Nora's P.O.V

Since I wasn't going to be meeting Elian at the Blue Box Café, I decided I'd give him a heads up, so he knew to not expect me there. I felt terrible for wasting his time, but it was all Elijah's fault and now it seemed I was never going to get my answers about Ben. This may have been my one and only shot to get the information and now it was too late, who knows when the next opportunity would arise?
Moving away from the view and shuffling till I found my bag; I took my phone out and sent a short message to Elian:

I won't be able to make it to the meeting today, I have to look after my sister right now. I'm sorry for the mess it caused. Let's reschedule?
-Nora.

I didn't want to tell Elian that the real reason I couldn't meet him was because his brother was mean and completely selfish. It would just cause a rift between the brothers and I'm pretty sure Elian would have tried to show up at the office to whisk me away from Elijah. It was additional drama to a life that was too dramatic already. Once I'd finally cooled down from my temper tantrum, I put my phone back in my bag and avoided checking it. I'd probably made Elian angry with my abrupt change of plans and because of that he was going to ignore me for it.

Unfortunately, there was no point sitting like a duck in water and waiting for something to happen. I ended up returning to Elijah's office and joining him in front of his desk on a plush armchair. He was still ignoring me and as time dragged by, my boss just kept working whilst I stayed bored as hell. He didn't even bother giving me any work to do. 'This is so frustrating! If you're going to make me stay overtime at least give me something to do!' I mentally complained.

Incoming calls started blazing throughout Elijah's office. They were relentless and as much as my boss tried to stay professional, I could see his patience waning and his temper rising. His body showed his neck veins popping out, a tic forming in his jaw and his fists kept clenching and banging on the desk making me jump each time. He started to pace along the room whilst his voice was increasing, and his conversations turned slurred with demands. Call after call, his eyes narrowed at one of the statues in his office and he began muttering under his breath.

"Why on earth did I hire a bunch of complete idiots to work for me? If you want to finish a job, you've got to do it yourself."

I rolled my eyes at the comment and crossed my arms over my chest. Elijah's conversations were difficult to decipher, parts of his words mentioned a huge deal going down at a particular location and time but when he started raising his voice again, I couldn't focus in time to figure out more of the details.

'How much longer would I have to stay here?' I wanted to question Elijah, but I didn't dare try to interrupt his telephone calls. When it seemed like no one else was going to call him, Elijah yielded his pacing and returned to his desk, settling down and assessing something on his laptop that I couldn't see.

My body was slowing shutting down, I was tired and no amount of coffee at this moment could keep me awake. I started yawning, subtly at first and trying to hide it in between fits of coughing so that Elijah wouldn't find out. After that my body started shivering, convulsions happening frequently to the point where I had to run my arms up and down each other to try to heat myself up. Even my eyelids were getting heavy, drooping, and letting me slip off to dreamworld.
Throughout that time Elijah picked up on my strange behaviour and now unmistakably gaped at me. I shuffled in my seat and avoided his gaze, trying to look like I was occupied by something interesting in the window behind Elijah.

"Miss Nora, you're dismissed. You can go home now", Elijah gently told me, but I picked up on a subtle hint of guilt.

"Are you sure? I don't mind", I lied to him. I was relieved to hear him letting me finally go home but I didn't want him to know that because he'd try to torture me and keep me at the office longer. I had to play this safe.

Elijah simply shook his head before saying, "Don't be ridiculous, you're useless to me when you're falling asleep on my armchair. Go home, get some rest, and get ready for tomorrow. We're leaving."

I frowned at that. For a minute I thought he might have actually cared about the wellbeing of one of his workers, but it seemed like I was wrong. His usual reaction to anything was to simply throw an attitude and move on. 'Wait, did he just say we're leaving?' I realised and stood up from my chair to stand tall and confident, 'How can we leave tomorrow? Where are we leaving tomorrow?'

"Excuse me but what are you on about?" I politely asked him.

"When you're tired, you're stupid. We're leaving for Las Vegas."

"Oh..." I trailed off.

