"Excuse me," Elara stood from the table after a while to use the restroom when she saw an incoming call from Justin.
At the same time, in the adjacent building, the man dressed in black had arrived to inspect things himself.
Since the inspection was over and he got the results he had initially come for, he was about to leave when his gaze fell on the large sign of the restaurant.
"Sir, are we leaving?" Alen asked when he found his boss wasn’t following him.
Alen followed his boss’s gaze and then lifted his hand to look at the time.
It was beyond evening.
Could it be that his boss was hungry?
"Or do you want to dine here, sir? Let me talk to the manager to arrange the table." Alen stepped forward to enter the restaurant, but Daniel raised his hand, making the man stop in his tracks.
"I don’t wish to dine here, not when I can’t dine with the person I wish to dine with," Daniel said.
Alen nodded in understanding and turned around to walk to the car.
He opened the door for the car, waiting for his boss to enter.
"Sir," He said to catch his boss’s attention, but rather than coming to the car, Daniel smirked and asked Alen to do something else instead.
Once the call with Justin ended, who needed permission to proceed further with their plans, Elara used the restroom and washed her hands.
She was about to leave when the lights suddenly went out.
A gasp left her mouth when someone held her hand and pushed her against the door of the restroom.
"W-who is this?" Elara rasped, trying to break free from the grip, but with her still-healing shoulder wound, it was pretty hard and...
Elara froze when the person turned her around, pushing her back to the door with his body, and the familiar perfume entered her nostrils.
Daniel? She wondered.
She was about to open her mouth when the man grumbled and turned her around again, so her chest was pressed against the door while his hand touched the slit on her waist, touching her skin with his rough hands.
"Why didn’t you take my name?" He asked, breathing against her neck, his voice clearly indicating the struggle he was having to control his hand from doing filthy things to her, things she wasn’t yet ready for.
Elara swallowed hard. Her heart was no longer beating with fear of the unknown, but rather, it was beating because of the dangerous man behind her—not because he was making her uncomfortable, but because her body wasn’t repelling his touch.
"I didn’t know I was allowed to," Elara gritted out, hating her helplessness.
"You are allowed to, my little ifrit. Tell them I am backing you up; I am a prisoner of your beauty. Heck, tell them how you have captivated my attention and now you drive me insane," Daniel said before he took a deep breath and turned her around so he could look at her.
He stepped away, only enough to allow her to look into his eyes, which was technically impossible because of the darkness.
"Mr. Daniel—" Elara started to reason with him about how if anyone found them like this, she would get into trouble because she didn’t want people to think she was all not because of talent but because of people supporting her. Before she could talk, Daniel interrupted her.
"Take my name, and let the world know you are the person who grabbed the attention of a man who thought he was celibate until now and who wants nothing more than to slide his hand under this slit and touch that heavenly skin," Daniel said.
He placed his index finger under her chin and lifted her face.
"I am serious about you, Elara. I wanted to say this to you after your divorce so you’d be prepared, but it doesn’t matter—sooner or later, you’ll be mine. No more games. It’s only going to be me this time," Daniel said before he leaned and placed his lips on the back of her hand.
He stepped away from her, his silent retreat a louder declaration of his war with whoever would step between them. And after so many years, Elara felt her heart flutter a little.
The lights were back on, and Elara looked around frantically, but the man was nowhere to be found.
At the same time, Carla and Beatrice had stepped away to talk for a while because Carla couldn’t control her anger anymore.
The girl slammed her hand on the pillar beside her.
"I can’t believe that wretched woman made me kneel before her. You don’t see it, Beatrice, but I could. No bodyguard would meddle in the high society affairs without being told to do so," Carla said.
Beatrice looked at the girl and could feel her anger. Even she was angry about how things turned out.
Carla was eager to throw Elara out just because of the singing part, but her? She wanted Elara out because if she stayed for any reason, she would get to see Andrew more often, and now that the divorce was in the works, she wanted that woman out of their lives forever.
She was like a thorn that she was finally starting to uproot after so many years.
Besides, the way Elara had been acting these days, Beatrice was afraid that if she put her head to it, she might bewitch Andrew, and if that happened, all her plans to get into Lloyd’s family would be over.
Beatrice took a deep breath and stepped closer to Carla.
"Don’t get too angry. Let her celebrate this little victory because that girl has no idea what is going to hit her tonight. The man has her location already. He will strike after she leaves this place. Let her be happy tonight because tomorrow morning, it will be our turn," Beatrice reminded Carla.
Carla nodded, her scowl transforming into a smirk.
"You are right. You know what? Let me talk to that man. Only beating this woman wouldn’t be enough. Let him humiliate her a little so she would know what kneeling feels like," Carla said, looking at the girl who returned to her seat after using the restroom.
Beatrice nodded.
"I’ll give you his number, and you can talk to him and decide the intensity of the torture you want. Just tell him your name, and he will understand," Beatrice said before she urged them to return to their seats.
Carla stayed on the call to talk to the man and tell him exactly what she wanted him to do.
Beatrice is too innocent. It wouldn’t take just one man to teach his vile woman a lesson. That’s why I asked him to take ten with him—the more the merrier. Carla smirked before she returned to the table and smiled at Elara, who arched her brows.