Chapter 19

After dinner, Adrian went back to his room. He seldom stayed here, but everything was clean and tidy, right down to the fresh sheets. The maids clearly kept it ready for him.

He dropped onto his back on the bed, turning his phone over in his hand.

He had finally been given a second life, and his little sister was still keeping him at a distance. She had accepted his present, but one hair clip could hardly undo everything he had done wrong.

Frowning, he opened their chat. They had only just added each other and hadn't exchanged a single message yet. He tried her friends-only feed, hoping to find some clue about her life, but she posted once every few months at most. Unlike him. He could barely go a day without finding something to say.

An idea occurred to him, and he brought up the keyboard.

Adrian: Ellie.

Adrian: Want to go somewhere with me tomorrow?

He waited several minutes. Nothing.

His brow creased. Had that sounded too pushy? He typed another message, deleted it, and tried again.

Adrian: School's about to start. If we don't go out now, you won't have time later. [hurt-face emoji]

He held the phone for ages, but no reply came.

He dragged a hand through his hair. She really didn't want to talk to him. What was he supposed to do? Get down on his knees and apologize?

He had actually believed Vivian's bullshit. He had even meant to take her side against Ellie.

He might as well drop dead.

Adrian flung an arm across his face. He couldn't bear to contemplate his miserable existence another second.

His phone chimed.

He shot upright and snatched it up.

Elise: Three hours.

Elise: I need to study, but I can spare three hours. We can't stay out too long.

His eyes lit up. Even his typing seemed to bounce with excitement.

Adrian: Deal!

Adrian: [spinning emoji] [spinning emoji]

The next morning, Elise came downstairs early.

She had only seen Adrian's messages after getting out of the shower last night. It had been all too easy to picture his aggrieved expression as he waited on the other end, and her resolve had softened. That was why she had agreed to go with him.

He appeared a little later, looking barely awake. He had hardly slept on the flight home yesterday, and then the excitement of getting Ellie to go out with him had kept him up until the middle of the night.

Julian had heard about their plans, and he didn't look pleased. Still, yesterday had made it clear that Adrian was no longer going to champion Vivian. There was no real reason to stop him from taking Elise out.

“Have Ethan drive you,” he told her. “Come home early.”

He glanced at the weather outside. “And take an umbrella. It might rain.”

Knowing he was worried about her, Elise smiled. “I will.”

Adrian raised an eyebrow. Why did Julian look as though he expected him to abduct Ellie and never bring her back?

He rolled his eyes. “Relax. I'm not taking her anywhere disreputable. I'll bring her back exactly as I found her.”

Julian gave him a flat look. “You'd better.”

An hour later, the car pulled into the downtown shopping district. Adrian took Elise into a skincare spa.

She looked up at the large, stylized letters above the entrance. Unless she looked closely, she would never have guessed what sort of business it was. Most little storefronts advertised their services as plainly as possible, anxious to draw people in. This place seemed to expect its customers to know.

He had brought her here for beauty treatments?

Adrian caught her questioning look and softened his voice. “You're lovely already, Ellie, but a little care can't hurt.”

That wasn't quite why he had chosen it. Three hours was so little time. He had spent all last night trying to think of somewhere he could take her that might help earn her forgiveness, and the best he had come up with was the sort of thing women were supposed to like.

Everyone wanted to look their best, didn't they?

Beyond the usual treatments, this place offered custom skincare. First, they analyzed a client's skin and developed a formula to suit it. Then they sourced ingredients from around the world to make the creams and lotions. Every bottle was tailored to one person's skin, and the prices reflected it.

A dab no larger than a fingernail could cost more than gold. With regular use, the promise was skin that grew smoother, fairer, and as delicate as a freshly peeled egg.

Plenty of leading actresses and wealthy society women came here, but very few ordered the custom products. There was only so much people were prepared to pay for something that dwindled every time they used it. Once a jar was empty, they would have to buy another.

Adrian had brought Elise here to have her skin analyzed and a range made especially for her.

She pressed her lips together. She wasn't keen on any of this, but she had agreed to go out with him. Backing out now didn't feel right.

An esthetician hurried over to greet Adrian. He was evidently a regular, and he spoke to her with easy familiarity as she led them into a treatment room.

Finding an excuse to step outside with her, he lowered his voice.

“Don't mention the custom products to her, or what they cost. As far as she's concerned, she's just here for a facial.”

The esthetician was astonished. For all his extraordinary good looks, Adrian had never had a dating scandal. Actresses were forever trying to get close to him; even a little publicity linking them to him would keep their names in circulation for ages. Yet nobody ever seemed to get anywhere.

Now he had brought a girl to the spa. He wanted her skin assessed during the facial, and he was ordering custom skincare in secret, apparently afraid she would refuse if she knew how expensive it was.

It hardly seemed possible. Still, she was a professional. She agreed respectfully.

Only then did Adrian relax.

While the esthetician examined Elise's skin, he stayed nearby. Elise looked around with open curiosity, lifting her chin when asked and lowering it again at the next instruction, cooperating without a fuss.

As the machine passed over her face and the magnified image appeared on the large screen, the esthetician couldn't help exclaiming, “You have beautiful skin!”

