Chapter 4 This is just the beginning!

The party had wound down, and guests were filtering out into the night, their laughter fading as they slipped into sleek cars and waited for valets.

Elena stood near the entrance, feeling the night breeze cool her flushed cheeks. She was about to call for a ride when she saw Ethan approach. He stopped beside her, his hand resting casually in his pocket, his face as unreadable as ever.

"I'll take you home," he offered, his voice calm but leaving no room for discussion.

She hesitated, glancing down at her phone, surprised by his offer. A small thrill ran through her, the quiet excitement she'd felt dancing with him still fresh in her mind.

Was he... interested? she wondered, suddenly aware of the way her heart beat a little quicker.

Ethan Cole, the man who had every woman in the room watching his every move, was here offering her a ride home.

In the car, she sat quietly, her gaze darting over to him now and then, but Ethan seemed entirely focused on the road, his face set in serious concentration. She wanted to say something, to ask him why he'd chosen her to dance with, or maybe thank him for the evening, but every time she opened her mouth, her words caught in her throat.

His silence felt thick and impenetrable, leaving her wondering if the dance had meant anything at all to him or if she'd simply imagined the connection between them.

The car hummed quietly along the empty streets, and the city lights cast fleeting patterns over Ethan's face, highlighting the firm line of his jaw, the slight frown between his brows. She studied his profile, mesmerized, a thousand questions flickering through her mind.

Suddenly, a soft chime broke the silence. Ethan reached up, slipping one earpiece in, and answered a call. Whoever was on the other end began speaking quickly, their words too low for Elena to hear, but she could see the slight narrowing of Ethan's eyes as he listened, his fingers tightening around the steering wheel. The brief look of irritation that crossed his face startled her.

"Shut up," he snapped, his voice a low growl, curt and unyielding.

His eyes flickered to the rearview mirror, then back to the road as he let out a slow, controlled breath.

A tense silence followed, and Elena's heart hammered with a strange sense of dread, feeling as though she were intruding on something she shouldn't have. Then, without warning, he pulled the car to the side of the road and shifted it into park.

The abrupt halt jolted her, and she looked over at him, confusion etched across her face. "Is... something wrong?"

He didn't look at her, his face closed off, voice flat. "Get out."

She asked again to see if it was correct or not: "What?"

"Get out of the car," he repeated, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Elena stared at him, bewildered, hurt flickering in her chest. A hundred thoughts flashed through her mind, each more painful than the last. Had she done something wrong? Had she misunderstood everything?

"Are... you serious?" she managed, her voice barely a whisper.

He didn't answer, his gaze fixed on the windshield, his face set in a hard line. But there was something dark in his eyes, something she couldn't name that made her throat tighten. He nodded, once, a firm dismissal.

Feeling the burn of tears welling up, Elena swallowed her pride, reaching for the door handle and stepping out onto the quiet street.

The night air was cold, prickling against her skin as she stood there, feeling utterly alone and humiliated. She wanted to scream, to demand why he was doing this, but something told her he wouldn't answer, that he would just sit there, unflinching.

She barely had time to close the door before he accelerated, the car pulling away from the curb and disappearing down the road. The taillights faded into the distance, leaving her standing in stunned silence, alone on the deserted street.

Ethan glanced in the rearview mirror as he drove off, his eyes lingering on her figure, small and abandoned, standing beneath the dim streetlight. A faint, amused smile crept onto his lips, and he muttered under his breath, "This is just the beginning."

He pressed his earpiece back in, speaking softly. "Follow her. Make sure she gets home safely."

"Yes, sir," came the prompt reply, and Ethan ended the call, a sense of satisfaction settling over him as he imagined her standing there, bewildered and lost.

Meanwhile, Elena stood there, the cold night air stinging her skin as the reality of what had just happened sank in. Her initial shock turned quickly to frustration, then hurt, the sting of rejection mingling with a gnawing sense of confusion.

She'd let herself believe, for a brief moment, that maybe he saw something special in her. But now it felt like nothing more than a cruel joke, as though he'd intended to remind her of the gulf that separated their worlds.

"Idiot," she muttered under her breath, hugging herself tightly, feeling her eyes burn with unshed tears. She hadn't felt so foolish in a long time.

Elena walked briskly down the darkened street, her heart still pounding from the sudden, bewildering end to her night. She kept glancing back, unable to shake the feeling that someone was following her.

The night seemed to stretch endlessly, and each step grew heavier as her mind spun with confusion and anger.

Who did Ethan Cole think he was, throwing her out like that with no explanation?

She fumed, her emotions a raw mixture of embarrassment and hurt. But just as she was starting to collect her thoughts, the distant sound of an engine grew louder, and a sleek black car appeared, slowly pulling up behind her.

Her heart leapt into her throat as she picked up her pace, kicking off her heels and running as quickly as she could. The car continued to follow her, its headlights slicing through the darkness.

"Stop!" a voice called from the car as the passenger door opened, but Elena, panicking, only ran faster, her feet pounding against the pavement.

She stumbled, her foot catching on the rough edge of the road, and she tumbled down, scraping her hands against the gravel. Wincing, she sat up, her heart racing even faster as the man stepped out of the car, his silhouette tall and imposing in the dim light.

"Miss Hart," he said calmly, closing the car door behind him as he approached. "I'm here to take you home."

Elena looked up, her mind reeling. "What?" she managed, her voice shaking. "Who... who are you?"

He extended a hand to help her up, his tone professional. "I work for Mr. Cole. He asked me to make sure you got home safely. He had... urgent matters to attend to."

Elena blinked, completely caught off guard. She took his hand, still in shock, allowing him to help her to her feet. "So... he just sent you to follow me?" she asked, unable to keep the indignation out of her voice.

"Yes, Miss Hart." He looked at her with a patient, slightly amused expression.

With a reluctant nod, Elena followed him back to the car, her mind racing as she settled into the passenger seat. Her thoughts were a whirlpool of frustration and disbelief.

"What kind of man throws a woman out on the side of the road and then has her followed by his bodyguard?"

She sighed, pressing her hands together in her lap as they pulled away from the dark street. It felt ridiculous-like a scene from a bad romance novel, except this was her life, and nothing felt romantic at all.

Meanwhile, she had no idea that just a few miles away, Ethan watching her every expression on a small monitor mounted in the dashboard of the bodyguard's car.

His eyes stayed focused on her face, reading each flicker of emotion-confusion, frustration, the small pang of hurt that crossed her features as she looked out the window.

Beside him, Luke Cooper, his closest friend, raised an eyebrow, swirling the drink in his glass.

"This has to be one of the weirdest things I've seen you do, and I've seen you do a lot," he remarked, a grin tugging at his lips as he shook his head. "Spying on the poor girl after you abandoned her? That's borderline creepy, even for you, Ethan."

Ethan didn't look away from the screen, his mouth tilting into a faint smile. "I'm just ensuring her safety," he replied, voice smooth, amused.

Luke laughed, clearly unconvinced. "Come on, Ethan. You're an asshole."