WHEN THE MASK FELL

CHAPTER TWO

The celebration had become livelier as the night went on.

The soft music from earlier had been replaced by something more energetic, people had loosened their ties and heels, and the quiet conversations between businessmen had slowly turned into laughter and gossip.

Elara had never been a heavy drinker, especially not at public events, but tonight she had somehow lost count of how many glasses she had accepted.

Maybe it was because she had been tired, maybe because she wanted to forget the strange feeling that had followed her all evening, or maybe she simply hadn't realized how strong the drinks were. Whatever the reason, the confident woman who could usually walk into any room with complete control was beginning to feel the floor move slightly beneath her feet.

Ava Collins noticed it before anyone else did. At twenty-six, Ava had known Elara long enough to recognize every version of her, including the one who insisted she was perfectly fine when she clearly wasn't. Ava was standing beside her, talking to another guest, when she glanced over and noticed Elara staring at her empty glass with a suspiciously thoughtful expression.

"Elara," she called, trying not to laugh,

"how many of those have you had?" Elara looked at her with exaggerated seriousness.

"I have no idea." Ava blinked.

"That's not a good answer." Elara smiled and leaned slightly against the table.

"I'm fine." Ava immediately shook her head.

"No. You're doing that thing where you say you're fine because you don't want me to take your drink away."

Elara looked down at the glass in her hand and then back at Ava.

"You know me too well." Ava gently took the glass from her.

"Exactly. Which is why you're done."

Elara laughed and reached for the glass again, but Ava moved it out of her reach.

"Give it back." "Absolutely not.

" "Ava."

"Elara." They stared at each other for a few seconds before Elara finally laughed.

"You're annoying." Ava smiled proudly.

"And yet, you keep me around." Elara shook her head, but before she could answer,

Ava's attention was caught by someone approaching them. She turned toward the man and immediately recognized him as one of the older businessmen attending the celebration. He was around sixty, dressed in an expensive suit, and had clearly been drinking for quite some time. There was something unpleasantly confident in the way he looked at Elara, something that made Ava's smile disappear.

"Miss Night," the man said, stepping closer.

"I've been wanting to speak with you."

Elara looked at him, trying to focus on his face.

"About business?"

The man laughed. "Not everything has to be about business."

Ava stepped slightly closer to Elara. The man ignored her and continued,

"You're even more beautiful in person. I was beginning to think the magazines were exaggerating."

Elara gave him a polite but uncomfortable smile.

"Thank you, but I think I'll go find my friend."

She tried to step away, but the man moved with her.

"There's no need to rush. We could have a drink together somewhere quieter."

Elara's expression hardened. "I'm not interested."

The man smiled as though her refusal amused him. "You're young. You shouldn't be so serious all the time."

Ava immediately stepped between them.

"She said she's not interested."

The man's eyes moved toward Ava, and his smile disappeared for a moment.

"I wasn't speaking to you."

"That's fine," Ava replied calmly. "But I'm speaking to you."

Elara touched Ava's arm, trying to stop the situation from becoming bigger than it already was.

"Ava, it's okay. Let's just go."

The man stepped closer again. "You don't have to leave because of me."

Elara looked directly into his eyes this time. Whatever alcohol had done to her balance, it hadn't taken away her ability to recognize when someone was crossing a line.

"I said no."

For a moment, the man's expression darkened. Then he smiled again.

"Of course."

He stepped back, but the way he looked at her made Elara uncomfortable. Ava waited until he walked away before turning toward her.

"Are you okay?"

Elara nodded, although her smile was no longer convincing. "Yes."

Ava studied her face. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

Ava sighed. "Then we're getting you some water."

"I don't need water."

"You absolutely need water."

Elara rolled her eyes. "You're acting like my mother."

Ava smiled softly. "Someone has to."

Elara laughed, but before they could leave, a group of guests approached Ava and pulled her into a conversation. Ava looked back at Elara and pointed toward the table.

"Stay here. I'll be back in two minutes."

Elara nodded.

"Two minutes."

"Exactly."

Ava disappeared into the crowd.

