Chapter 4

　　Elena's POV

　　I was frozen, staring at my phone.

　　The photo was the vintage earrings Charles had just bought me in Paris. It was the only pair in the world.

　　I knew right away who sent the photo and where I had lost them.

　　The message was a clear threat.

　　Unknown: I wonder what my brother would say if he found these :-)

　　I dialed the number immediately and he picked up on the first ring.

　　"Lena." He said my name like he'd been expecting my call. As if he hasn't already done enough damage tonight.

　　"What are you doing with my earrings? Give them back to me." I snapped at him.

　　"Someone clearly just forgot their things in my car." He sounded delighted. "I'll return them," he said, "On one condition."

　　"What? " My teeth ground.

　　"Break up with Charles," he said, easy as breathing. "Be with me instead."

　　I laughed. A short, disbelieving sound that scraped out of my throat.

　　"You took advantage of me and now you want to date me? You've clearly lost your mind."

　　"You came on to me, Lena. Stop twisting the story. I wasn't the only one there. You seemed to be enjoying yourself. You wanted me so…."

　　"Shut up, Lorenzo!"

　　My head felt hot as my stomach tightened with regret and shame.

　　I just wanted to sleep and forget this night. Why is he still tormenting me?

　　"Look," he said, his tone almost generous, not caring about my outburst, "you don't even have to break up with him, if you don't want to. You can just date both of us at the same time. What's one more boyfriend, really?"

　　A pause. "Charles is a lowlife. You deserve better. You got a taste tonight. Don't you want more?"

　　I pulled the phone from my ear and stared at it. An intense urge to throw it across the room almost overwhelmed me but I hung tightly to my sanity.

　　I will not play this game with Lorenzo.

　　He was unbelievable.

　　I took in a steadying breath and returned my phone to my ear. "If you show those earrings to Charles," I said slowly, deliberately, "I will tell him you stole them."

　　"Will you?" He didn't sound remotely concerned. "And how will you explain how I'd stolen them in the first place?"

　　The comeback died in my throat. I hadn't thought about a backstory.

　　"Come downstairs, Lena. Let's talk."

　　I went rigid. He was still outside?

　　"I haven't left yet." Lorenzo supplied, as if reading my mind. "Come down."

　　I yanked the phone from my ear.

　　He hadn't left. After everything. He still had the audacity to hang back.

　　I wasn't going down there.

　　Absolutely not.

　　But the earrings.

　　Without debating it any further, I tightened my coat and aimed for the door.

　　Lorenzo was leaning against his car when I pushed through the front doors, looking like he had absolutely nowhere else to be.

　　He watched me come toward him and then his gaze dropped, slow and deliberate, traveling the length of my trench with a look that made my skin prickle and my throat tighten.

　　"Didn't even change," he said.

　　"Don't," I warned.

　　His lips curved. "I didn't say anything."

　　I stopped in front of him, my eyes roaming all over his body.

　　His hands were empty. And there was no noticeable budge in his pants pockets.

　　"Where are they?" I demanded.

　　He blinked, faking innocence. "Where are what?"

　　"The earrings, Lorenzo," I replied impatiently.

　　"Oh." He tilted his head. "I never said I was bringing them."

　　The audacity of this madman.

　　"So you dragged me out of my apartment in the middle of the night," I said, my voice getting higher despite my best efforts to keep it level, "in nothing but a coat, to stand on a pavement and tell me you don't even have them on you?"

　　Gosh. I wanted to smack his face but it was no use.

　　I did my best to maintain my composure, gritting my teeth as I went with the better option of ignoring Lorenzo's tactics for my sanity.

　　I will not let him ruin the rest of my night. I can simply tell Charles I'd misplaced the earrings.

　　With that relieving thought, I made to turn around and head back to the building but he stopped me in my tracks.

　　"I wanted to see you." He said it simply, like it was the most reasonable thing in the world.

　　His words made my stomach recoil. I felt my palm itch with the urge to slap him again.

　　But it was only going to be a wasted effort. He won't flinch or react or take his careless words back.

　　My palm will only sting more. And Lorenzo will make some nasty joke about slapping being my kink.

　　I was not giving him that satisfaction.

　　"I will never be your girlfriend," I said instead, my voice flat and final.

　　"Not now. Not ever. And if you go to Charles with those earrings, I will tell him you stole them. I'll look him dead in the eye and say it without blinking. How you stole it is none of my business."

　　Lorenzo didn't look threatened. "Charles doesn't like empty stories, Lena."

　　"In this case, he'll believe me. You're nothing more than a trouble maker to him." I said smoothly, smirking at the first sign of disdain on Lorenzo's face.

　　Good, I've finally struck a nerve.

　　I held his inscrutable gaze. "Those earrings are not a threat to me, Lorenzo. So do whatever you want with them."

　　He watched me carefully with an unreadable expression.

　　Then he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled them out.

　　The earrings.

　　My stomach clenched at the sight of them catching the streetlight, those impossibly rare gems glinting like they were in on the joke.

　　He turned them over slowly in his fingers, watching me watch them.

　　"You really don't care?" he asked. His voice was quiet, almost curious.

　　"Not even a little," I said quietly while watching the earrings like a hawk.

　　He tilted his head. "Prove it."

　　Then he walked to the edge of the curb, crouched down beside the drain, and without another word, dropped them.