The Bargain Undercover

Jealousy

Eliana rang the doorbell, looking around cautiously once again. As soon as Xander opened the door, she darted in.

"I feel like a thief." Finally relieved, she took off her cap and mask. As her popularity in the ballet industry grew, it became necessary for her to disguise herself when meeting Xander to avoid being recognized.

Xander didn't react to that, simply signaling with his eyes for her to remove her clothes.

It immediately triggered Eliana's alert - he was in a bad mood.

Her survival mode was turned on. She shut up, took off her clothes one by one, and took whatever he gave her. Being obedient without uttering redundant words was crucial for surviving, but inside, she wondered what had caused this sudden change in him. The way he pinned her to the sofa tonight was rough, as if his recent gentleness had been nothing but a dream. She endured, stifling the groans that bubbled up. However, when Xander bit her hard on the shoulder, she let out a whimper subconsciously.

He stopped. "Hurt?"

She nodded, her eyes watery. "A little bit."

He didn't let her go, but unexpectedly, his bites became gentler after that.

Time ticked by, and the afterglow slowly faded from the sky. When Eliana was about to leave, darkness had climbed higher.

She put on her cap, thinking about what to eat for dinner once she got home. Right at this moment, a delicious aroma wafted in. Her stomach grumbled, and she exclaimed, "Who's cooking? It smells amazing!"

"Did you eat?" Xander asked.

Eliana shook her head. "Not yet."

Xander took out his phone. "Do you want to order food with me?"

Food. What a wonderful word. "Yes! Feed me!" Eliana took off her cap again, taking his offer immediately.

Just like their first dinner together, this time, they also ordered a lot of food - more specifically, Eliana was the one who placed the order. But Xander wasn't surprised anymore because he had known her appetite.

Since Xander had agreed to treat her, Eliana felt no need to be polite. In the middle of their meal, she opened his fridge to get cool beverages. His fridge door was covered in magnets, and she was surprised when she saw it for the first time, because the colorful display starkly contrasted with the otherwise simple decor of his villa.

Now that she had a chance to look carefully, she ran her fingers over them, appreciating their vibrant colors and unique designs.

"I like your fridge magnets," she said.

"They belonged to my father," Xander said quietly, "before he died."

Eliana was shocked and apologized, "I'm sorry."

Xander shook his head. "It's been years. When he was alive, he traveled a lot, and he would buy a fridge magnet from every airport."

And after his father had passed away, he kept these fridge magnets as a way of preserving the memories they shared. Eliana felt a pang of sadness as she looked at the magnets shaped like coconuts, beers, and pizzas. Finally, her gaze settled on one shaped like a violin. "Did he play the violin?" she asked.

"No." Xander said, "I did."

"Oh!" Eliana hadn't expected that answer. "When?"

"I was in the school orchestra back then," Xander told her.

"Wow! I didn't know!" Eliana went to sit next to him and gave him a beverage. "You are so versatile!"

"But I dropped." Xander's tone was flat.

"But still, you are versatile." Eliana looked at him with stars in her eyes. "No wonder you can choreograph those beautiful dances! Turns out you are also a musician."

"Speaking of musicians." Xander looked at her. "Who's that Tyler?"

His tone was flat as usual, but Eliana could sharply sense an underlying complaint, hinting at the cause of his bad mood that she had been trying to figure out all night.

"Director Lane, you..." She blinked her eyes, wondering if she guessed it wrong, because six months ago, he didn't even bother to listen when she wanted to tell him who Tyler was. But six months later, he took the initiative to ask.

Since when had he started to care? Eliana stared into his eyes, trying to find a clue.

Xander shifted his gaze, his tone casual. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

He was obviously pretending. He must be eager to know. A naughty thought suddenly occurred to Eliana - she decided not to tell him right away, seeing what he would say.

She shrugged casually, "He's my friend."

Xander looked back at her with suspicion in his eyes. "All your friends send you roses?"

"Well, it's because I did great in his music video." Eliana leaned closer to Xander, her eyes curved. "Did you see that video? How did I do?"