Las Vegas was a distant memory long forgotten from the issues Elijah had brought me alongside my mom's new romance life. I hadn't bothered packing any clothes into a suitcase because Elijah had never specified when we were leaving just that we were going for three days. As usual he had left everything till the last minute for me to blunder about and figure out terribly. 'But still, how can he change the dates so soon?' I needed to go home straight away and sort through my wardrobe so that I had the clothes packed in time.

"What are you still here for?" Elijah rudely interrogated me. I glared at him before huffing in distress and opening and closing my mouth like a fish.

"I haven't even packed my bag and I don't even have all of the details of the trip", I answered him, but Elijah ignored me and patiently waited for me to leave his office. I cleared my throat and looked around the room only for him to continue ignoring me and then pointedly looking towards the door of his office. 'What a weirdo. I'm a woman and I need more time to pick my clothes, make-up, and would I have to bring my straighteners or a hairdryer with me?'

"I don't like repeating myself, but for you in this very moment I will say it one more time. Firstly, this trip is three days long. Secondly, our flight is four hours long. Thirdly, we will be having a very lengthy meeting two days after we land so we need to be prepared for then. Lastly, you are dismissed, Miss Jones. You have a total of seven hours, starting from now", my boss quipped. He stood up and started packing away his bags giving me the obvious hint that I should get the hell out of his office already.

'Seven hours to inform my family, pack my bag, and be prepared for Las Vegas? Is he mad?' I wondered. I glanced at my watch on my wrist a noted that it was ten o'clock in the night. I hadn't even had my dinner yet. I quickly stood up as well and left the office room, completely ignoring Elijah and not bothering to bid him goodbye.

From there, I rushed to my own office and grabbed my bag and coat before bee-lining for the elevator. I pressed the buttons repeatedly hoping it would show up faster, but I was in hell, realms like these didn't work in one's favour.

Elijah was no where to be seen so I assumed he was taking his time in his office to continue packing and shutting everything off. Now that I thought about it, he was the first one in to work and the last one to leave but that's what made his business so successful. By the time I made it outside of the building my ankles were killing me from the heels I forced myself to wear but luckily a cab was passing by at the exact moment I stood by the side of the road. Waving it down I stepped inside and blurted out my address for the driver to take me there.

It seemed the driver knew I was in a rush because he got me home in record breaking time and when he stopped by the house, my entire body was filled with nausea. 'Too fast, way too fast', I commented but didn't complain. Instead, I thanked the driver, paid him the fare, and reached the door to my house before I stopped.

'I haven't even told mom about this trip yet. How do I even tell her that I'm going to go away for three days?' I tried to plan some sort of argument so that I could convince her but, in the end, it was easier to just make things up on the spot. I wasn't very good at it but sometimes I got lucky.

Heading inside, I stepped out of my heels and went straight to my room to change into something comfortable. I could hear mom yelling after me and a TV child's program running in the background. The smell of scrambled eggs with pepperoni and peppers spiralled through the house. Mom started walking up the stairs and when she saw me rushing around, she became confused.

"Honey? Stop moving around for a second, you're worrying me. Just sit down and explain to me what's going on", mom pleaded, and I sighed before raking my fingers through my hair and conceding. I sat down on the edge of my bed where my mom followed behind and joined me, intertwining our hands together on her lap before I spoke.

"My boss... He wants me to join him and head to Las Vegas. It's for a business trip", I stammered hesitantly, watching my mom with caution and wariness. Her face contorted into shock at the mention of Las Vegas, but she didn't shout in anger at me or ban from leaving the house.

"How many days will this trip be?"

"For three days but it's an important trip not a relaxing one, I promise."

"When and at what time do you have to leave?" Mom asked me with a level-headed mindset, and I slumped my shoulders in relief at the fact that she was taking this a lot easier than I thought she was going to.

"I have to leave in less than seven hours mom. I didn't know it was going to be this soon, he just sprung it on me so fast", I tried to explain but mom hugged me in her arms and shushed me.

"It's okay. You don't really have a choice, but no drinking and try to not lose your virginity", she conceded with a smirk forming on her lips.
I blushed at that, my cheeks turning red with embarrassment as I groaned and slapped my moms' arms away from me, "Mom! Stop it! Don't say anything else!"

