Page 56 of The Protégé

Then he left.

Why was I attracted to a man with multiple personalities?

CHAPTER TWENTY

ELENA

I packedup to leave and walked to his office, wanting to wish him a good evening. But then he was on a conference call. Not wanting to interrupt, I scribbled,Good night. See you tomorrow.and added a smiley dandelion drawingon a sticky note and stuck it to his door.

I debated on texting him, but then he’d text back. And I needed a break from him.

As I sat in my car, my phone rang inside my purse. My heart raced, thinking it was Orion. But my heart sank when I saw that it was Reid Lanaro, the owner of Wild Roots.

“Hi, Reid.”

“Sorry for the last-minute request, but I was wondering if you could swing by the greenery today? We’re giving Anita a surprise paid trip to Bermuda.”

“Oh my gosh! That’s so generous of you, Reid! My mom will be thrilled!”

My moodimmediately lifted. On days when I felt defeated or when the world was too dark, people’s generosity surprised me.

“She’s been instrumental here. Besides, she plans on volunteering a couple of days a week in the garden. All her coworkers contributed. They’ll be joining her in Bermuda too.”

“You’re just too much. I’ll swing by after my hair appointment.”

“See you then.”

I glanced at my watch and saw I had another hour and a half before the show started. I rushed to the salon and Elliot waved me to a seat. Like always, his salon was packed.

“Darling, let’s go. You’re late.”

“Only five minutes. Sorry.”

“You’re my last client before I head over to the hotel to work on the other models. They have a few stylists volunteering from other salons.”

“But you’re the best,” I said. “Thanks for making me pretty tonight.”

“You’re already gorgeous. But I’ll make you a knockout tonight.”

“Hopefully I can help sell some dresses for the charity.”

“Don’t worry, you will. Karina just left for the hotel.”

Nerves churned in my stomach, but I didn’t know why. It was probably from what happened this morning in the Cosmic Lounge. I couldn’t wait for the fashion show to be over so I could go home, take a hot shower, and roll into bed.

When Elliot was done, he spun me around so I could look at my makeover in the three-way mirror. “See? Absolutely stunning.”

The dramatic eyes, soft blush, and rose lipstick created an elegant yet sexy appeal. I hadn’t worn this much makeup in a long time. It had been a long time since I’d worn a fancy dress. I hoped whatever dress they wanted me to wear would fit. Elliot had given them my size, so they had some pieces for me to try on.

“You’re a genius, Elliot. I love the makeup. The updo is elegant too.”

“You’re the perfect canvas. Don’t be surprised if men are begging for your number tonight.”

I loved getting pampered like this. Elliot made me feel beautiful. I could forget the ugly incident from this morning, my uncle’s debt, my unstable job situation, and this feeling for Orion. Tonight, I was free of those things.

Twenty minutes later,I embraced my teary-eyed mom at Wild Roots. Her employer and coworkers loved her.

“You’re starting off your retirement with a bang!” I kissed her cheek.

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