Chapter 5 - Exiled to the Shadows
Elena moved into a cramped, damp studio apartment in the industrial district of the city, far away from glass penthouses and grand estates. True to Victoria's word, the doors of the high-end employment agencies were slammed firmly in her face. She was marked as "unreliable" and "dangerous to high-profile clients."
She eventually found work at a twenty-four-hour roadside diner, flipping greasy burgers and pouring cheap coffee for long-haul truckers. Her hands, still bearing faint pink scars from the fire, ached under the constant exposure to soapy water and harsh grease.
Two weeks passed. She didn't look at the news, but the news found her. The diner's small television, mounted in the corner, constantly broadcasted updates on the upcoming Ashford-Vance merger Gala, touted as the social event of the year, where Nathaniel and Victoria were expected to announce their wedding date.
One rainy midnight, the bell above the diner door jingled. Elena didn't look up from wiping the counter. "Welcome, take a seat anywhere."
"I take my coffee bitter. No sugar. Poured before I ask."
Elena froze. The rag dropped from her hand. She looked up to see Nathaniel standing by the door, drenched from the rain, wearing a simple trench coat. He wasn't using his crutches anymore, though he walked with a slight, permanent limp.
"Nathaniel," she breathed, looking around the empty diner. "You shouldn't be here. If Victoria's people see you—"
"Let them look," he said, walking over and sliding into a vinyl booth. "I spent two weeks letting my mother and the board run my life because I thought I could protect you by staying away. But I realized something, Elena. The house didn't start burning two weeks ago. It's been burning my whole life, and I was just sitting in the dark waiting to turn to ash."
He reached across the laminate table, taking her chapped, working hands into his own. "I don't care about the merger. I don't care about the board. I came to ask you to hum for me again."
May you like
"Nathaniel, they will ruin you," Elena cried, tears blurring her vision. "Your family's legacy..."
"My legacy is nothing if I'm alone at a table built for twenty," he said fiercely. "Come with me. To the Gala tomorrow night. Let's show them exactly what caught fire in that manor."
