Faultless Crimes

three - elianna

so so sorry about the slow updates, i'm a mess. anyway hope you enjoy this chapter! there's a little bit of a flashback to before the end of the previous chapter just fyi.

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elianna

If someone were to look up the definition of overwhelmed in the dictionary, they would find a picture of Elianna sitting on her white plush duvet once Nicholas had left. The amount of thoughts that were swimming around in her mind made it hard foir her to even compregend whay was happening. Elianna retraced the conversation she had with both Nicholas and her parents, ateepting to make some sort of sense out of it. Taking Nicholas' kind, sweet words into consideration, she came to the conclusion that she was not upset, or angry, just still confused. Elianna knew it was for her safety, and she didn't mind that, but what exactly posed a threat to her safety? She knew being born into a corporate world often came with many disagreements and tense relationships, but did that really go to the extent of her safety being threatened?
Elianna pressed her cool, dainty hands to her flushed cheeks, her mind thinking back to Nicholas' passionate words about how he felt about her. How could he feel so strongly about her when they'd only met a handful of times, all in meetings or business parties.

For now, Elianna decided she was going to take some much needed girl time with the only woman who could help her make sense of the situation: Grace.
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Not even 20 minutes later, Elianna's bedroom door was being burst open by a panting, red-faced Grace. "You know, you really need to get an elevator in here, I cannot climb those mountains you call stairs everytime I come over." Grace says, catching her breath as she plops in a faux-sherpa chair. Elianna giggles, grabbing a half-full water bottle, tossing it to her breathless friend.
"What's the emergency then Ellie?" Grace asks casually, kicking off her tan suede boots and laying her jacket across the back of the chair. Elianna looks around her room, looking forlorn; she would miss sleeping here. "Ellie, you're scaring me." Grace says, moving to sit next to her best friend.
"Do you remember when I said I ran into Nicholas Fournier this morning?" Elianna says timidly, meeting Grace's confused eyes. "As if I could forget?! You just show up in class, saying how the world's most eligible bachelor just so happened to save you from your clumsy ass, and you really think I haven't been planning your wedding all day?" Grace says, acting as if that was the most ridiculous thing she's ever heard.
Elianna just giggles, rolling her eyes at her best friend. "Well, my parents wanted to talk to me when I got home from school, said it was something important..."
Elianna then begins to fill Grace in on the events that happened since she arrived home, her moving to Nicholas' house for her safety, him confessing feelings when she has only just met him, and their date tonight.

Once she had finished, Grace's mouth had dropped open, instantly jumping up from her seat. "Oh my god. Oh my god! Okay we have to get you ready for a date with who could quite possibly be the most attractive man any of us have ever witnessed! And you're going to live with him? We need to get you better underwear too! And—" "Grace, take a deep breath. I'm not getting new underwear, I'm going to live with him as a guest, it's not that big of a deal. There's someone out to get me, for some reason, so he's the best option for my safety." Elianna stops Grace's almost-meltdown, trying time be rational.

Grace comes over and wraps Elianna in a hug, resting her chin on her shoulder with a grin. "Oh I know, but that doesn't mean I'm going to not get you ready for this date. Sit down child." Grace says, pulling Elianna to the chair in front of her vanity.

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Elianna sighed softly to herself, patting down the dress her mother had laid out for her. It was a beautiful green dress, one that a friend of her mother's had sent over from Paris. Silk and emerald, it was a perfect fit for what she assumed would be an interesting first date. Elianna was more calm now, her mind settled with the fact that her safety mattered enough to everyone.