The Surreptitious Mr. Wolfe

Part 14- Stay

**STAY**

"Oh, Ella, I'm so glad and sad! You were my favourite and now you're- you're- g-getting adopted!" Mrs. Valour exclaims, bringing Ella close to her chest. The smell of counterfeit Chanel no.5 shooting sharply through Ella's nostrils, resulting in a slight watering of her eyes. She subtly tries to break the embrace and Mrs. Valour catches a glimpse of her face.

"Look, you're just as upset as I am!" She squeals and forcefully brings Ella's head back in between her D-cup bosoms. Why is this happening to me? Ella regrettably thinks as she is forced to catch whiffs of Mrs. Valour's signature scent.

After a while Mrs. Valour's grip weakens and Ella is able to take a few steps back. She is silent and stares Ella down.

"Look at you all grown up, getting adopted, going to uni- I'm so happy for you, Ella." Mrs. Valour says and for once, Ella was actually touched by something coming from her. After one last hug, Mrs. Valour exits the room.

Ella walks around her room, dodging boxes with most of her things in. She has never had a room as beautiful as this before and it was all thanks to Victor. She would have never been able to afford to attend a school as aristocratic as the Wolfe School of Business either- another prop to Victor, she sarcastically thinks.

He hasn't texted her since her birthday, she had hoped to have spent the day with him- but Eric and Christine were too hostile. She has had much to be thankful for regarding the Harrisons though, they called social services and had Ella taken away from her broken circumstance, refusing their adoption offer would be selfish-

Wouldn't it?

She collapses on her bare bed and removes her cell from her pocket. Sighing, she opens her last chat with Victor. She reads through her pitiable attempts at conversation, he has clearly read through her messages, but always left them without response.

Her fingers hover over the screen aimlessly as she contemplates to send him another message, she decides to put her phone down and instead gawk at her senior ball dress again. She bought it on a shopping trip with Christine. It was a chic, white deep plunging, v-neck dress with full embellishments and an open back. It hugged her frame perfectly. Her long, flowing locks would suit the refined headpiece that complimented the dress's elegance.

The prominent event is in two days, Christine had already booked hair and make-up appointments for her on that day. It will be the first time anyone would ever see Ella all dolled up. She picks up her dress by the hanger and holds it against her petite frame, imagining how her evening would be. Even though she politely declined his offer at becoming his girlfriend, Ella agreed to be Jace's date to the ball. She gazes at herself in the mirror for a while before settling her dress back into her cupboard.

She'll leave for Stellenbosch with Eric and Christine two days after the senior ball, most of her things are already packed and her room in the Harrisons' home was already prepped- all she needs to do is move in.

In a moment of recklessness, she picks up her phone and decides to text Victor. She needed to see him just one last time- in person and not online and on the news as she always does.

Hi, you're probably busy and you might not be able to come but, it's my senior ball in two days and my graduation in three. If you have the time, maybe you could stop by? If you don't, that's completely fine- you're a busy man, I'll understand. So, thanks.