Elena's stay made Joel stop at the door like a shot of lightning. In any other situation he would have walked away. But not here. Inhaling inwardly, he turned around.

"I really need somebody, and you are the best candidate, and Gavin has just said that you were cleared. And- that's good enough for me." Elena said.

"Right." Joel muttered.

"I will really feel good that you drive my darling fiancé. The traffic is mad these days. She needs a professional." Gavin said.

Fiancé! The word uttered by Gavin made Elena shoot a wude eyed look at her boyfriend as they were not engaged.

For an unexplained reason it hit Joel, too. Why? He had just met her. A day before he didn't know that she existed. Why should he be bothered at all?

Flashback

The night before

In the taxi, Joel twirled Elena's business card between his fingers. Pictures of him helping her fend off two thugs, him comforting her, driving her back to her family's Mansion, her perfume, her sweet look, her warm hand, all came buffering in, hitting him now with full force.

He needed a job. There was no doubt about it. But to chauffeur a rich woman around? It was not something that he would even consider, and yet, she didn't seem to be anything like the rich girls, that used to hang around race car drivers. Especially not the one he once dated.

He put the card away in his jacket.

'No. It's ridiculous.' he thought. 'I will find something else'.

But bothered he was. Very much so.

"You said - that I need to go to human resources?"

"Yes." Elena replied and buzzed Aiden in.

As Aiden got in the office, Elena asked her faithful assistant to accompany Joel to the HR department.

With a little thank you exchanged in a very clumsy manner so unlike Joel, he left with Aiden.

Elena exhaled silently and turned to Gavin, tilting her head quizzically, "Fiancé? When did we get engaged?"

"Two days ago. I said we should get married. And you looked at me and nodded."

"That was - yes, but- we confirmed nothing. We were just talking about things." Elena said.

"Well, I wanted to do it tonight - get a table at Xander's. But why wait." Gavin pulled the box with the engagement ring, presenting it to Elena.

Elena was caught unprepared. She looked at the ring, not uttering a word.

"I knew that it would leave you speechless." Gavin too the ring out and slipped it on her finger.

"Yes-" Elena slipped faintly.

Placing a kiss on her lips, Gavin excused himself, muttering about the dinner at his favourite restaurant to celebrate.

Elena nodded and as an important zoom call was coming through, she sat down and dismissed the thoughts about the ring and everything that just went off with Gavin.

💥

Elsewhere

Klaus' apartment, Whitmore

Caroline stretched her arms out and looked where she was. There were clothes all over the floor, hers and Klaus'. She closed her eyes and grinned. The night before and all that went on shot back like an avalanche. The kiss outside the bar, that just made her forget about reason, and just let her heart take her with the man that was the charmer extraordinare.

"Morning, luv," Klaus said bringing in two cups of coffee in his hands,"a cup of coffee. I got no milk so it's black with a tad bit of sugar!

"Morning." Caroline replied with a little smile."Thank you, but I will pass. Where is the bathroom?" She got up, wrapping herself up in the sheet.

"On the right. You can't miss it." Klaus said and put one cup on the night stand.

Walking out of the room, Caroline turned around and looked at Klaus cheekily. He put his cup on the night stand and now followed her.

¤¤¤

Back in the in the Gilbert Chocolate Factory

After signing the contract, Joel wascalled back to Elena's office.

"It's all go. She will need you today - in an hour exactly. She has an important merting at the Mayor's office" Aiden explained.

"Now, here are the keys of the Audi A8 Hybrid. Elena chose that car. For now it's a hybrid. The electric one wull be here next month. She loves alternative kind of class. Second, you can't go with this jacket and jeans, no matter how good you look in it, if you don't mind me saying so."

"I haven't got a suit." Joel said.

"Follow me. I can help you there." Aiden said.

"Where are we going?"

"To the wardrobe." Aiden replied.

"There is a wardrobe? I thought this is a Chocolate factory, not a Fashion house." Joel said.

"Yes. For emergencies. Like this one, for example. We are always prepared."

