The Billionaire Recluse & The girl who stayed.

Elegant.

~ Lexi ~

I ran.

Not because I was scared of him—

But because I was scared of how I felt.

Jasper had gotten under my skin in a way no one ever had before, and that terrified me more than anything else.

Because what if it wasn't real?

What if his sudden change... his kiss... was just because of Dale?

Because he didn't want anyone else to have me—but didn't actually want me himself.

That thought stuck.

And it hurt more than I expected.

—

I quickly changed into dry clothes, scribbled a note, and left.

I needed space.

I needed to clear my head.

And tonight—

I needed something simple.

Easy.

Something that made sense.

—

Dale.

—

After sorting a new phone and SIM, I emailed him my new number through work and got ready for the evening.

I didn't give Jasper my new number.

Not tonight.

I didn't want interruptions.

Didn't want confusion.

Didn't want him pulling me back in when I'd just started to step away.

—

Dale had told me to dress elegant.

"Somewhere extravagant," he'd said.

So I chose a long black dress, sleek and fitted, with a slit up the side.

Simple.

Confident.

Safe.

—

When I stepped outside—

My breath caught.

A limo.

Of course.

Dale leaned casually against it, smiling as soon as he saw me.

"Wow," I laughed softly. "Where are we going—the Ritz?"

"You look incredible," he said, stepping forward.

Then he handed me a mask.

My stomach dropped.

"Masquerade."

The word hit harder than it should have.

Memories flashed—

The last one.

The fear.

The chaos.

The truth I wasn't meant to see.

—

"Do I have to wear it?" I asked quietly.

Dale smiled, brushing his fingers lightly against my arm.

"It's a charity ball," he said. "Everyone's masked. You'll be fine."

I hesitated.

Then nodded.