Heiress in Distress

•Chapter 16•

•Word Count: 1,065

"What happened to Antoinette's sonnets before she met Pierre ?"

Elias was right. The whole menu at the restaurant featured the titles of Antoinette's sonnets. Even the walls, painted a hickory brown, were adorned by almost all her sonnets to Pierre, written in creamy white cursive -a striking compliment to the luxury of the restaurant.

The food -nothing short of delectable- just like Antoinette and Pierre's affair, was everything I could have wished for, to complement this already memorable visit.
Elias showed me the recent addition, established as a tribute to the doomed lovers, the "A&P Spa" -their initials.

We walked the long distance -made short by our chatting- back to his car, me bombarding him with questions about the couple, and him patiently answering every question, offering generous explanations.

The thought of stepping foot out of the island was dispiriting, and my reluctance was made openly visible as I stood there, staring at the demarcation between the island's paved pathway and the bridge's deck.

Elias noticed, leaning slightly to accommodate my height, "Don't worry, I saved the park visit for when Élise joins us" He murmured, making me struggle to ignore the tug in my heart at the endearing gesture.

We've just turned onto the main road and drove a mile or two, when the thought of Antoinette's non-Pierre sonnets sowed a new sense of curiosity.

"The authentic pieces are retained in the museum" He points to a museum just ahead of us.
A remote longing for looking further into the lovers' story elicits a sigh, which fogs the window of my seat as I stare off into the streets of Lyon.

My focus dispersed among thoughts of Antoinette, the island, and my new boss, I am brought back to the present when the car lurches to a stop on the driveway of a mall.
Confused, I turn to look at Elias, as he lifts the hand break,

"I'll be right back" He says before stepping out and shutting the door behind, leaving me alone in the car.
I watch as he disappears into the glass slide doors of the mall, only to re-emerge 15 minutes later with a shopping bag in his hand. My stomach flips with some strange emotion.
I know for a fact I would never accept a present from him, if that's what he's intending.

He crosses the street and walks over, his figure enlarging with every step until he reaches the car and opens his door, slipping in and placing the shopping bag in the backseat.

"Hey. Sorry" is all he says before backing out and driving down the street once again.

The first hour of the car ride was silent, except for his informing me that we're driving back to Strasbourg, which I, once again, forgot was 5 hours away.
He also promises me he'll take me to the museum next time because by the time we left the island, it was the museum's closing time.

It doesn't register. None of it does. His words, the promises of future plans, his tenderness when mentioning Élise, nothing.
I'm far gone, lost in the endlessness of my thoughts.

Only this morning I wanted nothing to do with him -not with the 'brute' from the other night or my new boss.
The resolute need for keeping Elias at a distance is now completely replaced by confusion about which appropriate behaviour I should be affecting.

I'm almost certain that my agreeing to join him on the trip was out of pure guilt.
I've gotten to the nebulous point where I can hardly tell right and wrong apart, especially after witnessing this side of Elias today and learning that what he did to those men was irrefutably justifiable.

"Mira" Elias's harsh voice rips me out of my thoughts.

My head whips to him, startled at his choice of tone. His brows are deeply furrowed as he glances at me for a second before fixing his attention back on the road.

"What's wrong ?" He asks concernedly.
Why does he have to be so considerate ?
His thoughtfulness went from blurring the line between right and wrong to completely erasing it.

"Nothing" I mutter, shaking my head and adding a chuckle for measure. "Just thinking about Antoinette and Pierre" I lie, smiling cheekily.

At this, he lets out a laugh that dies quickly.

"I was...about the other night. My attitude, I-" He trails off, removing a hand from the steering wheel to run it through his hair. He refuses to meet my eyes, fixating his own straight ahead.
It occurs to me that I've never seen -or heard- him at loss for words until now; he always seemed to have his speeches prepared and memorised by heart, with an impressive eloquence only he can muster.

"I..have a bad memory, with thunderstorms. I just...I'm not myself when there's thunder or lightning out there" He admits, looking genuinely apologetic.
In an instant, the seat feels a lot more cushioned under me, and I feel my body sinking further into the leather.

That was the tightening force to the noose of guilt. It appears I'm the guilty party in everything now, and that realisation doesn't sit well with me.
A burning behind my ribcage makes breathing a burdensome task, which makes my eyes prick with frustration.

"I should have apologised earlier..." He leaves the sentence hanging.

Gone was the fear of him, the skepticism about his motives, the ponderance over his nature, and in their place, is thick, nasty, unadulterated self-condemnation.

I see his head turning in my direction from my peripheral vision, a look of confusion etched on his face, but I can't look at him -can't bring myself to.
He's waiting for me to say something but at this point, I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to say in response to that.

I'm so embarrassed by the reality of him being innocent and me being the wrongdoer this whole time.

He was protecting me and Élise, but all I did was push him away.
And his unneeded apology about the shift in his attitude around thunderstorms ? That was the icing on the cake.

A cake that tastes so bitter I almost gag just thinking about it.

Yet, that stubborn but consciously apprehensive part of me continues to ask the same question:

Who are you really, Elias ?

••••

-There you amazing guys go, a short chapter ♥️
Thank you so much for reading, you guys know how much it means (=

-The solution to the riddle will be revealed on the next chapter and I would love to dedicate it to someone ♥️
There's also -as expected- a hidden message in the message from Mira's father and although I'm 100% sure no one will get it right, try to crack it (=
So, do give it a shot; it might be correct, and you get a permanent dedication (=

-This chapter is rightfully dedicated to AsOriginal for two reasons:
1) For correctly guessing Elias's issue with thunderstorms
2) For significantly impacting this story ♥️

Thank you so much; your effort and support is not only noted but greatly appreciated (=

-Asia