They got into a place that was like a changing room, but it looked like a walking wardrobe.

"This will suit you." Aiden got a suit out and handed it over to Joel. "Sorry about earlier. I didn't want to come off as an ass, but Elena is really particular about schedules and - anyway do I know you from somewhere?"

"I guess it will soon be the talk of town. I was an Indy car race driver." Joel said as he took his sweater off.

"I knew it. I just couldn't really put my finger on it." Aiden's eyes sparkled at Joel's sculpted torso.

"Ok. I will see you in two minutes at the desk."

Aiden got out, trying to calm down. Joel was a hotty. And he envied Elena immediately that she would be spending all this time around this gorgeous man.

In the office, Elena was occupied with different calls, coordinating many things at once. As she put the phone down and wrote some data in her computer, she looked at the diamond ring on her finger. She played with it. It seemed a tad too big, and it rolled on the side. She now flashed back to a conversation with Caroline a while ago.

Flashback

"How long have you been with Gavin now? Ten years?" Caroline wondered.

"Yes. It's our tenth anniversary in April." Elena said.

"I just can't believe you've been together so long. You are almost like a married couple, just without a wedding. Is he ever going to propose?"

"We talked about it, and - we will."

"Oh, Elena. You are more excited about some new chocolate recipe than about - him, the wedding. Do you still love Gavin?"

"I do." Elena said."Maybe we don't go off in a romantic, cloud nine huff, but we are real. Solid."

"Solid?! Right. When is it the last time you have done something really romantic. A trip? Gone somewhere just a two of you?"

"We were in the Mediteranian cruise." Elena said.

"That was five years ago. Lena!" Caroline reminded her friend.

"I - can't just take off. I have a business to run. And he has got the hospital. And after dad's death, everything and everyone depends on me. And Gavin understands it, and he supports me fully."

"Ah!" Caroline puffed away."You will be an old woman before 30."

Elena shook her head and pushed the ring to the end of the finger and continued typing an e-mail.

A second later her phone buzzed and she took the call, putting it on loudspeaker as it was Caroline.

"I saw all your messages. Sorry I have not called you back before. Thanks for dealing with my car. Aww, Elena, I had the most heavenly night and even more heavenly morning. Let's do late lunch, so I can tell you all the details."

"I can't do late lunch, but I can do dinner. I got some news, too." Elena said.

"You've killed the De Martels, who have stolen your recipe." Caroline joked.

"Care, come on. It's not funny. Nothing to do with work. It's Gavin. He proposed."

"When? How? Last night, I guess? You two read whatever business page you read, and he read his medical journals and he said marry me?!"

"No. It was here in the office."

"Tell me he had a surprise romantic brunch organized and went down on his knee?"

"He- just proposed." Elena said.

"Just like - that? No romantic- nothing?" Caroline said in disbelief.

"Yes. Just like that. I don't really need the whole romantic proposal show." Elena said.

"Every woman needs it," Caroline said,"ok, we will go through this later. By the way, Aiden told me that you got a driver. How? I thought that none of them qualified?"

"I will tell you about this later." Elena swayed her look to the clock."I have the pre Easter meeting in the Mayor's office, I have got to go."

"Ok. Later." Caroline said and hung up.

Elena now took her tablet, bag, and got out.

And there, Joel, who was sitting waiting for her, stoid up.

Elena stopped in her tracks as she saw Joel in the suit. She made a little mental gulp.

He was tall, dark and handsome. The killer smile he put on said I am ready made her heart jump.

"Yes." she turned to Aiden now and gave him insructions and said that she won't be returning to the office for the day.

"I know that Caroline can be quite forcefull, but I wish you would keep information to yourself."

"Yes, Ma'am." Aiden said. He knew that Elena was very particular about nearly everything and that personal and business is to be strictly separate.

"It won't happen again." Aiden said seriously.

Elena nodded a little at her assistant and now turned to Joel, who alredy waited for her at the lift. He let her in first, acting around her like the perfect gentleman. The way she had just spoke to Aiden made clear that everyone should know their place.

