Elliott stared at Vanessa. Vanessa, in turn, stared right back at him.
This had been the pattern for the last fifteen minutes, since the antidote had cleared his system and his senses had returned. The moment he tried to get up and leave, reality had struck him hard- the flashes of cameras still waiting outside the hotel, the hum of media voices leaking through the glass doors, and the state of his clothes.
The borrowed jacket could only hide so much, and beneath it, his shirt was ripped beyond decency. He couldn't simply stroll out as though nothing had happened. Not like this. Not when the world outside was hungry for a spectacle.
So he sat there instead, opposite the woman who had dragged him back from the edge, and locked his eyes on hers. She wasn't looking away. She wanted him to break the silence first, to acknowledge her, to ask for what he knew she was offering. Help. The one thing he refused to ask for.
Because the truth was bitter. If she had genuinely wanted to protect him, she would have intervened earlier. She would have stopped the chain of events before it spiraled into disaster.
But no-she had chosen to wait. To let him fall face-first into the trap, to let the humiliation settle in, and only then had she swooped in like some gallant savior, a knight in shining armor perfectly timed to claim credit.
That wasn't rescue. That was calculation and leverage.
And in Elliott's eyes, it made her no different from the rest of them-every single person waiting for a chance to profit from his downfall, to twist his misfortune into their advantage.
But for now, they were at an impasse. The silence stretched, thick and unyielding, as Elliott weighed his options.
Could he really risk walking out there, dressed like this, with the vultures of the media waiting to rip him apart the moment he stepped outside? He could. At least he was sober and not drugged. He might just be able to handle things... The thought churned uneasily in his chest.
Just as he was turning over that question for the hundredth time, the woman moved.
Vanessa rose from her chair with the same calm composure she had worn since the moment she sat down.
He stiffened instinctively, his eyes following her every step as she crossed the space between them. When she reached him, she didn't touch him, didn't speak right away, she simply leaned back against the table at his side, tilting her body toward him as if she had all the time in the world.
"So stubborn," she said at last, her tone carrying both amusement and challenge. Her lips curved as she looked down at him. "Elliott, do you want to see a magic trick?"
Elliott blinked, thrown completely off balance by the words. A magic trick? That was the last thing he had expected to come out of her mouth.
She caught his expression and her smile widened. "What? Are you scared?"
He gave his head a small shake, still uncertain of her intentions but unwilling to let her see him falter. He didn't know what she was up to, but he could play along. If she thought she could rattle him that easily, she was wrong.
"Fine. Show me this magic trick of yours." He said finally.
Her grin deepened, and she leaned down toward him. The sudden closeness made him tense again, every muscle pulling tight as her face came far nearer than he'd prepared for. He tipped his chin up, his eyes locked on hers, wary but unwilling to look away.
"Close your eyes," she whispered.
Elliott narrowed his gaze instead, suspicious.
She laughed softly and reached up to tap him lightly on the cheek with her finger. "I said close them, silly. Not glare at me like I've just insulted you."
Reluctantly, Elliott obeyed, though he did it carefully, deliberately, as though shutting his eyes might allow her some advantage. But even as he closed his eyes, every part of him and every other sense, stayed on guard, alert to the possibility of some foul play.
Several seconds passed. Then, a crisp snap of her fingers cut through the quiet.
"Open them," she said.
He did. His gaze darted quickly around the room, searching for the reveal, the trick, some shift in the world around him. But nothing had changed. The room was the same. The silence was the same. He turned his eyes back to her with a questioning look on his face. What was the trick?
Vanessa tilted her head, the corners of her mouth lifting into a playful curve. "I made myself fall a little more for you," she said softly. "Isn't that a wonderful trick?"
For a long moment, Elliott could only stare at her.
"…"
And then, without warning, it broke out of him. For the first time in what felt like years, Elliott smiled. A real smile. One that tugged at his lips before he had the chance to stop it, one that made his face ache with the unfamiliar stretch. He couldn't help it as he looked at her grinning face and shining eyes. That is not the kind of trick one would expect from the biggest CEO in the country.
"That," he muttered finally, shaking his head at the absurdity of it, "was the dumbest magic trick I've ever seen."
But she only held his gaze, her expression shifting, her eyes softening as the humor melted into something deeper. She reached out and lightly touched a finger to the curve of his lips.
"I don't think so," she said quietly. "I think it's one of my best tricks. It made you smile."
The words struck harder than he wanted to admit, and instantly, the smile faded from his face. He leaned back, retreating from her touch, pushing space between them again, letting the easy moment disappear.
Vanessa let her hand fall, her grin vanishing with it. She straightened, her expression shuttering into calm efficiency as though she had never said those words at all. Without another pause, she picked up her phone, unlocked it, and held it out to him.
"Call your assistant. Tell him to bring your laptop. And while you're at it, you..." her eyes flicked to him with pointed emphasis ..."check the trending topics. See what storm you'll be walking into next."