Chapter 7 The Curtain Between Us

The morning light filtered through sheer curtains, casting pale shadows on the marble floor. Elara blinked awake slowly,Her body felt too warm, too safe and that alone jolted her awake.

This wasn't her room. This wasn't her house.

Then it came rushing back. The wedding. The limo. Adrian.She lay still for a while, unmoving, her eyes open and fixed on the ceiling, tracing invisible lines as if they held answers.

Last night replayed in her mind ,the dim study, the soft scent of cedar, Adrian's quiet voice telling her she could return to school. That he wouldn't touch her unless she wanted him to.

He hadn't said it with charm. He hadn't tried to earn her gratitude. He'd said it like a truth. Simple. Heavy.

And for the first time in days, something in her loosened.

She sat up slowly,reached for her phone which was plugged on the table beside her bed and checked the date .

Monday, July 13.

And still no reply from Lily. Her thumb hovered over the screen until she sighed and then dropped the phone beside her.Her eyes drifted across the room to the wardrobe. The doors stood slightly ajar, revealing an array of designer dresses and coats-her size, her style, though she'd never picked them. Then who had? Adrian?

She stood up and padded over, hesitating before touching anything. The labels were foreign to her,luxury brands she'd only seen in magazines. She carried one and spun around.Only then did she notice the gown arranged neatly on the bed. With a note attached to it.

The note saying:

Today's outfit, Genevieve.

She must have slipped in while she was still asleep.

The gown Genevieve had picked out for her was a soft satin ivory dress with pearl buttons down the back felt too fine, too fragile. She'd never worn anything like it, and yet, as it draped over her curves and brushed against her ankles, she moved to the mirror in her room.

She paused at the mirror. Her reflection looked unfamiliar. The curve of her lashes, the still-set mouth, the anxious gleam behind grey eyes. She looked like someone pretending to have control.

A soft knock pulled her attention to the sitting area just off her bedroom.

"Can I come in?"

Yes,sure.

Genevieve stepped in, holding a tray with a glass of orange juice and a covered plate.

"Good morning, Mrs. Wolfe," she said with a slight nod. "Breakfast. Mr. Wolfe insisted."

"And hope you like the cloth,Mr Wolfe had ordered me to pick it out for you."

Elara's lips parted, but no words came. She simply nodded, murmuring, "Thank you" and yes I love it.But how'd you know my clothes size?

"That was all Mr Adrian."Genevieve said..."I only arranged it in the wardrobe."

"Oh,"

And Uhm where's Adrian?

"He's at the dining.Having breakfast."Genevieve responded and took her leave.

When Genevieve left, the silence reclaimed the room. She then went to the bathroom to quickly brush .After cleaning up,She sat in the plush chair by the window and uncovered the tray. Eggs, toast, fruit-all warm. She ate quietly.Still in her thoughts.

Another knock interrupted her thinking.

It's open,Come in.

An older woman stepped in with practiced grace, holding a small basket with folded linens. She wore a navy-blue uniform and a kind expression that didn't seem to belong in a house this cold.

She looked nice.

"I just got back in last night. I wanted to say hello properly," Ms.Harris said, setting the basket down on a side table. And see how you were settling in Mrs Wolfe.

Oh pls call me Elara.Elara hesitated and "It's...a lot."

"Of course it is," Ms. Harris replied gently. No one walks into a place like this and feels at home right away. Not even Mr. Wolfe, when he was younger.

That surprised her. "He grew up here?"

"Most of it, yes," Ms. Harris said, smoothing out a folded towel. "Though the man you see now is nothing like the boy who used to sit in the garden with scraped knees and books too heavy for his arms."

There was a wistful fondness in her voice that made Elara curious.

"Did you know his mother?"

Ms.Harris looked up. "I did."

Elara waited, but the maid only said, "She was unlike anyone else in this house."

The silence lingered. Elara didn't press.

Ms.Harris turned back to leave, then paused. "Would you like some other side dishes?" I can have the kitchen send something warm.

No, thank you.I'm okay with this.

I'll be down in a few minutes.

Ms.Harris replied,Okay dear,take your time.With that She closed the door.

---

She descended the grand staircase slowly, The scent of coffee and polished wood led her to the dining area. Adrian was already seated, dressed in a charcoal suit, tablet in hand.

He looked up as she entered. "Did you sleep well?"

Elara nodded, brushing her fingers over the hem of her gown. "Yes. Thank you."

You said I could resume acting school," she added, her voice tentative.

Adrian nodded once. "I meant it."How many times do you want me to repeat myself Elara.

