"h.e.l.lo Ms. Shaw."

"Mr. Hayes." Elle said in greeting. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"It's a cold night. Let me give you a ride home."

"You drove all the way over here just to give me a ride home?" Elle asked with a laugh.

"I was in the neighbourhood." Adam lied.

Though she would never admit it, Elle was somewhat disappointed. Not because she wanted to spend more time with Adam, but because part of her had been looking forward to eating a feast again.

Elle was about to decline; after all she had driven herself to work. She would be inconvenienced the next morning if she left her car behind. But the look on Adam's face stopped her.

She had never seen him look so serious before. Stern perhaps, and maybe even attentive, but never as focused as he looked now. Elle got the feeling this was important to him.

"Won't it be troublesome for you?" She asked hesitantly.

"Not at all."

"Then I'll accept."

Adam felt relieved as he opened the pa.s.senger door for her. She got in gracefully and Adam shut the door behind her before getting in to the driver's seat.

They drove in silence for the most part. Elle fidgeted as the silence made her feel uncomfortable.

"How are MK's preparations coming along?" She asked finally, when she could bear the silence no more.

Adam glanced at her for a moment before looking back at the road. "Things are progressing well."

"Have you found another model?"

"We haven't," Adam said, seeing his opportunity, "but I hoped you might reconsider."

"I'm not a model." Elle said softly.

"It's only a jewellery event. You don't need to walk a runway. Just put on the piece and walk around the party like you normally would."

"I can't." Elle insisted. How could she possibly agree? She had no confidence, no self-esteem. Surely it would be better for them to hire a professional.

"There is one more detail. No one will know it is you."

"What do you mean?" Elle asked, confused.

"The theme is a masquerade ball. All the models will be in masks, and MK won't announce your name. I will be the only person who knows it's you." Adam explained, revealing his latest change to the event. "You don't need to give me your answer right away. Think it over for the next few days if you like, but just know that I won't let you decline easily. I have my mind quite made up."

"I'll think it over then." Elle didn't have the heart to reject him immediately, but even knowing that it would be a masquerade theme Elle didn't have any intention to accept. To do so would be to put herself under a spotlight. She didn't have the courage to do it.

The rest of the trip was made in silence, but Adam didn't seem to mind.

Finally, they pulled up in front of Elle's house, but Elle didn't get out right away. She simply sat in the pa.s.senger seat looking solemnly out the window at the house.

"Is something wrong?" Adam asked after a moment.

"I'm afraid." She murmured.

It was barely a whisper, but Adam still heard her. "Of what?" He asked with a frown.

She turned back and looked at him with a sad smile. "It's nothing. Thank you for the ride."

Elle swiftly left the car and hurried inside. It really was a cold night.

It had been a long day, and Elle felt emotionally and physically tired. She was looking forward to a hot bath. As she made her way to her bedroom she pa.s.sed her father's study. The door was cracked open, and Elle unintentionally heard the conversation inside.

"I'm planning to have you join the company after the holidays." She heard her father say.

"Yes father." Jacob replied.

Perhaps she shouldn't have, but Elle stopped in the hallway, pressed her back flat against the wall, and listened.

"We'll start you out in a lower level position but I'm sure you'll rise in the ranks quickly. Once you've gotten used to things I will officially announce that you're my son and we can place you in a director's position."

Elle had heard enough. She pushed herself off the wall and continued to her room. She was neither sad, nor angry. For once she didn't cry. Instead she felt a strange sort of calmness in her.

As soon as she got to her room she did two things: she sent a text message to Adam, and she made a quick post to her book. It was short, but Elle felt the need to cleanse it from herself.

She wrote down the answer to Adam's question.

"I'm afraid. I fear the pain of one more loveless night."

After she finished she threw her phone onto her bed and went into the bathroom, eager to draw herself a hot bath.

~~

It was almost half an hour later that Adam finally got home. As he entered his condo he saw the two missed notifications on his phone. The first was Elle's text:

"I'll do it." She wrote.

Adam couldn't deny he was pleased. He had worked so hard to convince her after all; it was only natural to be happy of his success. Part of him wondered what had changed, she had still seemed reluctant up until a moment ago. But Adam had got the result that he had wanted, so he didn't pay to much mind to it.

The second notification was another update of Elle's story. Adam opened it and read. He frowned slightly at the miserable words.

If there was any doubt before there certainly wasn't now. This wasn't just some made up story, these were her feelings. How much of the sad story was her own burden, he wondered.