elena raised an eyebrow as she didn’t miss the change in Caroline at the mention of William’s name.
Caroline sat up a little straighter, a faint pink color rising to her cheeks. Her eyes brightened, as if the room had suddenly become more interesting than it had been a moment ago. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, even though it was already perfectly in place.
“My brother asked him to drop me at the airport,” she continued, a touch too quick.
She gave a small, airy scoff and folded her arms.
“Apparently everyone thinks I need supervision.”
Her voice sharpened just slightly, defensive in a way that was more embarrassed than annoyed.
“I can get to the airport myself. I’ve been traveling internationally since I was sixteen.”
But even as she said it, her gaze drifted—just once—back toward the café entrance.
Waiting.
Elena leaned back slightly in her chair, trying to hide a smile behind her coffee.
The girl was totally smitten with William, Elena possessed total immunity though.
Having known him since they were toddlers, she saw him only as an annoying brother she loved—the kind who used to eat dirt on a dare and still lost his designer sunglasses every single time he went out—Not the local heartthrob who caused women to trip over their own feet and giggle helplessly whenever he ran a hand through his blonde hair.
Yet, she couldn’t deny his bizarre superpower to capture a room without even trying; especially since he started wearing suits, he had a habit of catching the eye of every woman around, from local heiresses to actual supermodels.
He was the human embodiment of a perfect beach day—a golden-blonde blur of pure sunshine energy that made everyone around him instantly melt.
Caroline was sweet.
William was William.
Elena suddenly felt a tiny pang of sympathy for the younger woman.
This looked suspiciously like the beginning of a crush.