Elara stood alone for a moment, feeling the warmth of the room becoming slightly overwhelming. She touched her forehead and took a slow breath.

That was when the older man returned.

"You shouldn't be standing alone," he said.

Elara looked at him and frowned.

"I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure you can." He smiled. "But you don't look well."

"I'm fine."

"There's a private lounge upstairs. You can sit there for a while."

Elara hesitated.

"No. I'll wait for Ava."

"Your friend is busy."

Elara glanced toward the crowd. She couldn't see Ava. The man lowered his voice.

"It will only take a minute. You can rest, and then I'll bring you back."

Elara wasn't thinking clearly enough to question him properly. She rubbed her temple and finally nodded.

"Fine. Just for a minute."

The man smiled.

"Of course."

Romen had been standing near the other side of the ballroom when he noticed Oliver talking to one of the event organizers. He had already decided he wanted to leave. His mother's promise of dinner was still somewhere in the back of his mind, and after the long day he'd had, the last thing he wanted was another hour of small talk.

Lucas walked up beside him.

"You're leaving?"

"Yes."

Lucas looked toward the ballroom.

"Without saying goodbye to anyone?"

"I don't care."

"You don't care about anyone."

Romen gave him a flat look.

Lucas smiled. "Except Mom."

"Obviously."

"And maybe..."

"Don't."

Lucas laughed. "I didn't even finish."

"You didn't need to."

Romen turned toward the hallway, intending to use the restroom before leaving. He had barely taken a few steps when he noticed someone coming out of a private corridor.

It was the same older businessman from earlier.

Romen didn't think much of it.

Not until he heard a woman's voice from behind the closed door.

"Please, just let me go."

He stopped.

Something about the voice sounded familiar.

Romen turned his head.

The voice came again, more frightened this time.

"Stop. I said no."

His entire expression changed.

He knew that voice.

"Elara?"

Without thinking, Romen pushed the door open. The sight in front of him made his blood run cold.

Elara was backed against the wall, clearly frightened and trying to push the man away. The moment Romen saw her face, every trace of exhaustion disappeared.

The man turned around sharply.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Romen didn't answer immediately.

He looked at Elara.

"Are you okay?"

She shook her head slightly, too shaken to speak. Romen's jaw tightened. He looked back at the man.

"Move away from her."

The man scoffed. "This is none of your business."

Romen took one step forward.

"It became my business the moment she told you to stop."

"She came here willingly."

Romen's eyes became colder.

"She told you no."

The man tried to laugh it off. "You're misunderstanding the situation."

"No," Romen said quietly. "I'm not."

The man took a step toward him. Romen didn't move. For a second, the two men simply stared at each other. Then the man tried to push past him.

Romen grabbed his arm.

"Don't."

The man's expression changed. Romen's voice dropped lower.

"You should have walked away when she asked you to."

The argument turned physical within seconds. Romen shoved him back, and when the man tried to strike him, Romen blocked the blow and hit him hard enough to send him stumbling against the wall. The man tried to recover, but Romen grabbed the front of his jacket and slammed him back again.

"Romen!"

Elara's voice stopped him.

He froze.

His breathing was heavy, his hands were clenched, and anger was still burning in his eyes.

Then he looked at Elara.

She was trembling.

The anger immediately shifted into concern.

Romen released the man and walked toward her.

"Elara, look at me."

She slowly raised her eyes.

"Are you hurt?"

She shook her head.

"No."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded, but her eyes were still unfocused.

Romen took off his jacket and gently placed it around her shoulders.

"Come on."

She looked at him.

"Where?"

"I'm taking you home."

This time, she didn't argue.

A few minutes later, Oliver found them near the private entrance. He took one look at Romen's bruised knuckles and then at Elara wrapped in his jacket.

His usual joking expression disappeared.

"What happened?"

Romen looked at him.

"Take care of the man upstairs. Make sure the hotel security handles it properly."

Oliver nodded immediately.

"Of course."

He looked toward Elara, then back at Romen.

"Do you want me to call Ava?"

Romen nodded.

"Tell her Elara is with me and I'm taking her home."

Oliver hesitated.

"Romen..."

Romen looked at him.

