In the end, Carris had no choice but to give in to him.
When the n finished checking the piano and the ear monitors, they found no trackers, hidden microphones, or dangerous devices on them, which honestly made the whole situation even stranger...
Soon, Tonio was slumped against the couch fast asleep. Ziva had gone to her room to take a shower, while Carris had stepped outside with the tech guys and still hadn’t returned.
Elara remained by the window fiddling with the ear monitors in her hands. The diamonds glittered like tiny stars whenever the light touched them.
They were really beautiful. She had to admit. But there’s a difference between buying sothing for yourself and soone buying sothing for you, especially when the buyer is unknown.
Her lips pursed as she stared at them quietly. Then with a sudden spark of curiosity, she lifted the right monitor and tucked it into her ear.
It fit perfectly. So perfectly it almost felt like it had been made as part of her own body. She did the sa with the left.
The mont they were both in, everything went silent. She then touched the tiny sensor she had found on it.
The device gave a soft whirr followed by a faint click. But after all those settled down, the only sound left was sothing like the booming roar of an ocean, filtered strangely as if it was being heard from underwater.
Surprisingly, it sounded refreshing to soone like her.
Who would have sent sothing like this?
She thought, the corner of her lips twitching involuntarily. She raised her hand to remove them but they stopped midway. The sound was strangely impressive.
She lowered her hand again, but she had barely done so when soone suddenly tapped her arm.
Her heart jerked and she turned back abruptly from the suddenness. But seeing Carris there, she let out a deep breath.
His lips moved as if he was saying sothing but she didn’t hear him, so she finally reached up and pulled the monitors from her ears.
"Why did you turn around like I was about to stab you?" he muttered with raised brows.
Elara snorted, then turned back toward the window. "I didn’t hear you enter. This thing blocked out every sound around ."
Carris went quiet and moved to stand beside her, leaning his elbows against the window railing. As he leaned closer, his eyes drifted toward the back of her shoulder.
His jaw tightened as he did so, a muscle jumping faintly in his cheek. But the mont Elara’s eyes moved toward his, his gaze snapped away imdiately to the empty streets below.
"Elara," he suddenly said in a low serious tone. "You need to be careful. More careful than you’ve been."
Elara raised her brows. "Because of a gift?"
"It might not be as simple as you think," he cut in sharply.
Of course Elara knew that already. She wasn’t soone who believed gifts or favors ca without aning attached to them. But hearing Carris lecture her like this made the corner of her lips twitch slightly.
"People... n especially, don’t just give things like this," he said pointing toward the piano resting at the corner of the room. "That’s definitely not from so random fan. That’s soone trying to occupy your head and your space."
He let out a short bitter laugh. "Most of them are assholes who think having a huge bank account automatically gives them rights to a woman’s attention. They think if they build a high enough throne, you’ll sit there and wait for them."
Elara looked up at him, a small amused smile playing on her lips. "You’re talking as if you’re not a man yourself. Since when did you beco an expert on the dark hearts of anonymous billionaires?"
Carris didn’t smile back. "I’m an expert because I know how we think."
Elara felt a strange warmth in his words, but she simply returned her attention to the streets below. "You’re very dramatic. Is it the flu? Have you been spending too much ti around Ziva?"
Carris shook his head with a sigh, though his smile finally returned. "I’m serious," he muttered before waving a hand dismissively. "Whatever. Go get ready. We’re leaving in thirty minutes."
Then he glanced toward the couch where Tonio was still sleeping like a man who had paid rent there for ten years.
"And please wake that man before he starts drooling on the couch."
–
That night, they finally left for the private lounge in Carris’s car with he and Tonio in the front seats while Elara and Ziva sat at the back.
Tonio had strongly opposed the arrangent earlier, insisting that he needed to stay beside Elara in case Carris turned out to be so secret serial kidnapper. But Carris had calmly inford him that it was either the front seat or the roadside.
Tonio obeyed imdiately.
The lounge was classy and private, tucked away in a distant district. They were led to a section close to the wide glass windows overlooking the city.
The mont they settled around the table, Carris ordered drinks and food without even looking at the nu. "To surviving chaos and accidentally becoming chart monsters," he said lifting his glass of vintage champagne.
Everyone clinked glasses with him.
At so point, when Tonio had clearly gotten too excited from the alcohol, he suddenly stood up and pulled out his phone. Then he started taking "accidental selfies," subtly showing off his abs through his tight shirt with Elara conveniently in the background.
He shifted sideways again, probably trying to get Carris into the shot too but Carris imdiately turned his face away with a tired shake of his head.
For most of the night, Elara, Ziva, and Carris talked about ideas for the music video while Tonio interrupted every few minutes with dramatic suggestions nobody asked for.
"Man, if I accidentally appear in that video as a background extra or sothing, trust , it’s going to beco legendary," he declared proudly, lightly punching Carris on the shoulder.
Carris only sighed already looking ntally exhausted.
Eventually, Elara started feeling uneasy. She badly wanted to splash so water on her face so she stood up from her seat. "I’ll be back. I want to use the restroom," she muttered while Carris nodded in acknowledgent.
"If there’s any trouble Frostiebun, just scream out my na okay?" Tonio called after her.
The corner of Elara’s lips lifted a little before she rolled her eyes and walked away.
As she pushed open the door she assud led to the restroom, she realized it instead opened into a dimly lit narrow corridor.
She walked further inside anyway.
Not long after, she finally spotted a door with a silver plaque that read Ladies’ Restroom. She pushed it open and stepped inside. After locking the door behind her, she turned and started walking forward.
But her footsteps suddenly ca to an abrupt stop.
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