Mom just laughed at that before she smiled in amusement. I wasn't going to deny it however, that I was still a virgin and the furthest I'd gone was kissing. I knew plenty of people that had lost their V-cards, including Jane, but I never had a boyfriend which meant I never ended up losing my innocence. With Jane, it all happened with her first boyfriend, Erick. When she'd done it, it had been apparently an "epic night" full of pain at first and then raging pleasure. She always complimented Erick's capabilities in bed, and I guess she never would have left Erick if he hadn't have cheated on her after high school.

"Right, well at least come downstairs and have some dinner with us before you start packing your suitcase, okay?" Mom reasoned with me, and I nodded before standing up with her and following her to the kitchen.

As dinner flashed by, I went straight to my room afterwards and rummaged for my suitcase that I had hidden somewhere. Once it'd been located, I had to clean it from all the dust it had gathered when it was stored under my bed, behind boxes of shoes. 'Why were we going so early? Technically the flight is four hours long and the meeting would be two days later. Why couldn't we just show up when the meeting was due?' I wanted to know.

'Where do I even begin with packing? Would I need a different range of clothing?' I asked myself, contemplating between sporty clothing, cocktail party dresses, and formal wear. In the end I opted for all of my formal outfits, some pyjamas, a couple of t-shirts and jeans and heels plus trainers. Then I moved onto my essential stuff, including my make-up, my passport, some spare money, and a photographic camera for some professional looking photos if I had the time to go sightseeing.

Stuffing my suitcase close I struggled to zip it closed until Nina walked into my room and helped me out. Whilst she sat on the suitcase with her weight holding it tightly down, I managed to zip it with ease.

"Thanks, little sis, couldn't have done it without you" I told her.

"I know, I'm just that amazing that you need me for everything", Nina shrugged, whipping her hair behind her shoulder in a sassy flip. For that I kicked her out of my room and looked at the clock. I had three hours remaining, but my heart was starting to beat so fast that I was sure I was sweating with nerves. 'Everything is fine Nora, you can do it', I told myself.

I headed over to the bathroom and showered before changing into a butterfly t-shirt and a pair of blue denim jeans. Elijah never mentioned wearing any formal clothes for the plane trip, so I guessed my current outfit was acceptable. I tied my hair into a tight ponytail and placed a very light amount of makeup on my face. By this time Mom and Nina were asleep and I still had an hour to waste. Everything was set and I was ready, but I needed to calm myself down, so I started chewing gum. I didn't risk getting sleep because if I fell asleep then I'd miss the flight.

The hour passed fast and whilst I scrolled through my phone, I heard our doorbell ringing downstairs. 'I guess that's the company car to pick me up', I thought. I collected my suitcase, coat and bag then went straight down the stairs to the door and placed them in the hallway. When I peeped through the eyehole, I saw a bald man standing in an expensive suit waiting for me outside. I frowned thinking that the man had the wrong house but when I opened the door the man smiled cheerily as if he knew exactly who I was, and we were long lost friends.

"Cara mia, Mr Elijah sent me here", the man informed me. His suit looked Italian, with a rich black material and some fine leather shoes. He was bald, with an impressive black moustache and tanned skin.

"Oh, a pleasure to meet you...?" I left off hoping he'd fill in the blank and tell me his name.

"Innamorata, I am Fredrik Jeffrey. I am Elijah's most ancient and trusted attendant", Fredrik told me with an air of finesse and sophistication I was immediately envious of. I had no clue what he was calling me in his language, but I didn't want to seem rude by asking him what he was saying so I nodded and grabbed my belongings. 'I can't believe Elijah trusted someone enough for a job, wow.'

Upon that movement, Fredrik came to my aide and picked up my items before he hefted it all to a vehicle that I was shocked to find was supposed to be my transportation. It was a limousine, sleek and black with tinted windows. I gaped open-mouthed at it whilst Fredrik grinned cheekily in my direction. I closed the door to the house and locked it before sending a quick goodbye text to my family and hoping I hadn't woken them up by the ruckus we'd caused.

