Chapter 49

Agnes

I stared down at the rose in my hand, unsure of what it was supposed to represent. It was a beautiful flower, but the red color also left my head reeling. Was it an apology? A romantic gesture? An attempt at taking back what he’d said?

And then Elijah told me to get ready for dinner, and my confusion only deepened.

My lips parted to protest, or at least ask why, but the words never came. He didn’t give me the chance, either. He just turned on his heel, walking across the room to adjust his cufflinks or check his phone or some other inconsequential thing that Elijah always seemed to busy himself with. I glanced down at the rose again, my mind racing.

“Dinner?” I echoed, finally finding my voice. “What about Thea?”

“She’s taken care of,” Elijah replied, not even looking up. “I arranged for a nanny.”

I raised an eyebrow, the corners of my mouth twitching downward. “You arranged a nanny?”

“Yes, Agnes,” he said with a faint sigh, as though I were a child questioning something obvious. “Now, get ready. Please.”

I didn’t move at first, still sitting there with the rose in my hand. Elijah had made it pretty damn clear earlier that there was no chance of a romance between us, and that I was a bit of a fool for even letting that idea get into my head. And now here he was, giving me red roses and inviting me out to dinner without Thea, who he claimed was the only reason why we were together.

Talk about whiplash.

Still, I got up and got dressed, if only so I could hear what he had to say. I put on a slinky black dress that fell just above my knees, a pair of tights, and strappy heels. Then, combing out the chlorine from the pool, I pulled my hair up into a messy but elegant updo, threw on some dark lipstick and mascara, and matched a pair of earrings to the dress.

Once I was ready, we left.

The restaurant wasn’t far from the hotel, and it looked expensive. The modern building, more windows than walls, was perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean, the waves crashing against the rocks below as the sun set on the horizon.

Inside the restaurant was just as beautiful and sleek. The tables were dimly lit with flickering candles, the soft sounds of piano music coming from a small stage in the center of the space where a woman in a sparkly red dress was playing and singing into the microphone in a sultry voice.

It was… nice. Really nice. Too nice for a platonic outing.

Elijah had chosen a table by the window, of course. The view was stunning, the horizon painted in hues of gold and lavender as the sun dipped lower. But as beautiful as it was, I couldn’t stop the gnawing feeling in my gut. Something about this whole setup felt... off.

“This is nice,” I said cautiously. My fingers toyed with the edge of my napkin, twisting the fabric between my hands.

Elijah nodded, pouring wine into my glass without so much as a glance at the menu. “You deserve it.”

The words should have comforted me, but instead, they just confused me even more. Still, I sipped the wine and tried to focus on the moment. Maybe this was his way of apologizing, of making up for what had happened earlier. Maybe I just needed to let him do it in his own way.

When the food arrived—lobster tails, butter-drenched and impossibly decadent—I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

“Lobster?” I asked, incredulous.

“Don’t you like lobster?” He looked up at me with a confused expression on his face.

I did like lobster, but that wasn’t the point. The whole evening felt like an elaborate performance, and the longer it went on, the more it started to grate on me.

He was doting on me, yes, but there was no substance behind it. No acknowledgment of the things that had been said, the hurt that lingered just beneath the surface. It was all glitz and glamour, and none of it addressed the real issue.

By the time dessert arrived, one of those chocolate confections that were hardly bigger than two bites but somehow more expensive than the lobster, I was nearing my breaking point.

And then he pulled out the necklace.

The diamond caught the light, scattering rainbows across the table. It was breathtaking, no question about it, but it felt like the final straw. I stared at it for a long moment before finally looking up at Elijah, my chest tightening.

“What are you doing?” I asked, a little sharper than I meant to.

He frowned slightly and furrowed his brow. “I thought you would like it.”

“That’s not the point,” I said, pushing the box back toward him. “You can’t just... throw things like this at me and expect me to forget what happened earlier.”

Elijah’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I’m trying to make things right.”

“No, you’re trying to distract me,” I shot back, my voice trembling a little now. “You hurt me, Elijah. You made me feel... small. Like I was delusional for thinking this arrangement could be anything more than a business transaction. And now you’re here, playing the perfect gentleman, ordering lobster and giving me diamonds, but you haven’t even said the one thing I need to hear.”

His silence was deafening.

“Why can’t you just apologize?” I demanded, my voice rising slightly. “Why can’t you just admit that you were wrong?”

Elijah sighed, his shoulders sagging slightly as he leaned back in his chair. For a moment, he didn’t say anything, and I wondered if he was even going to bother responding. But then he spoke.

“I am sorry,” he said quietly. “But I meant what I said. Agnes, this... whatever you think this is, it can’t happen. I can’t give you what you want.”

I stared at him, my chest tightening a little more. “Why not?”

“Because it’s better for everyone if we keep things as they are,” he said, his tone firm but not unkind. “For you, for me, for Thea. We’re partners, Agnes. Friends. And that’s all we can be. I’m sorry.”

The words hit like a blow to the stomach, and for a moment, I couldn’t speak. I looked away, blinking rapidly as I tried to process what he had said.

“Alright,” I finally said with a shrug. “I can understand that, and honestly, I respect you for being truthful. I just wish you’d said it like that earlier, instead of…”

Elijah sighed. “I know I didn’t handle our conversation earlier with the utmost grace. But I hope this—” he gestured to the table, to the necklace— “can fix it, at least a little.”

I paused for a few moments, considering. The gifts and the dinner were nice, but it felt like a rich man’s way of apologizing. I needed some air.

“Excuse me,” I said tightly, pushing my chair back. “I just need a moment.”

I barely heard his response as I made my way to the restroom, my heart pounding in my chest. Once inside, I leaned against the sink, gripping the edge tightly as I tried to steady myself. The cool water I splashed on my face helped, but only slightly.

When I finally stepped back out a few minutes later, I wasn’t paying attention, and I walked straight into Elijah’s chest. His hands came up instinctively, steadying me, but instead of stepping back, he pressed me against the wall, his body shielding mine.

“Elijah—”

“Shh,” he murmured, pressing himself closer to me.

Before I could say a word, he placed his finger over my lips.