Chapter 59

The black Audi crawled along in an endless stream of traffic.

Elena glanced at the map.

She was finally getting out of the worst of it. Three more turns and she would reach the road leading back to the villa.

She had to admit, living there was ridiculously comfortable.

The view outside the windows was beautiful, everything she could possibly need was taken care of, the bedroom was gorgeous, and even the bed seemed made for her.

The problem was…

Could she really start thinking of that place as home?

Elena had never cared much about labels.

If this had started as a normal relationship, then of course she would. But from the beginning, she had approached Richard because she needed someone powerful enough to keep her alive.

Compared with having her legs broken and being thrown into the water to drown, the exact nature of their relationship hadn't seemed all that important.

Once she'd had time to think, she had considered running.

She could drop out of school if she had to. Leave the city. Get as far away from Victoria and the people around her as possible.

But that wouldn't solve anything.

The people who killed “Elena” in the novel hadn't done it because she'd personally offended them. They did it because she had once been Adrian's girlfriend, and hurting her was an easy way to curry favor with Victoria.

Once Victoria and Adrian got together, the ex-girlfriend became an embarrassment people wanted erased.

Of course, the novel hadn't made Elena particularly likable either. She pestered Adrian for money, got jealous easily, and did plenty of things that annoyed readers.

But she had never done anything truly terrible.

She certainly hadn't deserved to die.

So running wasn't much of a plan.

By the time she'd arrived in this world, she was already Adrian's girlfriend. Even if she disappeared, those rich kids had the money and connections to find her if they really wanted to.

Was she willing to bet her life that they wouldn't?

No.

So if Richard was willing to protect her, walking away from him now would be stupid.

The trouble was, Elena had never done anything like this before.

She hadn't exactly arrived with a detailed plan, and things with Richard had already gone much further than she'd expected.

What was she supposed to do next?

Should she keep getting closer to him, or pull back a little? Maybe act less interested and make him come to her?

Elena thought about it for a few seconds.

…No. That probably wouldn't work.

Richard was far too perceptive. If she tried playing games with him, he'd probably see through her before she even finished the first move.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

And then there was everything that had already happened between them.

Elena felt her cheeks warm.

Oh, no.

Did she actually like him?

Then again, it wasn't exactly strange to like a man who was handsome, capable, and very good to her.

The problem was their situation.

Getting genuinely attached might be a terrible idea.

Her phone vibrated in the storage compartment.

Richard had sent her a message.

[I'm almost home.]

A second message followed.

[Where are you?]

Elena stared at the screen.

She typed a reply, deleted it, then tried again.

Eventually, she settled for:

[Still stuck in traffic.]

Half a minute later, Richard sent another message.

This time, it was a photo.

Dinner.

Otoro sashimi, miso-glazed black cod, wagyu with fresh wasabi, uni chawanmushi, and snow crab rice.

Elena stared at the screen.

Her stomach immediately betrayed her.

She hadn't eaten dinner, and she'd already spent more than three hours behind the wheel.

“…”

Okay.

Whatever existential crisis she was having could wait.

She was starving.

And everything in that picture looked ridiculously good.

Elena quietly sent another message.

[Three more intersections. Almost there.]

The light turned green.

The black Audi made a smooth right turn and headed up the tree-lined road toward the villa.

Elena hadn't been home long when Richard arrived.

He brought the chill of the autumn night in with him, along with the faint scent of cologne, tobacco, and alcohol.

Another social event, probably.

He walked in without removing his suit jacket. His tie had been loosened slightly, taking some of the severity out of his usual appearance.

When he saw her, a faint smile appeared in his dark eyes.

“Dinner?”

Elena nodded.

The food was brought out soon afterward, and they sat down across from each other.

Elena was far too hungry to think about anything else. She picked up a slice of otoro and put it into her mouth.

The rich tuna practically melted on her tongue.

“Mmm…”

Her eyes narrowed happily.

“This is so good.”

Across the table, Richard watched her eat with the enthusiasm of someone who hadn't seen food in days.

The corner of his mouth lifted.

“Slow down.”

“Mhm.”

Elena swallowed and took a sip of cold-brewed hojicha.

Only then did she notice that Richard was actually eating too.

He looked hungry.

“Wait.” She looked at him curiously. “Were you working this whole time? You didn't eat anything earlier?”

She had assumed he'd sent her the dinner photo just to lure her home.

“No.”

Richard wiped his fingers with a damp napkin.

“I went to a private art gathering on the east side. An old friend was hosting it. Traffic was bad on the way back too.”

Elena blinked.

A thought suddenly occurred to her.

“Why don't you just use a helicopter?”

Richard looked at her.

“Are you not allowed to fly over the city or something?”

“Partly. But you still need approved places to take off and land. If there isn't one near where you're going, a helicopter can be more trouble than sitting in traffic.”

Elena listened seriously.

“Night flights over residential areas are restricted too, mostly because of the noise,” Richard added. “I'll take you up sometime. You'll see what I mean.”

“Oh.”

Elena nodded thoughtfully.

“That sounds like a lot of trouble.”

Richard watched her solemn expression, amusement appearing in his eyes.

“Anything else you want to ask?”

Elena suddenly looked a little embarrassed.

“…No.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“You look like you have another question.”

She pressed her lips together.

“I just feel like my questions are kind of stupid sometimes.”

Richard shook his head.

His gaze rested quietly on her.

“Everyone has things they don't know,” he said. “You ask, and then you know.”

Something in Elena's chest stirred.

“Okay…”

She hesitated.

“Then when you rich CEO types go to those fancy private events, do you seriously not eat?”

Richard waited for the rest.

“Is the food terrible, or is everyone too busy trying to look important? Like, whoever gets hungry first and starts chewing loses?”

She paused, suddenly less confident.

“…That was a stupid question, wasn't it?”

“No.”

Richard picked up his glass.

“Those gatherings are basically negotiation tables with better scenery. People may be holding wine and looking at paintings, but they're thinking about next quarter's acquisitions, share swaps, or which way the political winds are shifting.”

Elena listened without interrupting.

“Most conversations are really about exchanging information and figuring out where everyone stands. You need to stay sharp enough to notice when something changes. A heavy meal doesn't help with that, so most people either don't eat or only have a little.”

Richard set down his chopsticks and poured himself some chilled hojicha.

“Besides, the food at home is better.”

He glanced at Elena, then added casually,

“And there's someone here to eat with.”

Elena's face immediately grew warm.