CHAPTER 14: THE INVITATION THAT ISN’T ONE
232 Words
That evening, Luca called for her again.
This time, it wasn’t a corridor.
It was a private lounge.
Different from before.
Smaller.
More enclosed.
He was already there when she arrived.
Waiting.
That detail mattered.
“You’re punctual,” he said.
“I prefer not to be corrected.”
A faint shift in his expression.
Almost approval.
Almost warning.
He gestured toward the seat across from him.
She didn’t hesitate.
Sat.
Luca leaned back slightly.
“Tell me something,” he said.
Elize didn’t respond immediately.
Because that phrase had stopped being casual.
It was a tool.
“I’m listening,” she said.
“You adapt quickly,” Luca said.
“That’s not new.”
“No,” he agreed.
“But adaptation usually comes with compromise.”
A pause.
Elize held his gaze.
“I don’t compromise easily.”
“That’s becoming clear.”
Silence stretched.
Then—
“I have something tomorrow,” Luca said.
Elize waited.
“You’ll attend.”
A statement.
Not an invitation.
She nodded slightly.
“What kind of event?”
A faint pause.
Then—
“A gathering,” Luca said.
“Where people will decide what you are.”
That landed differently.
Elize’s eyes sharpened slightly.
“And what am I supposed to be?”
Luca studied her.
Longer than necessary.
Then—
“That depends on how you behave,” he said quietly.
- Writer
