Beauty and Beast Inc

Chapter 6

"Come on Belle I won't be long," Elias ordered as he parked the car in the curb and I hurried out behind him, hoping to distract myself from my thoughts.

  I walked into the lobby and I was hit with a familiarity I hadn't had in a long time. A few of the volunteers who worked at the daycare gave me a cheerful wave and I smiled back as I hustled after Elias towards an elevator that was set off to the side from the rest I hadn't really noticed before. 

  He swiped a key and the doors opened and I followed behind him. He pressed one of five buttons and the little glass elevator took off on the outside of the building. I gazed out as the sidewalk grew smaller below us and the cars turned into little toys. "How incredible..." I muttered, pressing my hand against the glass. I saw Elias' reflection in the glass and his eyes watching me as he leaned against the wall. This view must not mean much to him after taking it day after day but for someone who spent her whole life in one story, it was breathtaking.

  Suddenly the elevator stopped and the doors dinged open to a large room full of bustling woman and men in suits. They had Bluetooth phones and tablets tucked into their arms like they were holding children, bustling about all over the place. There were desks, but nobody was sitting at them. They looked like they were used for storage more than anything else.I followed Elias quickly, keeping my head down in hopes no one would pay me too much attention. He nodded to a few people who in return stared at me, but I just kept walking.

Elias reached his office, brushed past an empty secretarial desk, and pushed the doors open to reveal a massive space that looked a lot like his study at home; large desk, bookshelves, couches and chairs, but he also had a conference table pushed off to the side next to a cabinet with a pitcher of water and some cookies on top. 

  He walked quickly up to his desk, powered his computer, and gestured for me to sit down. I sat in one of the plush arm chairs in front of his desk and grabbed one of the tablets that was in laying in front of me. I opened a word game app and started playing as Elias typed away and suddenly his phone rang. 

  "Hello? Hallo herr..." He started speaking in rapid German and I blinked at him. He spoke German? Since when? 

  He hung up quickly and I sat there, still a little stunned. The phone rung again and this time he spoke in English. 

  "Hold on sir-" he put the phone down and looked at me. "Please write down everything I am just about to say." 

  I opened the notes app quickly and he started talking and I typed faster than I thought was humanly possible. As soon as he hung up I organized it all by topics and emailed it to him.
When he got it and opened it, he blinked and looked at me sitting patiently in his chair. "You typed all this?"

"Mhmm," I nodded and closed the cover of the tablet.

"And organized it?"

I smiled at his awe in my typing and organizational abilities. "Yes, it wasn't difficult."

"Huh." He turned off his computer, grabbed some extra papers and stuffed them in a folder and walked to the door. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah..." I stood up, gave one last look out the window, and followed him out the door. "That's an incredible office you have," I blurted when we got in the elevator.

Elias looked up at me over his phone. "My dad liked the views."

"You don't?" He shrugged and pressed the button for the elevator. "Oh I get it. Too busy looking down at your phone or your computer to look up and see what you've got. I understand." I turned away from him and looked out the window. It looked like it was going to rain. The elevator dinged open in front of us and we walked in silently, tension filling the air.

"I'm looking up now aren't I?" He snapped behind me.

I looked over my shoulder and back out the window. "A real occasion, I feel honored."

Elias took a deep breath behind me. "Why are you acting like this? What's wrong with you?"

I turned around and shrugged. "I don't know. Elias you're really nice sometimes and you've done a lot for me but I don't know really you. You have all this money and million dollar views and one of the best plots of real estate I've ever seen, and you just don't care about any of it. I've never seen someone with so much care so little."

I turned and realized the doors were open and everyone in the lobby was starring at us. It was then I realized I'd also been talking very loudly. "I'm sorry for being so frank. Like I said you've been very kind to me, but I'm just not seeing it Mr. Adams." I walked quickly out of the elevator and across the lobby, nodding hello to my preschool friends, and right out the door.

  I waited on the sidewalk and the valet pulled Elias's car up and I got in quickly, trying to hold back my guilt for back-talking the CEO of the company and my boss. I buckled in and pulled my coat around me as Elias got in stiffly and pulled the car away. I leaned my head against the window to watch the falling raindrops and the next thing I knew I was asleep.

  "Miss Belle... Belle wake up." My eyes fluttered open and Codsworth was holding the door open to the Ferrari and smiling at me.

"Where's Elias?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"Inside. He told me to come out and get you," he told me, offering me his hand as I climbed out of the car. It had stopped raining but there were puddles everywhere.

"How nice..." I mumbled.

"He asked for some tea in his office," Codsworth mentioned as we climbed the steps to the front door.

"Tell him to get off his ass and get it himself," I snapped as I walked into the kitchen where Mrs. Potts was just pouring the tea into the pot on the tray.

"My dear are you alright?" She asked me and I shrugged and grabbed the tray anyways. Codsworth stepped hastily aside as I walked out towards the office.

I pushed his office door open a little roughly making it bang against the wall and set the tray down. I fixed the tea quickly, laid it on his desk, and was about to walk out of the room when he stopped me.

  "Belle wait."

I stopped and leaned my head on the door, not bothering to turn around. "I'm sorry Belle." I heard his chair push back and his footsteps padding across the carpet. 

"Its fine. I think I was a little out of turn, I promise it wont happen again." I turned around and gave him a brief smile. His hands were shoved in his pockets and I thought his shoulders were a little slumped. "And thank you again for all the clothes. You're much too kind." 

"Belle, really. No-no one has said anything like that to me in a long time and you are right. I don't appreciate much in my life anymore. Thank you for, uh, for showing me again." 

I stared at him, my eyebrows knit together, a little confused. This was the sincerest I had ever heard him and he genuinely seemed like he meant every word. I gave a short nod and he returned it and went back to his desk. I closed the door softly behind me and made my way back to the kitchen, a little dazed. 

Mrs. Potts poked her head around the corner and gave me a funny look. "If its alright, I'm going to go to my room and take a nap. I'll see you for dinner." I brushed past her and up the stairs to my room. I closed my door behind me and sat down on the bed and pulled Gaston's card out of my pocket.  

Sighing, I set it down on my nightstand, laid down, and fell asleep.