Chapter 111
Elara’s POV
55 vouches
They sat there in the Target parking lot for some more minutes, debating on whether Elara should inform Marcus about the incident or just let it die. Mimi was firmly in the camp of telling him, arguing that this was about safety, not pride. Elara was less convinced, afraid that calling him again would just make her look weak and paranoid.
“What if it was nothing?” Elara asked for the third time.
“What if I’m just being dramatic and it was some random person who happened to be going the same direction?”
“For ten minutes? Through four different turns? Including one into a random side street?” Mimi shook her head. “That wasn’t a coincidence, babe be for real. Someone was following you.”
“But I lost them. They drove away. Maybe that’s the end of it.”
Mimi gave her a look that said she thought Elara was being ridiculous, but she didn’t push it further.
After a few more minutes of sitting there watching the parking lot entrance, Mimi unbuckled her seatbelt and opened her door.
“Come on. Switch with me. I’m driving you to my place like we originally planned.”
“You don’t have to do that. I can drive myself.”
“Elara, you’re shaking. And you keep checking the mirrors every five seconds. I’m driving.”
Elara wanted to argue, but Mimi was right. Her hands were still trembling slightly on the steering wheel, and her heart hadn’t fully stopped racing. She nodded and climbed out of the car.
They switched places, Mimi adjusting the driver’s seat while Elara settled into the passenger side. It felt strange being on this side of the car after a week of driving herself everywhere, but also oddly comforting to let someone else take control for a bit.
Elara fastened her seatbelt and Mimi pulled out of the parking lot, heading toward her apartment in Brooklyn.
The drive was quiet, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Elara kept checking the side mirror, looking for any sign of that same black SUV, but the road behind them stayed clear.
When they finally pulled up to Mimi’s building about twenty minutes later, Elara felt some of the tension ease from her shoulders. At least they’d made it here without any incident.
But as they approached the gate to Mimi’s apartment complex, they both noticed a car parked on the street just outside. A sleek black sedan that looked expensive and very familiar.
“Is that Dante’s car?” Elara asked, squinting at it.
“I think so? But he didn’t tell me he was coming. Why would he be here?”
15:06 Mon, May 11
Chapter III
Mimi pulled up to the gate and put the car in park. She climbed out to get a better look at the sedan, and almost immediately the driver’s door opened.
Dante stepped out, looking as put-together as always in a suit despite it being barely noon.
Elara couldn’t hear what they were saying from inside the car, but she watched as Mimi walked over to him and they exchanged what looked like a brief conversation.
44
Then Dante pulled Mimi into a hug, holding her for a moment before releasing her and getting back into his car.
The gate buzzed and slid open. Dante drove through first, followed by Mimi who’d climbed back into the Mercedes. They both parked in the visitor section and climbed out.
“Oh, hi Elara,” Dante said when he spotted her getting out of the passenger side. “How are you doing?”
“Erhm, fine,” Elara replied, but her shoulders dropped slightly as she said it. The word felt hollow coming out of her mouth.
Dante noticed immediately. His expression shifted from casual friendliness to concern. “What’s wrong?”
Before Elara could answer, Mimi cut in. “Let’s go inside and talk. Not out here.”
They all headed into Mimi’s apartment, a cozy two-bedroom on the third floor. Mimi unlocked the door and they filed inside, settling on different pieces of furniture. Dante took the armchair, Mimi sat on one end of the couch, and Elara collapsed onto the other end.
Elara let out a loud sigh, running her hands through her hair.
“So where do I start?” she said, looking between Mimi and Dante.
“Start with the Penelope thing,” Mimi suggested.
Elara nodded. “Okay. So, Penelope found out this marriage is a sham.”
Dante’s head snapped up. “What? Did Marcus tell you this?”
“No, I’m telling you. Marcus didn’t say anything to you?”
“No. I’m not aware of any of this.” Dante leaned forward in his chair, his expression serious now. “How and when did she get that information?”
“Well, it’s my fuckup,” Elara admitted. The shame of it sat heavy in her chest, making it hard to breathe properly.
She explained the whole thing. How she’d made photocopies of the contract when Marcus first gave it to her. How she’d hidden them in her old apartment and completely forgotten about them. How Penelope and Luca had gone there and found them.
“Damn,” Dante said when she finished. He sat back in the chair, processing. “That’s bad.”
“I know.”
“And now Marcus has been pissed for over a week,” Mimi added.
15:06 Mon, May 11
Chapter III
35 vouchers
Dante’s eyes widened. “Wait, it’s been a week? How come no one said anything to me about this?”
“I’m sorry,” Elara said quietly. “I thought Marcus had already told you. I figured you guys would talk about everything.”
“Apparently not this.” Dante looked genuinely annoyed now, probably at Marcus for keeping him in the dark. “So he’s been dealing with this alone for a week without consulting me? That idiot.”
“There’s more,” Mimi said.
Dante looked between them. “More? How is there more?”
Elara took a breath. “Today, on my way to Mimi’s place just a few hours ago, I noticed a black SUV following me.”
“How did you know it was you they were following?” Dante asked, his tone sharp with concern.
“Well, they took all the turns I took for a start. Every single one, even when I deliberately went off the main route to test it. They didn’t stop following until I pulled up in a public place, this Target parking lot. That’s when Mimi came to pick me up.”
“Did you see who was driving? Get a license plate?”
“No, the windows were tinted. And I was too freaked out to think about the plate.”
Dante stood up and started pacing, his hand coming up to rub his jaw. “Damn. I’m so sorry about that, Elara. This is escalating faster than we thought.”
He stopped pacing and turned to face her directly. “Don’t worry. I’ll speak to Marcus today and we’ll find a way around this whole situation. Both the contract issue and the fact that someone’s now actively following you.”
“He’s not really talking to me right now,” Elara said quietly.
“Well, he’ll talk to me,” Dante said firmly. “This is bigger than whatever argument you two are having. If you’re in danger, if Penelope is making moves this quickly, we need to act now.”
15:06 Mon, May 11 d
