Elara closed her mouth immediately, not wanting to try something against him, knowing all too well a madman like him would really go through with his words without thinking of the consequences.
"That’s what I thought." He smiled.
"What do you want?" Elara asked, trying to wriggle out of his hold.
Daniel didn’t want to let go but saw how she wouldn’t stop struggling and would only hurt herself.
"I just wanted to check on my savior," he said.
"I wasn’t trying to save you," Elara said.
Daniel nodded. "I am well aware of that, Miss Elara. The point is, you saved me, and I am a man who reciprocates everything tenfold."
He stopped before looking around the room.
He walked to the door and bolted it.
Elara’s heart skipped a beat at the action.
"What are you planning to do?" She asked.
The man shook his head.
"I won’t harm you," he said.
"I know," Elara said almost instinctively.
Elara looked into his eyes, narrowing her brows when he smiled even more and shook his head.
"You were here to sing. Try it," he said.
"You want me to sing for you?" She asked, almost baffled at his demand.
Daniel nodded.
"Why would I?" She asked, her words holding a strange provocation.
The man didn’t say anything for some time before he looked at her.
"You should. Or are you not happy with what I did?" He asked.
Elara looked at him, confused.
"What did you do?" She asked.
Daniel looked at her.
"If you kiss my cheek, I’ll tell you," he grinned.
Elara couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
"Don’t tell me then," she scoffed as she watched him sit on the couch behind.
He patted the seat beside him.
She looked at the space hesitantly. Her brother’s words about staying away from the man to avoid trouble echoed in her head.
Then again, what was she supposed to do when he had locked the door like this? Maybe if she indeed did what he wanted, he would leave earlier, no?
Elara walked to the couch and was about to sit beside him when the man shifted a bit, making her sit on his lap.
Elara gasped, flabbergasted, and was about to stand when the man snuck his hand around her waist to keep her in place.
"Does it hurt that much?" He asked, his expression serious.
It was hard for Elara to decipher what was going through his head. The way he swiftly changes the topic, the way he always acts how he wants but stays respectful to her—like right now, even when she was sitting on his lap, it didn’t feel harassing even for a second.
The way he made sure she was sitting near the knee...
Wait. This was supposed to make her mad. Why was she sitting here justifying his action? Elara narrowed her eyes.
"It’s a bullet wound. Of course, it will hurt," she sulked.
Daniel looked at the girl. The urge to put her hair behind her ears made him exhale sharply. If he did that too, she might get really scared of him, and that was the last thing he wanted to happen.
"This wound you got because you tried to save me, I’ll honor it with my life," Daniel said.
His words made Elara look into his eyes and try to read his emotions for real.
The more she observed the genuine care in his eyes, the more confused she felt.
Have we met before? The words almost lingered on her tongue, but she dismissed the thought.
The last thing she wanted was for the man to think she was hitting on him.
"Regarding the reopening of the wound, the person who caused this is going to suffer," Daniel said.
Elara’s pupils dilated when she understood the meaning behind his words.
The person who caused it... he meant Carla? But how did he know Carla pushed her? They were alone on the staircase, and she didn’t tell anyone.
"How did you—?" She started, but Daniel cut her off mid-sentence.
"I am not a fool. Like your ex-husband. You two were alone there. And I am damn sure you weren’t suicidal," he said.
Elara pressed her lips into a thin line. He hit her where it hurt the most.
"You don’t have to be so mean," she almost pouted.
"No. I don’t have to. But you must realize that man wasn’t worth your attention even for a second." Daniel said.
Elara scoffed and stood from his lap, despite the pain that shot across her left hand.
"And you are?" She spat.
Daniel stood up from the couch. He leaned forward, as if going to kiss her. Elara found herself rooted on the spot, her body almost frozen.
To her surprise, rather than kissing her, he held her hand and kissed the back of it.
"I’ll let you decide that." He said, then smiled and left.
It wasn’t until she heard the door slam that she came out of her thoughts.
Wait. What was she doing standing like that? Was she really hoping for him to kiss her? What the hell was wrong with her head? Elara wondered before looking at the door with a glare, her expression softening when she remembered what he said.
So Daniel was the one who made Noah drop Carla as their artist? Cancel all the tours and future events? Just how influential is he really? Elara thought before shaking her head. She shouldn’t be thinking about that.
Not wanting to stay alone in the room, Elara walked to the front door and unlocked it since Daniel had left using the back door.
"Miss Elara, do you need anything?" Antonio asked, standing immediately.
Elara looked at her bodyguard before sighing.
"Can you go and ask Nate if it will take long? My hand aches, and I don’t want to strain it further. I want to go home. He isn’t picking up my call," Elara said.
Antonio studied Elara’s expression.
It was clear something had happened. She looked a bit anxious and flustered. Did someone unwanted call her? He thought but didn’t probe further, leaving as requested by her.
Inside the elevator, Daniel messaged Alen that he was leaving the building since his purpose of coming here was over.
He raised his hand that was around Elara’s waist a couple of minutes ago and smiled, his smile faltering immediately when he looked at his reflection on the elevator’s wall, looking like a fool.
Alen, who received the message, looked at the realtor sitting before him, who had been thinking about why the secretary wasn’t leaving.
"Okay. We were here just to pick up the file, anyway. We’ll leave now," Alen said before leaving the office, leaving the manager confused.