"Celine? C'est Elias. J'ai quelque chose pour toi." I have something for you.
Aurora was terrified. "Elias, what are you doing? Who are you calling?"
"I am calling," he said, his back to her, "the only woman in Paris with eyes as sharp as her checkbook."
An hour later, the buzzer rang.
Aurora’s blood evaporated. She was clutching Ethan, who had woken, his small, warm body a shield against her chest. "Elias, please, I can't. A stranger... here..."
"You will stay in the bedroom," Elias ordered, his voice kind but firm. "You will be the 'mysterious artist.' It is very chic. Let me handle the commerce."
She fled, hiding in the one room that was still a sanctuary. She sat on her bed, her back straight, listening, her entire, new life hanging in the balance.
She heard the door open. She h