Oliver lowered his voice. "Be careful."

Romen understood what he meant. He nodded once.

"I will."

The drive was quiet. Elara sat beside Romen in the back seat, his jacket still around her. She stared through the window for several minutes, watching the lights outside blur together. Her head felt heavy, and every time she tried to remember exactly what had happened upstairs, her thoughts became confused.

Romen noticed her fingers trembling slightly.

"Are you cold?"

She shook her head.

"No."

"Then why are you shaking?"

She looked at her hands.

"I don't know."

Romen reached for the bottle of water beside him and handed it to her.

"Drink."

Elara looked at the bottle and then at him.

"You always order people around?"

"Usually."

She smiled faintly.

"That sounds exhausting."

Romen couldn't help smiling.

"You have no idea."

She took a small sip and rested her head against the seat.

After a few minutes, she looked at him again.

"Why did you help me?"

Romen frowned slightly.

"What kind of question is that?"

"A real one."

He looked at her for a moment before answering.

"Because you needed help."

Elara studied his face.

"You hate me."

"I don't."

"You do." Romen sighed.

"Elara, you're drunk." She smiled.

"That doesn't mean I'm wrong." He looked away.

For some reason, he didn't know how to answer her. She watched him quietly for several seconds.

Then she whispered, "Thank you." Romen looked back at her.

"You're welcome."

The car continued through the quiet streets.

Elara was quiet for a while, her head resting against the seat as the lights outside slipped across the car window. Romen glanced at her from time to time, making sure she was alright. He had expected her to fall asleep, but suddenly she turned her face toward him.

"Romen?"

He looked at her. "Hmm?"

She stared at him for a few seconds without saying anything. Her eyes were slightly unfocused from the alcohol, but there was something almost thoughtful in the way she was looking at him. Romen raised an eyebrow, unsure what was going through her mind.

"What?"

Elara's lips curved into a small smile. "You're not as bad as I thought."

Romen let out a quiet breath that sounded almost like a laugh. "You're drunk."

"I know."

"Then stop judging my personality tonight."

"I'm not judging you." She paused, her eyes dropping briefly to his lips before returning to his eyes.

"I'm trying to understand you."

Romen's smile faded a little. Something about the way she was looking at him suddenly made him sit straighter. He didn't know why his heartbeat had picked up, or why the small space between them suddenly felt much smaller than it actually was.

"Elara," he said quietly, "you should sleep."She didn't move.

Instead, she leaned a little closer. Romen stayed completely still.

For one second, he thought she was simply trying to hear him better, but then she stopped only inches away from him. He could feel her warm breath against his face, and for the first time that night, the man who always seemed to have an answer for everything had absolutely no idea what to say.

Elara looked into his eyes.

There was a strange silence between them.

Neither moved.

Neither spoke.

Romen's gaze dropped to her lips for the briefest moment before he immediately looked back into her eyes, almost as if he had caught himself doing something he shouldn't.

"Elara..." His voice came out quieter than he intended. She smiled.

"I know."

And before he could figure out what she meant, she closed the remaining distance between them.

Her lips touched his softly.

It was only a brief kiss, almost hesitant at first, as if even she wasn't completely sure what she was doing. Romen froze the moment he felt it. His hand, which had been resting beside him, tightened against the seat, and for a few seconds he simply stared ahead, unable to process what had just happened.

Then Elara slowly pulled away.

She didn't immediately look at him.

Instead, she lowered her eyes, a faint smile still playing on her lips, and whispered, "See? You're not that scary."

Romen turned toward her, completely speechless.

"Did you just—"

Elara rested her head against his shoulder before he could finish.

"I think I'm sleepy."

Romen stared at her in disbelief.

He could feel his heart beating far too fast, and somehow that irritated him more than the kiss itself.

He looked down at her peaceful expression and quietly shook his head.

"You're going to regret this tomorrow."

Elara didn't answer.

She was already drifting to sleep.

Romen leaned back against the seat, still trying to understand why one innocent kiss from the woman he had spent two years fighting with had managed to completely destroy his composure.

For the first time in a very long time, Romen Draven had no idea what his next move was.

To be continued...

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