Chapter 5 The confrontation

ELARA

I had a playful thought as soon as Dante informed Paula that he would be in a sauna.

After following him covertly to the sauna, I waited for him to calm down for at least five minutes before implementing my intentions.

This was my opportunity to make amends.

In an attempt to get his attention, I turned up the temperature by five degrees twice and jammed the door shut by inserting a wiper between the handles.

In less than a minute, I heard two tugs at the door handle.

"Hey, is there anybody present? He shouted.

"Casey, is that you?"

"I don't have time for your pranks."

My heart was pounding, wondering what he would do if he discovered that I was pulling this practical joke on him.

"Open the door."

"Someone?"

"I said open the bloody door!" He pushed the door firmly as he spoke.

I was on pure adrenaline by this point. After turning off the sauna and turning on the air ventilation system, I slipped out.

I didn't open the door, sorry. I figured it would be amusing to prolong his suffering.

After an hour, I returned, turned on the sauna once more, took out the wiper, and set it up next to the sink. After knocking on his door, I sprinted out of there, frantically trying to escape.

Pretending it was just another day, I went up to my room, opened my laptop, and proceeded to work.

My cheeks were burning, my heart felt like it would burst from my chest, and my icy hands were still trembling.

I pretended to be talking to a client while I tiptoed downstairs to see how the target of my joke was doing after I had calmed down.

He was a complete mess. A tie hung over Dante's neck like a scarf, and his coat hung over his crookedly buttoned shirt. He must have dropped the paper in a hurry because he was hunched over picking it up from the floor.

After placing the fallen papers in a file, Dante got up and turned to look at me. He gave me a bone-chilling gaze and said, "I'll see you later." His nose and cheeks were red from the heat, and I would have laughed.

He was aware.

December 2nd

An uncomfortable sensation settled in my gut and refused to leave until I faced the repercussions of my poorly thought-out prank.

I attempted to work, but my anxiety overcame me.

Who would have thought that pulling a practical joke could be so stressful?

After a fruitless round of tossing and turning, I walked down to the study to work on my laptop. I had decided to go to bed early that night in the hopes that sleep would help me get away from my inner turmoil.

I had barely responded to two emails when Dante came in via the creaking door.

As I heard him enter, I continued to stare at my screen. He was hanging his coat over a chair on the opposite side of the room when I caught a glimpse of him doing so.

I almost jumped when he said, "Elara, right?"

"Yes," I said, looking over my sent mail for the third time while keeping my eyes fixed on my laptop.

"It's quite late. Are you up for something?"

Conveniently avoiding his intense blue gaze, I looked up at the clock as it struck two and stated, "Only the thirty-five unread emails in my inbox," as casually as possible.

I wanted to stand up and ask him if he had a good time in the sauna today, but I refrained because I knew the consequences would not be enjoyable.

I felt apprehensive as he approached me slowly and leaned on the edge of the desk.

"Today, something truly intriguing occurred. When I informed my mother I would be in the sauna, she was with this girl, and the next thing I knew, I was locked in there for more than an hour. Despite his attempted smile, his clenched jaw revealed his true emotions. "Any wild guesses as to who might have locked me in?" he asked.

I'm a fool!

I was the only one who knew he was in the sauna, other than his mother. He discovered it, of course.

I tried to put some distance between us by getting up from my chair, and then I took a long breath and seemed to be worried. "You were locked? Oh no! How about that crucial meeting you had? Did you arrive late? Once, I was fifteen minutes late for a meeting, and the customer left after making fun of me in front of his coworkers. I hope the man you met wasn't a complete jerk.

Drawing in a furious breath, Dante said, "Apologize."

"For what purpose? referring to you as a fool?" I scowled and said, "Oh, I see! When poor toilet paper is compared to you, they must be offended.

He remarked, "You don't want to get on my bad side, Elara," as he drew nearer.

"That is assuming you have a good side, right?" I took two steps back.

He approached me, his face flushed with rage, and he made a concerted effort not to exclaim, "You want to play this game, right? Alright. Come on, let's play.

I retreated once more, attempting to think of a wry response, but I gasped when my back struck the wall.

Dante put his hands on the wall next to me, enclosing me, and I was positive I saw his lips quiver into a tiny smile.

Thus, when he said he was playing the game, he meant this.