She was the boss. He saw the way she had defended herself against those men. She was no push over. And yet, he saw, the vulnerable deer eyes shooting out at him the night before.

Elena's phone rang and she got it out of her bag and answering it, the diamond ring on her finger now popped right at him like a dagger.

Joel looked away. 'Shut it.' He screamed at his heart. 'Stop being ridiculous.'

Elena finished her conversation and they got out of the lift.

And if someone watched from the side, he would see the chauffeur and the lady. Joel ipened the door for her, and Elena sat in the back. All the ride to the Mayor's office, both were quiet. Elena was anyway on her tablet.

As they arrived, she briefly told him how long she was be.

"Yes, Ma'am." Joel said.

Elena now shot him a look of surprise.

"Was this not correct?" Joel wondered.

Elena made a slight nod, confirming that it was fine.

And there it was. The line was drawn.

"I will see you in a little while. Thank you" and she would have called him by his last name like it was the custom, like she called her other drivers. But, with him she could not utter it. She gave him one more look as to say later, and she went.

Joel went back to the car and took it to the parking underground garage. He was glad his phone rang as he didn't want to think about Elena, which seemed the hardest thing to do since he had met her.

"Davina?"

"What is this about a job? That is great. We don't have to sell the apartment then?" the girl gushed happily.

"Yes. I got a job. But it doesn't mean I won't sell the apartment," Joel replied,"you can continue packing. I will be home around 7."

"Ah, you really have to - ugh! Can we not go back to Whitmore? I hate it there."

"Three years ago, you didn't hate there." Joel reminded his sister.

"Now I do."- Davina was adamant-"At least, then in Algiers. It is at least it is like the new Dutsch Quarter. All artist wow the place. The loft was so good."

"It needs renovating job - big one." Joel said.

"It's not like Klaus and your friends can't help us do the work," Davina said,"the Realtor said that it doesn't need much structural work. And I will do all the painting. And I've got all the ideas to pep it up. It will be so good for my portfolio for the designer school."

Joel inhaled sharply.

"Oh, come on. You loved it, too. I spoke to Hayley and she said that it is a place she would love to live in."

"You spoke to Hayley about it?" Joel was surprised.

"Yeah, saw her last night at Josh's. She is back." Davina said.

"She is back." Joel said somewhat absent-minded.

"Yep. And she is not with Jackson anymore," Davina said,"she was asking about you."

"She did, did she?"

"Yep. She totally regrets having left to New Orleans." Davina continued.

"Right," Joel cut in,"Look, I will think about the Algier's loft. Please, do as much packing as you can. I will see you tonight."

"YES!" Davina exclaimed chirpily.

"I didn't say yes to it just yet." Joel said.

"But it's as good as," Davina hummed happily,"Ok. Got to go."

Davina hung up. And Joel smiled a bit. Seeing his sister doing a happy dance, made his decision to go for the loft right there and then.

He was about to ring the realtor, but he had to put the phone down as Elena appeared, shooting into the car in very distressed. "Hospital. Fell's hospital. Quick."

Joel did as she asked. He glanced at Elena in the review mirror for a second. He could see her extremely worried face, eyes full of tears.

"Is everything ok?" he asked, not caring if he broke the work code.

"I don't know." Elena said taking a deep breath.

"It's not your brother?"

"No. It's Ansel."

Her phone rang and she picked up the call.

"Mom, yes- I am on my way. Whatever you want. I just arrived. I'll call you as soon as I know more."

Joel opened the door for Elena as they arrived.

Elena ran out as if the hurricane shifted her.

Joel parked up, and went inside the hospital as well. He didn't want to leave her on her own, even though this was not in his job description. There he found Elena, tears running down.

"He is dead" she muttered through the tears as Joel came up to her. And the way she stood there, completely inconsolable, Joel moved instinctively to her hugging her. Elena sobbed on his shoulder. Joel tried to console her.

Gavin, who got to the ER, having been paged down, now saw Elena in Joel's arms.

💌

a/n: xoxo

so greateful for all your comments and votes_

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