"Well I was thinking maybe Thursday. Ease into things."

"Tell me when. I'll handle enrollment."

She swallowed. "Thank you."

He glanced at her, just briefly. "You don't have to thank me for keeping my word."

But she did. Because Elara wasn't used to men who said things and meant them.

" He didn't respond to that but said simply. Cain will drive you. He'll be your assigned security going forward.

She raised her brows slightly. "Security?"

What for? I don't need one.I've been doing just fine without one.

He didn't smile, but his voice was gentle. "Non-negotiable."

With a frown already forming on her face She said,"Thought you wanted to keep our relationship a secret." and besides what would people say if I'm being chauffeured like some delicate ornament.

I don't care.Let them talk.

"Right."

He returned to his tablet, the conversation dissolving like mist.

"How'd you know my clothes size?"She asked.

I have my ways,He replied.

She replied Hmm.i'm not surprised.Then poured herself a cup of coffee, trying not to think about how strange it felt to sit across from him like this-married and miles apart.

---

The car ride into the city was quiet. Cain said little, focused on the road with military precision. Elara sat back, watching the streets blur past the tinted glass.She looked at Cain who was looking elsewhere apart from her eyes at the rearview mirror . Cain didn't speak much, and maybe that was why she found his presence oddly comforting. The kind of quiet that didn't expect anything from her.

"Do you... live on the estate?" she asked.

He blinked, then gave a short nod. "In the quarters behind the east wing."

"You've worked for him long?"

"A while."

She waited for more, but it didn't come. Cain was loyal-to Adrian first and probably last.

Still she pressed.Is he always like that?"

I meant Adrian.

Cain paused. "Like what?"

"Detached. Cold."

He gave her a look through the rearview mirror.Not unkind, but unreadable. "Mr. Wolfe trusts slowly. Speaks even slower. But he doesn't make promises he won't keep. That's more than most."

Then silence followed.

When they reached the school's administrative building, Cain stepped out and opened the door for her.

"I'll be parked across the street. Take your time," he said, voice even.

"Thank you," she murmured and walked into the building.

Whispers followed her the moment she stepped inside.

"Isn't that... Elara Williams?"

"She just vanished."

"I heard she got married. To someone powerful."

She kept her head high, ignoring the stares, the murmurs, the speculation. Her footsteps were steady, heels clicking softly on the polished floor. She picked up her updated class schedule, exchanged a few polite words with the admin assistant, and turned to leave.

The moment she stepped outside, the wind hit her face. She breathed it in, sharp and clean.

"I'm still me," she whispered to herself. "Even if they don't see it."

-

Far across the city, Adrian sat alone in his office in the estate.

Julian had just left, some files still open on the desk. But Adrian wasn't reading.

He stared out at the city, his mind a thousand miles away.

He'd told her the truth.

He wouldn't touch her unless she wanted him to.

And he meant it.

But damn.

She had looked so pretty that morning.Her cheeks had held a faint blush, and her lips God, those lips. Slightly parted, pink, full. They looked soft. Kissable.

Too kissable.

He couldn't stop the part of him that wondered what she would taste like if he kissed her.

He shut the thought down and stood.

There were rules in place.

But Gosh.She was doing things to him.

He just wasn't sure how long he'd hold.

___

She returned just before sunset, the estate.The estate welcomed her back with silence. She slipped through the doors just as dusk began bleeding across the sky.

Following the quiet, she found Adrian in the library.

He didn't look up immediately. He was seated near one of the tall windows, a thick book open in his lap. The light caught in his hair, making him look more human than the calculating man she'd first met.

Then, without turning, he said, "You went."

Elara stepped inside,closing the door gently behind her. "I needed to," she replied.

He turned to face her, eyes unreadable. "How was it?"

"Familiar. And strange," she said.

He closed the book, setting it down on the desk. "Strange is the only thing we have in common right now."

She almost smiled. "It's a start."

They stood in silence for a moment, not awkward, not charged-just there.

She spoke softly. "Tomorrow, I'll go to class. I'm not sure I'm ready. But I want to try."

He nodded, just once. "That's enough."

Their eyes met-and lingered.

There's something else," he said.

She waited.

"I've asked Genevieve to prepare the room beside yours as a personal studio. For practice. If you want it."

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

"You'll need the space."

"You didn't have to-"

"I know."

And for a moment, there was nothing between them but something close to understanding.

Elara whispered, "You're not what I expected."

Adrian tilted his head. "Disappointed?"

"Confused," she replied honestly.

He gave the faintest smile. "Good."

And then he walked away, leaving her blinking after him.