Chapter 65
CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
ELENA
Friday arrived in a blink. I’d been so busy with Musepaper and trying to organize the next few months’ articles that I almost forgot about Vivian’s charity event. The article I’d written about the bank scam blew up even more after Jonah’s arrest, which led to the apprehension of the Duke of Cambridge. I was grateful for my PR team, who handled that side of the business for me.
Because Orion was an investor, I kept him updated even though he didn’t ask to be. He always had wonderful suggestions and guidance to help me choose the right candidate or vendor. But he left the final decision on Musepaper up to me. I appreciated that more than he knew.
Sabrina was arrested for helping Chantel launder money. Both of them had already posted bail, awaiting trial.
With everything squared away, I planned on taking next week off just to rest. I got dressed for Vivian’s event in the red dress that Orion had bought for me at the silent auction. This would be my first time wearing it after the fashion show.
I arrived at the Skyline Building, a tall business building in downtown Providence. I heard they had a great restaurant on the ground floor, but hadn’t visited it.
When I got to the restaurant, there were no customers inside. The waiter in a black suit smiled at me. “You must be Elena. Please come with me.”
I glanced around. “Where’s everyone?”
“The restaurant is closed today.”
“Oh.” What was going on here?
My phone buzzed with a text message.
Vivian: We won’t be able to make it today, babe. (Smile emoji)
Tell him how you feel. (Heart emoji)
Audri: A man who asks his girls’ besties for help is a man deeply in love.
Kiera: We want to know all the deets!
Michelle: Forgive the man for his obliviousness. (Heart emoji)
Audri: All men are oblivious. (Eye roll emoji)
Natalie: Some men need to hear the EXACT words to understand.
Vivian: We love you! Gonna go light candles now.
Kiera: LOL. Me too!
Audri, Michelle, and Natalie all said the same thing.
Candles? The mystery deepened.
Orion: I see you, Sunshine.
I looked up from my phone, and my heart twirled at the most compelling thief who had stolen my heart. Orion walked toward me from the other end of the restaurant. He wore a tailored black suit that rendered him stunning, powerful, and mysterious—all the things that had captivated me from the beginning. But now I knew there was more to the man beneath that irresistible fa?ade. I knew his vulnerabilities, and he knew mine.
At that moment a quiet answer slipped into my heart. He was the key to my lock, and I was the key to his—we were intricate parts of each other.
“Hello.” His eyes sparked as he raked a gaze down my body. “You’re beautiful. I’m glad to see you wearing this dress.” He touched the strap on my shoulder, and I shivered when his fingers grazed my skin.
“Thank you,” I said. “You look like you’re ready to take over the world.”
“I’m only interested in making my love happy tonight.” He brushed a finger down my cheek. “Ready for dinner?”
“Yup. Wanna tell me how you coerced my friends into tricking me to be here? Why didn’t you just ask me and save all the trouble?”
He took my hand in his. “Would you have agreed to meet me? It took me a long time for you to agree to have dinner with me tomorrow. I didn’t think you’d agree to meet me on Friday and Saturday.”
“You never know until you try,” I said, knowing he was right. “What’s so special about Friday?”
He kissed my hand. “I needed you to be here for tonight.”
“Why?”
“Because the sky’s clear tonight. But first, let’s enjoy dinner.”
Impatience and curiosity overcame everything else.
“What if I want to see that special thing now?”
“You need to wait another two hours. Let’s eat first, and you can tell me why you’ve been hesitant with me. I need you to be honest with me.”