Stolen Moments

Fate

"Morning, Mom. Morning, Dad," Elena greeted, her hand already moving to retrieve a piece of pancake as she took her seat by the table. Her father, a steady counterpoint to the room’s undercurrent, offered a broad smile.

"Morning, Lena. Congratulations once again on your double feat. I heard the Pierres have been groaning since their huge loss."

"Thank you, Dad. My team did their best." She spoke of her business victory, but the weariness in her voice was audible.

Her mother’s voice, sharp and immediate, cut through the pleasantry. "Where are you off to this morning?"

"The company needs to be up and running while you all party hard and throw engagement parties," Elena replied, her tone deliberately pragmatic.

The devilish look her mother returned was a clear warning. "Now that you’ve brought it up, from now on, you’ll let Brian handle most of the tasks while you start preparing for your wedding."

"But Mom! I was engaged just last night. I can’t be getting married so quickly."

"Well, dearest CEO daughter, you will. And I’ll be meeting with Willow later today to start preparations."

Elena rolled her eyes at the mention of Willow Hayes, her future mother-in-law. She had clearly overestimated the woman’s potential for deference. It seemed the woman marrying Liam would have no say in the matter. "She might as well determine how Liam and I are to be in bed!" Elena exclaimed, rising sharply.

"Don't be ungrateful and let your mother-in-law and I handle everything. Aside from burying yourself in the company, what else can you do right?"

The casual brutality of the words struck Elena like a physical blow. Without a look back, she secured her composure. "I'll get going, Dad."

The moment Elena stepped outside, the air of the sprawling estate felt suffocating. "Morning, Miss Bennet," Tate, the family's long-time driver, greeted as he accepted her briefcase. She merely nodded, her mind already consumed by the fresh wound her mother had inflicted. The constant needling, the dismissal of her work—it was a pattern she had yet to break.

Once inside the Ford, she instructed Tate to increase their speed. "A little faster, please, Tate."

The increased velocity almost ended in disaster. A shiny sports car, also moving with reckless speed, forced Tate to an abrupt, screeching halt. The shock of the near-collision snapped Elena back to the present.

"Tate, what happened?"

"Um, Ma'am, we almost ran into someone."

Elena, with Tate behind her exited the car, pulling oxygen deep into her lungs. The other driver emerged, visibly swaying.

"I'm sorry, sir," Tate apologized, quick to take responsibility.

The opponent was struggling to form coherent words. "I... ugh... I think it's my fault... I... uhhh... wasn't looking." The slurring confirmed his intoxication.

"We are sorry once again. I'm almost late for a meeting and had to go beyond the normal speed," Elena interjected, maintaining a professional distance.

"There's ooooo... no scratch, no need to be all sorry," the man mumbled, stumbling toward the driver’s side. Just as he was about to open the car door, he was intercepted by a woman in a figure-hugging, revealing dress.

"I'll drive, Mat. If you keep going this way, you'll get us both killed." She efficiently guided him to the passenger side and took control of the wheel. Elena watched the incident recede into the rearview mirror as they sped away toward the safety of the office.

She had barely settled into her CEO chair when the door flew open.

"Hey, girl! Congratulations! I did miss a lot, right!" Sophie, Elena's best friend, rushed in, radiating energy.

"When did you return to the country?" Elena asked, rising to embrace her.

"I came in late last night. If Liam had given me a heads-up about the engagement, I would have come in earlier. Let me see the ring, girl!"

Sophie reached for Elena’s hand. Elena looked down at her own hand, which was conspicuously bare. The gold band and large diamond were gone.

"You didn't just forget to wear your diamond, Elena Bennet!"

Elena slumped back into her seat. "Well, I did forget I was engaged until I got to the table, and you are the next person reminding me."

Sophie’s excitement vanished, replaced by a genuine cloud of concern. "El, you aren't excited about this, are you? I mean, you've always wanted to be Liam's bride for as long as I can remember. What changed?"

Elena clasped her hands together, a familiar nervous habit. "I don’t know, Phie. The incident with Liam and Alicia is always resurfacing in my mind, and Alicia behaviour whenever Liam is close by keeps me on edge. Phie, you know Liam proposed three weeks ago, and I wasn't ready to give him an answer. I was honestly caught off guard yesterday. I felt compelled to say yes."

She ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know if I'm making a mistake. Mother and that soon-to-be mother-in-law of mine are already starting preparations. I'm not sure I'm ready for all this, Phie."

Sophie moved from the visitor's chair, taking Elena's hands across the desk. "El, taje your time and think about it, you cab always call off the engagement. You are my best friend and sister, I would support whatever decision you make."

"Alright, girl," Elena said, forcing a smile. She needed to change the subject, to find the flippant mask she usually wore. "Enough of the boring news and mourning, girl... Don Pierre was a sight for sore eyes yesterday," Elena said as she gave her friend a run down of what had transpired during a meeting she had with investors who picked their company over the Pierre's.

The subject was dropped, but the question of the missing diamond and the hesitant bride lingered in the sterile silence of the CEO’s office.