On the evening of the premiere day, Ziva had already gone to the venue to check how everything looked there. As Elara finished her juice and walked toward the door, it suddenly opened from outside.

It was Carris. He looked quite surprised as he almost bumped into her. "Where are you going?" he asked.

Elara sighed and walked past him. "To Velouris," she replied casually.

When Carris had suggested yesterday that they go to a fashion house to prepare what she would wear for the premiere, Elara had already told him not to bother because she had gone for a fitting already.

What she did not tell him was that it had all been arranged by... Adrian Vale.

"Let me take you there," Carris said immediately already walking beside her.

Elara stopped and looked up at him. "Carris, the event is in a few hours," she said. "You should go get ready too. I don’t want to delay you."

Carris quickly shook his head as if it was not even worth discussing. In the end, he still drove her there himself.

When they arrived at the building at Veston, Elara could already feel people’s gazes following them. She had expected it anyway.

The internet was already very convinced they were dating.

But honestly, she did not care much. They were free to think whatever they wanted.

* * *

The dress was really...

Elara paused, trying to find the right word for it.

Too exaggerated.

It was a silver and black evening gown with glittering straps here and there, a fitted waist, and layers of dark fabric that flowed down elegantly. The back was partially... well more than partially exposed. The design made her wonder if the designer had simply ran out of material, or she wanted her to catch a cold.

Elara stared at it quietly before scoffing inwardly.

Was she really going to wear something like this?

This would probably be the first time in history.

Apart from the fact that she did not think spending huge amounts of money on clothes made any sense, she had never attended events that required elaborate dresses before. Excluding the movie filming of course. But Sera’s costume was different.

After a long hour of standing still through adjustments and measurements, Elara finally stepped out of the dressing room.

Carris, who had been leaning against a table nearby immediately straightened when his eyes landed on her.

Then a small warm smile appeared on his face. "Perfect," he muttered.

Elara almost laughed.

If it was truly perfect, then why did moving around feel like she was dragging a curtain behind her?

She turned toward Madame Evelisse behind her. "Nothing else, right?"

The woman remained quiet for a second before replying in a soft voice, "Not quite."

Elara raised her brows a little in curiosity, waiting for her to continue. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Mr. Vale requested final approval personally. He should already be waiting upstairs."

Elara’s eyes instantly became several shades calmer.

She did not even know what she was supposed to feel. When exactly did Adrian become like this?

As she thought of this, a scene flashed across her mind and her eyes turned cold. But just as quickly, the coldness disappeared.

That night at his villa.

Those memories used to terrify and madden her much more than this. So why did they suddenly feel farther away now?

"Adrian Vale?" Carris muttered questioningly as he looked directly at her.

Elara pursed her lips before nodding gently.

Then he slowly turned back toward Madame Evelisse. "Final approval?" he repeated calmly.

"Mr. Vale funded most of the premiere styling budget," the woman explained professionally. "The house is simply honoring that arrangement."

A scoff escaped Carris’ lips before he looked back at Elara again. "Really."

Elara sighed softly and nodded. "Wait here. I’ll be back in a minute."

Then she turned toward Madame Evelisse. "Where is he?"

"You can follow me," the woman replied.

As Elara walked away with her, Carris watched her back silently, his eyes gradually turning colder. Then he shifted his attention back to the table beside him.

"This room," Madame Evelisse said after stopping in front of a large door. Then she walked away without another word.

Elara stood there expressionlessly for a moment before reaching out and opening the door. It opened easily.

The room was huge. Mannequins stood at different corners surrounded by fabrics, sketches and things that Elara could not even recognize.

Then... her gaze moved and stopped on the figure standing quietly beside the tall window.

At first, she simply remained where she was wondering what exactly he was planning to do now. Then she finally opened her mouth.

"I didn’t know the CEO of Vale Group had enough free time to double as a fashion consultant." She said with a careless tone.

There was barely any change in Adrian’s posture. He only straightened up before turning to look at her, his expression carrying that same cold unreadable look.

He said nothing immediately. He stood there calmly while his gaze slowly traveled over her in a way that made her very uncomfortable.

Then suddenly, he stepped forward.

Elara lifted her eyes to meet his as he approached. Her lips pressed tightly together, though her gaze still remained composed.

He did not stop until he was standing directly in front of her, his eyes lingering on the tattoo under her eye.

Elara let out a quiet snort and opened her mouth to speak again but his words stopped her completely.

"Turn around."

Her eyes widened in shock.

"Excuse me?" she exclaimed, the irritation in her voice impossible to hide.

Adrian remained silent, his expression unreadable as his eyes stayed fixed on hers without moving away for even a second.

A sneer slowly appeared on Elara’s lips. For a small moment, she considered turning around and walking straight out of the room. But in the end she changed her mind.

It was just turning around. She might as well satisfy whatever ridiculous inspection he had in mind.

With a slow exhale, she turned around until her back faced him.

The dress suddenly felt even more exposing than before. The open back left her feeling strangely aware of his presence behind her, almost as if she could physically feel his gaze moving slowly along her spine.

"The back," Adrian’s voice suddenly came from behind her. Dangerously close. "It’s missing something."

Elara’s heart skipped a bit but she stayed still, forcing the sneer on her face to remain. "And what would that be Mr. Vale?" she asked sarcastically. "More fabric? Or perhaps a leash?"

She expected a cold reply. Instead, she felt the warmth of his breath brush lightly against the back of her neck, sending an unpleasant shiver through her body that she instantly hated herself for noticing.

"Neither," he whispered quietly.

Then suddenly... The door burst open with enough force to make Elara almost step back in surprise.

"Approval finished?"

Carris’ voice cut through the room coldly as he stood by the entrance, his gaze locked onto the narrow space between Adrian and Elara’s back.