At that magnification, every pore and every trace of dirt should have been glaringly obvious. Elise's skin still looked fair, fine, and smooth.

Her eyes curved with pleasure at the compliment. Her skin had always been soft and unusually fair. Whatever she wore seemed to show it off, as though she had grown up soaking in milk baths.

Adrian sat with his legs crossed, scrolling through his phone and listening.

This woman had excellent judgment.

He knew the owner. He would remember to tell Mr. Foster to give her a raise.

“Adrian?”

A soft voice came from the doorway. Elise looked up as a woman walked in, wearing immaculate makeup and a pale blue dress. Her hair fell in loose curls, and a pair of dimples appeared when she smiled. The moment she saw Adrian, her eyes brightened and her smile widened.

He frowned slightly when he recognized her.

“You're here too! What a coincidence. I was wondering whether I might run into you today, and here you are.”

Adrian returned his attention to his phone, swiped the screen, and only then offered an indifferent, “What a coincidence.”

Her name was Clara Sutton. She was a new artist at his label, and he had seen her around the company a few times, but they hardly knew each other. His manager had spent ages trying to persuade him to write a song for her, insisting the order had come from the executives. Adrian had refused several times before reluctantly agreeing, and he still resented being pushed into it.

He wanted this conversation over. Apparently, his chilly tone wasn't enough to convey that, because Clara came farther into the room and looked around.

When she noticed Elise, her expression froze. It took her a moment to arrange it into a smile again.

Adrian had brought a girl here and was keeping her company through a facial?

Clara had been his fan long before she made her debut. He was the reason she had wanted to become a performer at all. She had pulled every string she could to sign with his label, hoping to get close to him, and had engineered several chance encounters before he finally remembered her name.

Being at the same company had given her an excuse to ask him for a song. Getting him to agree had taken so much effort.

He had never been in a relationship. She had always thought she had a chance.

And now he was sitting patiently beside another girl while she had a beauty treatment?

“I'm waiting for my esthetician,” Clara said, restoring her smile. “She's still with another client.”

“Mm.”

She was used to that response. Blinking, she let a little awkwardness show in her eyes. “Could I wait here for a bit? I'll leave as soon as she's ready.”

Adrian's frown deepened. They barely knew each other. Why would she want to stay here? Besides, she might make Ellie uncomfortable.

Just then, the esthetician tried to gather Elise's hair out of the way. Her gloves made it awkward, and Elise had sticky skincare product on her hands, so she couldn't help.

Adrian forgot about Clara and sat up. “I'll do it.”

He tucked Elise's hair into the cap with clumsy, painstaking care. Beside them, Clara gripped her bag so hard that it nearly crumpled.

Keeping this girl company was one thing. Did he have to fuss over her like that? He moved his fingers so cautiously, as if terrified of hurting her, and his eyes had gone impossibly gentle.

Clara bit her lip. When had he gotten a girlfriend?

What had all those years of loving him and trying so hard been for?

She forced the thoughts down and approached Elise with a perfectly friendly smile.

“Hi, I'm Clara Sutton. Is this your first time having a treatment here?”

Adrian raised his eyebrows. Clara had never made much of an impression on him, but now she was striking up a conversation with Ellie. Was this just the way women naturally got along with each other?

Well, having someone to talk to could hardly hurt his sister. He left Clara alone and went back to his phone.

Elise had heard their earlier exchange and taken Clara to be one of her brother's friends. She answered the friendly expression politely.

“Yes. It's my first visit.”

Clara's smile grew sweeter, showing off her dimples. “I've had their deep-cleansing treatment before. It's very good. You should try it sometime. Your skin feels so clean afterward, and with skin as lovely as yours, the results would be even better than mine.”

Elise hesitated. She hadn't particularly wanted a facial in the first place. A deep-cleansing treatment, whatever that involved, appealed to her even less.

“Thank you, ma'am. Maybe I'll try it another time.”

Seeing no sign that Elise disliked her, Clara smiled more warmly.

She needed to find out who this girl was and why Adrian doted on her so much. There might still be a way to separate them. She certainly wasn't going to hand him over without a fight.

Elise was unfailingly polite. Whenever Clara spoke, she answered, and they chatted on and off.

The esthetician went out to collect some tools. Following her instructions, Elise prepared to go into the changing room and put on a robe.

“Those fastenings are awkward,” Clara said quickly. “Let me help you.”

They were at the back, where Elise would have trouble reaching them. After a moment's thought, she gave Clara a sweet smile.

“Thank you, ma'am. That's very kind.”

Clara's smile stiffened. Ordinarily, she wouldn't have minded a younger girl addressing her so politely. Coming from Elise, it felt like a pointed reminder that Clara was older.

Their conversation had revealed that Elise was only seventeen.

So that was how it was. Whatever men looked like on the outside, they all wanted someone younger. Even Adrian was no exception. Every deferential “ma'am” seemed to rub it in: Clara wasn't the kind of girl he liked.

Once they were inside the changing room, with nobody else around, Clara began slowly doing up the fastenings behind Elise's back.

She had learned a little about the girl while they talked. Elise sounded rather innocent, the sort of person who trusted others easily. Perhaps a little well-meant advice would work.

Still working on the fastenings, Clara sighed.