DON'T FALL FOR THE ENEMY

CHAPTER 03

ELENA

I sat up and clutched the silk sheets to my chest, looking around the empty suite while the memories of last night rushed back. The kiss in the elevator, the way he carried me in here, and the way he stopped right when things were about to go too far.

I expected to feel used, but then I saw a small piece of stationery sitting on the pillow, beside it sat a velvet box. I reached for the note first, my fingers trembling slightly.

‘Had urgent business to attend to. Don't look so sad, Elena. I'll see you sooner than you think.’

My eyes scanned through and I didn't realize when a small spread across my lips.

I opened the velvet box and gasped. Resting on the cushion was a vintage diamond bracelet, the stones catching the light and throwing tiny rainbows against the walls. A small smile tugged at my lips as I slid the jewelry onto my wrist. This is beautiful.

I told myself I was just caught up in the mystery, but as I stood in the shower and let the hot water wash away the sweat, I knew I was lying. I was falling for a man whose last name I didn't even know.

*

The next week was a whirlwind of things I only read about in books or watched. Every morning, a new bouquet arrived at my office, and they were so large my assistant had to move furniture to fit them. One day it was white roses, the next it was rare orchids. Then came the dinners. He would have a car pick me up and take me to places I didn’t even know had private entrances.

We talked for hours, and he listened to me talk about my company in a way Victor never did. He didn't interrupt or tell me I was out of my league or doing too much. He just watched me with those dark, intense eyes and made me feel like the most important person in the world. By the fourth night, I was convinced I was in love with him. He seemed cold to the world, but he was attentive to me, and that felt like the ultimate victory.

But my reality at home was a different story. I walked into the Vancourt mansion on the sixth evening, feeling a lingering glow from my lunch with Killian, only to find the entire family waiting for me in the foyer.

"Look at her," Tiffany sneered, stepping forward. She was the Vancourts' biological daughter and had spent her whole life making sure I knew I didn't belong. "She’s wearing diamonds now. I wonder how many nights it took to earn that little trinket."

"Tiffany, stop," I said, trying to walk past her.

"Stop? Why should I stop?" Tiffany laughed and followed me toward the stairs.

She was dressed in a silk robe, her blonde hair perfectly styled. "We saw you getting into that car, Elena. Mother is furious. You're out there acting like a common slut with some random man while we’re trying to maintain a reputation. You're going to ruin our name before the merger even happens."

"He isn't a random man," I snapped, turning to face her.

Though I had realized that moment I really didn't know who Killian was.

"Oh? Then who is he?" Beatrice appeared at the top of the stairs, her face a mask of fury. "Victor and I have heard the rumors. You've been seen all over the city with a man nobody recognizes. You are a Vancourt, Elena. Even if you are just an adopted one, you represent us. If you want to play house with some nobody, you do it on your own time and in your own house, not while you're living under my roof."

"He's not a nobody," I said, my voice rising. "He's successful and he treats me better than any of you ever have."

"Treats you better?" Victor walked out of the study, his face red with anger. "He's a distraction. You should be focused on the papers I told you to sign, not running around Chelsea with some mystery man. You're making us look weak, Elena. If this continues, I'll expedite the liquidation. I won't have a slut running my tech division."

I sighed, anger flaring up in my chest as I just turned and went to my room, locking the door behind me. I didn't care what they called me. I had Killian.

On the seventh night, Killian took me to a private garden on top of a building overlooking the park. The air was cool, and the entire space was lit with small candles. It was too perfect, and a knot of nerves formed in my stomach. We finished dinner, and the silence between us felt different tonight. It was expectant.

"Elena," Killian said, standing up.

He walked around the table and stopped in front of me. Before I could ask what was happening, he dropped to one knee. He pulled a ring box from his pocket and flicked it open. The diamond in the center was massive, surrounded by a halo of smaller stones.

"Marry me," he said.