Xander didn't answer but asked back, "What makes you want to shoot a music video?"

Eliana pursed her lips. "I just want to seize every opportunity to increase my visibility."

Xander said coldly, "You want opportunities, I have better ones."

Eliana clung to his arm like a needy cat. "What are they?"

Xander told her, "Queen and Ace is looking for an endorser. If you're interested, you can join me at their business banquet this Saturday."

Queen and Ace was a popular sportswear brand. It would be an honor to endorse them. "I am! Take me, please!" Eliana was super excited. "What time this Saturday?"

Xander said, "I'll come to pick you up at your place at 5 pm."

Eliana rubbed his cheek with hers. "You are the best!"

Xander carried disdain on his face, but he neither dodged nor pushed her away. Instead, he told her, "The dress code is dark-colored gowns."

"Roger that." Eliana nodded earnestly, like a student carefully noting down homework assigned by her teacher.

"You can leave now." Xander stood up and was about to walk away.

"Hey! Don't be so cold to me." Eliana immediately grabbed his hand to stop him. "I have one more thing to tell you."

Xander looked down at her and waited although he looked uninterested.

Eliana said word by word, "Tyler is gay."

Silence stretched between them for a few seconds.

And then, Xander broke the silence. "Eliana Carey."

"Whoa! Full name!" Eliana shivered. "Scary."

Xander lifted her chin with one hand. "You were deliberate, weren't you?"

His tone was cold, but Eliana sensed no danger at all. Instead, she could tell that the tension around Xander dissipated like bubbles popping.

"Sorry." The smile on Eliana's face was sweet enough to melt any man's heart. "I was just surprised to see you jealous."

Xander let go of her chin. "I'm not picking you up this Saturday."

"Come on!" Eliana immediately withdrew her smile and put on a puppy face. "Are you angry? I'm sorry. I promise I won't do this again. Please take me!"

She begged him while clasping his hand and swaying it.

Xander sighed, patting her head with his other hand. "I’m taking you, but I realized it might be better to call you a cab rather than pick you up myself. We could be seen."

Eliana said, "But it's for the banquet. And we'll be seen at the banquet anyway."

"The banquet is a business event, so it's fine. But we'd be better off not being seen together privately." Xander told her, "No matter the reason, it could cause trouble since you're popular now. Rumors spread faster than explanations."

Eliana nodded slowly, contemplating his words. "Wow, I need to be so cautious. What if I make a mistake?"

Xander warned, "Then you'll face the consequences. Alone."

Eliana wondered if that meant he would step back or even shift all the blame onto her. She asked, "What will you do?"

Xander looked at her, his eyes growing cold. "You just need to know that you'll be affected more."

Eliana knew he was right. If their dirty relationship was exposed, she could have her entire career ruined, while he would only need to use his influence to manipulate the media, shift the blame onto her, and wait for the situation to blow over. This disparity wasn't just because he was the Artistic Director and she was only a ballerina. It was also because society held different standards for women and men - a pathetic truth.

It took Eliana a while to process the sudden shift in Xander's attitude. There had been a sense of ease between them just moments ago, but suddenly it shattered, leaving Eliana unable to react immediately.

But when she did, she realized it had always been just a deal between them. No matter how well Xander treated her now, in the end, it was only his own interests that mattered to him.

He could throw her under the bus when he needed to.

So she had to protect herself.

"I see." Eliana showed him a polite smile, putting on her mask and cap. "Good night, Director Lane."

When she left his villa, it was all dark outside. But she still tightened her mask, avoiding any chance of being recognized.

However, fate still caught her off guard.

The next morning, when she stepped into the female changing room, she saw a bunch of colleagues standing in front of her locker, talking in low voices.

"Good morning," she greeted them.

Unexpectedly, when they saw her, they shut up immediately and dispersed, greeting her back but avoiding eye contact.

Eliana wondered what had happened as she shifted her gaze to her locker.

And then, her blood ran cold.