Fredrik opened the door to the limousine and helped me get into the vehicle. 'Is this a dream? I must be dreaming, I can't believe this', I chuckled. I was amazed at the interior, inside the colour theme followed through with being black and leather. Everything smelt fresh and clean, and it gave me a sense of satisfaction that made me wonder whether the car was brand new.

"Do not look so shocked", Fredrik laughed before he closed my door and made his way to the driver's seat, "Mr Elijah only sends the very best for his assistant's."

I simply rolled my eyes at that. 'Where had I heard that before?' I mused. Although I wasn't fond of the idea of going to Las Vegas or even being around Elijah for the next three days I just couldn't seem to handle the fact that I was actually going to Las Vegas and that I was in an actual limousine.
Elijah didn't join us as we started our ride to what I assumed was the airport. I wanted to fill in the silence between me and Fredrik but every time I started a conversation, he would abruptly end it. However, I could sense him looking through the rear-view mirror every few minutes to check on my wellbeing, which I was grateful for.

The entire time I stared out the window I was mesmerised by the path we were taking; it was different to the usual ones through the main roads. Luscious trees passed by us, and the houses eventually turned into mansions that had me squawking like a headless chicken at the rich neighbourhood I found myself in, 'They're so impressive but I know we're not heading to the airport now!'
The mansion that the car stopped in front looked over us with an aura of money. If any gods from any of the different pantheons were to witness this monstrosity, they would be immediately envious. 'Where are we and why are we here?' I wanted to ask Fredrik but by the time I turned around to face him he had already stepped out of the vehicle to open the door for me.

"Follow me, signora", he told me whilst I stepped outside and looked around me. The path leading up to the mansion was made from black cobblestone that screamed posh. Trailing the curvaceous walk were brightly lit lanterns that decked the edge of the grass whilst some were strung on poles to give a higher semblance of light. When I checked the mansion out, I could see freshly mowed lawns of grass, striped to perfection whilst the rim of the sandy coloured home held multitudes of flowers and different sets of cacti, adding a more sophisticated look to the entire place. I tried to find Elijah, but he was nowhere in sight.

I listened to Fredrik and followed him as he guided me to the back of the mansion where it opened up to reveal a patch of land the size of a soccer stadium. Where one end was filled with a swimming pool and decked out for lounging and showering, another area was decked out for barbequing and sitting down for meals in front of a fire pit. Another area held a massive garage which was opened to reveal expensive cars and even motorbikes but the most impressive one had to be the land filled with a private jet. It sat along a strip of tarmac, coated in a sleek black paint with engines that were strumming heat and roaring in power. Its nose pointed perfectly in a straight line whilst its wings spanned like an eagle's. It wasn't big, in actuality it was on the smaller side, but it looked gorgeous especially when the light from the lanterns around it shimmered against its paint.

At the sight of the expensive aircraft, I nearly wanted to faint. 'There's no chance I'm supposed to be getting in that, I'm probably going to have to fly economy class at the airport', I noted disappointedly but Fredrik kept walking closer to the private jet. I saw my luggage being hauled behind me by some other attendants which made me realise, I was about to enter that jet.

I was like a lost puppy, looking around me to find something familiar to me but everywhere I looked things caught my attention and I couldn't focus long enough to take everything in. I was so focused on my surroundings that I never focused on the path I as walking. Sure enough, like an absolute idiot, I tripped over the edge of the path onto the tarmac of the private strip and fell ungracefully towards the floor. Like slow motion I could already feel the absolute embarrassment that would ridicule me when I would have to stand up.

Somehow though, someone behind me caught me by my waist and lifted my body so I could stand on my feet. I turned around, about to thank them when I went rigid in my place and noted that the person that had saved me was none other than Elijah Cooper.

His pale stormy blue eyes were staring right back into mine and his face was one of concern. He still had his arms around my waist even after he'd let me stand on my own.

Everyone around us stopped in their place and stared at us with anticipation, like they were waiting for something to happen, or they couldn't believe that Elijah had gone out of his way to help someone up.
'Shit', I commented before I blushed and pushed at Elijah's arms so that he'd move away from me.

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