Page 113 of Blue Gold

Merde.

“There you are,” Daniel said, fixing his tie in front of the large mirror as I entered our room.

Placing my iPod down, I forced a smile. “Here I am.”

“I thought we said we’d jog together.”

Trying to avoid his eyes, I went straight to our bathroom, kicking my shoes off on my way there.

“You seemed tired, so I thought I’d let you sleep.” I turned on the tap and quickly filled my palms with water before splashing it on my face. Somehow, I felt hot.

“How about tomorrow?”

I turned off the tap and turned to look at him.

“O-okay.”

A smile stretched on his lips before he walked over to me and kissed me.

“Are you feeling alright?” he asked.

“Yes, why?” My brows furrowed.

He cupped the back of my head. “You look a bit pale.”

Because someone followed me home.

I chewed on my bottom lip, debating whether I should tell him or not.

“Elli?” He caressed my cheek, clearly worried.

The kindness in his voice and the love in his eyes were too important for me to ruin by planting seeds of fear in him. If he knew I was followed, he’d panic, and who knew what that would make him do? I mean, I was still shocked he allowed me to live with him, with how frightened and cautious he’d been when we first met. So should I risk it? Yes, Daniel was a kind man, but so was Jacques, until he wasn’t, as the fear of being outed was greater than his love. And besides, nothing had actually happened. I just saw a weird-looking man in a hideous jumper twice. Coincidences happened all the time in this city, right? And to be honest, exhausted from my run, I was probably just paranoid.

“I’m feeling great. Just need to shower,” I finally answered him with a smile. “Want to take off that tie and join me?”

37

ELLIOT

Not telling Daniel about the man from the park proved to be the right decision, as almost a week later, nothing had happened. I hadn’t seen the weird man again, and after realizing that I was probably just being paranoid that morning, I decided to forget about it and move on. Besides, with the Renieri gala just around the corner, I had to be at my best.

Speaking of which, I stopped by the place where the gala would be held to see how things were going. Climbing the steps, I almost skipped my way in, greeting anyone who came my way. What was once an old fire station would soon host the elite of the industry for a night of fashion. The main event would be a fashion show, a rare occasion, considering New York Fashion Week was still ahead of us. But Vito had held this event once a year for years now, with all the income going straight to charity.

The place was packed with designers, producers, and workers, all looking extremely busy. And in the center of it all was Vito, orchestrating this mess with his typical charm.

“Bonjour, Vito,” I greeted him right before planting a kiss on his cheek.

The Italian had to turn around to see me as I approached him from behind. But as soon as his eyes latched onto me, he smiled warmly.

“Oh, if it’s not my beautiful Elliot,” he said in French before telling his assistant to go and grab him an espresso. “Want one, too?”

I shook my head. “I had an Americano on my way here.”

“Americano? Horrible.” He shook his head. “You’re too young to know what’s good for you.”

“Isn’t that the point of being young?”

He looked at me with a raised brow. “Aren’t we cocky today?”