In the end, Carris had no choice but to give in to him.

When the men finished checking the piano and the ear monitors, they found no trackers, hidden microphones, or dangerous devices on them, which honestly made the whole situation even stranger...

Soon, Tonio was slumped against the couch fast asleep. Ziva had gone to her room to take a shower, while Carris had stepped outside with the tech guys and still hadn’t returned.

Elara remained by the window fiddling with the ear monitors in her hands. The diamonds glittered like tiny stars whenever the light touched them.

They were really beautiful. She had to admit. But there’s a difference between buying something for yourself and someone buying something for you, especially when the buyer is unknown.

Her lips pursed as she stared at them quietly. Then with a sudden spark of curiosity, she lifted the right monitor and tucked it into her ear.

It fit perfectly. So perfectly it almost felt like it had been made as part of her own body. She did the same with the left.

The moment they were both in, everything went silent. She then touched the tiny sensor she had found on it.

The device gave a soft whirr followed by a faint click. But after all those settled down, the only sound left was something like the booming roar of an ocean, filtered strangely as if it was being heard from underwater.

Surprisingly, it sounded refreshing to someone like her.

Who would have sent something like this?

She thought, the corner of her lips twitching involuntarily. She raised her hand to remove them but they stopped midway. The sound was strangely impressive.

She lowered her hand again, but she had barely done so when someone suddenly tapped her arm.

Her heart jerked and she turned back abruptly from the suddenness. But seeing Carris there, she let out a deep breath.

His lips moved as if he was saying something but she didn’t hear him, so she finally reached up and pulled the monitors from her ears.

"Why did you turn around like I was about to stab you?" he muttered with raised brows.

Elara snorted, then turned back toward the window. "I didn’t hear you enter. This thing blocked out every sound around me."

Carris went quiet and moved to stand beside her, leaning his elbows against the window railing. As he leaned closer, his eyes drifted toward the back of her shoulder.

His jaw tightened as he did so, a muscle jumping faintly in his cheek. But the moment Elara’s eyes moved toward his, his gaze snapped away immediately to the empty streets below.

"Elara," he suddenly said in a low serious tone. "You need to be careful. More careful than you’ve been."

Elara raised her brows. "Because of a gift?"

"It might not be as simple as you think," he cut in sharply.

Of course Elara knew that already. She wasn’t someone who believed gifts or favors came without meaning attached to them. But hearing Carris lecture her like this made the corner of her lips twitch slightly.

"People... men especially, don’t just give things like this," he said pointing toward the piano resting at the corner of the room. "That’s definitely not from some random fan. That’s someone trying to occupy your head and your space."

He let out a short bitter laugh. "Most of them are assholes who think having a huge bank account automatically gives them rights to a woman’s attention. They think if they build a high enough throne, you’ll sit there and wait for them."

Elara looked up at him, a small amused smile playing on her lips. "You’re talking as if you’re not a man yourself. Since when did you become an expert on the dark hearts of anonymous billionaires?" 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Carris didn’t smile back. "I’m an expert because I know how we think."

Elara felt a strange warmth in his words, but she simply returned her attention to the streets below. "You’re very dramatic. Is it the flu? Have you been spending too much time around Ziva?"

Carris shook his head with a sigh, though his smile finally returned. "I’m serious," he muttered before waving a hand dismissively. "Whatever. Go get ready. We’re leaving in thirty minutes."

Then he glanced toward the couch where Tonio was still sleeping like a man who had paid rent there for ten years.

"And please wake that man before he starts drooling on the couch."

–

That night, they finally left for the private lounge in Carris’s car with he and Tonio in the front seats while Elara and Ziva sat at the back.

Tonio had strongly opposed the arrangement earlier, insisting that he needed to stay beside Elara in case Carris turned out to be some secret serial kidnapper. But Carris had calmly informed him that it was either the front seat or the roadside.

Tonio obeyed immediately.

The lounge was classy and private, tucked away in a distant district. They were led to a section close to the wide glass windows overlooking the city.

The moment they settled around the table, Carris ordered drinks and food without even looking at the menu. "To surviving chaos and accidentally becoming chart monsters," he said lifting his glass of vintage champagne.

Everyone clinked glasses with him.

At some point, when Tonio had clearly gotten too excited from the alcohol, he suddenly stood up and pulled out his phone. Then he started taking "accidental selfies," subtly showing off his abs through his tight shirt with Elara conveniently in the background.

He shifted sideways again, probably trying to get Carris into the shot too but Carris immediately turned his face away with a tired shake of his head.

For most of the night, Elara, Ziva, and Carris talked about ideas for the music video while Tonio interrupted every few minutes with dramatic suggestions nobody asked for.

"Man, if I accidentally appear in that video as a background extra or something, trust me, it’s going to become legendary," he declared proudly, lightly punching Carris on the shoulder.

Carris only sighed already looking mentally exhausted.

Eventually, Elara started feeling uneasy. She badly wanted to splash some water on her face so she stood up from her seat. "I’ll be back. I want to use the restroom," she muttered while Carris nodded in acknowledgement.

"If there’s any trouble Frostiebun, just scream out my name okay?" Tonio called after her.

The corner of Elara’s lips lifted a little before she rolled her eyes and walked away.

As she pushed open the door she assumed led to the restroom, she realized it instead opened into a dimly lit narrow corridor.

She walked further inside anyway.

Not long after, she finally spotted a door with a silver plaque that read Ladies’ Restroom. She pushed it open and stepped inside. After locking the door behind her, she turned and started walking forward.

But her footsteps suddenly came to an abrupt stop.