I held her hand and she calmed down like she had been shot by a tranquilizer. She turned to me, her eyes unable to focus on a point because they kept shaking.
"Who is he?"
"An angel. A beautiful angel." 'Angel? Did Miss Rica fall in love?' That was the only sensible thing that came to mind. Could a heart break run her mad? She always told me everything new that happened in her life. If she dated someone then she would have told me. Why didn't she say anything. "Were you in... love?" I asked with the softest voice.
She laughed again and her laughs were beginning to creep me out. "Love, no, no, no. It was an obsession with vengeance. He must pay."
"Why must he pay?"
"He failed! Failed!!!"
Another thing that surprised me was that Miss Rica was talking normally. Not normally because she was going insane but not in her usual weird way that always felt like she belonged to another century. And it was making me think more of that nice lady at the palace. I had no idea why.
The cop signalled me to ask about the fire accident. "Is that why you wanted to kill the children? Would you do that?"
She kept silent and looked away from me then squeezed her face. "I don't care! They should all die! I only care about you Alexa."
I shook my head. This couldn't be Miss Rica. Something terrible must have happened. 'Who did this to her?'
I heard muffled voices at the background. Then it became shouting and the police were distracted by the sound. Some of them were even joining the crowd.
Then I heard a voice, a voice I knew well enough to recognize among millions. He struggled with the police and pushed ten men down at once. He ran up to me and his eyes were redder than usual, darker. His canines had increased in length. His fangs were coming out.
Elliot appeared as if he wanted to transform. There was anger in his face. Not anger for the police or anything else but he was clearly angry at me. Elliot was turning red in anger and I ran to him but Miss Rica held my hand tightly.
For an extremely strong angel, I was surprised she could hold me down.
She sat up to see who I was concerned about and screamed when she saw Elliot. She broke her chains and held my head. Some of the cops ran to us.
She brought my ear close to her lips and said something spooky before the cops released me from her hold. 'Stay away from him if you don't want to lose everyone you love.'
I was taken away from her. I was in shock until Elliot held me. I quickly dragged Elliot away from the scene to a secluded area of the orphanage. He had lost his red colour since when he touched me and wasn't transforming anymore but he was still mad.
"What were you thinking?! How dare you leave the mansion without informing me?! Do you know who I am?! If it were anyone else I would have killed her on the spot!"
My words were soft and low unlike his. "But I'm Lexa. Not anyone else."
He rubbed his eyebrows in frustration. He couldn't stay mad at me for long and it got him angrier. "Why didn't you tell me?"
He was hurt by what I did and I felt really guilty. I didn't mean to hurt his feelings. "I'm sorry."
Elliot was surprised to hear my words. He clearly didn't believe that I'd apologise so soon.
"What happened?" He had calmed down and was ready to talk.
"I got a call that the orphanage caught fire."
Elliot opened his eyes and could now see the firemen, police, the ambulance... "I didn't know."
"It's alright," I said rubbing some black smudge off his cheek.
"Is everyone fine?"
I nodded. "But Miss Rica is... acting weird."
"The orphanage owner?"
"Something like that." I checked if I could see Miss Rica or the ambulance from there but nothing. "She especially got angry when she saw you and..." Elliot's ears opened in eagerness. I already knew that he was worrying about something else and I didn't want to bother him with my problems. I would get to the root of the matter myself. "She just turned insane."
Elliot didn't know what to say. I guessed he had never been in such a situation and didn't know how to react.
"What now?"
I thought about the kids. They had nowhere to stay and no one to watch over them. I wouldn't be able to sleep if... No I wouldn't let it happen.
"The kids have nowhere to stay. I'm worried about them."
Elliot read the concern on my face and made an impulse decision. "Bring them to the mansion." I didn't expect him to say that or even be comfortable with the idea. Children in his mansion? Would the devil want that?
"The mansion?"
"I will find a nice place for them. Let them in the mansion for tonight."
A weird question came to my mind but I wanted to ask. "Would you love to have children?" I asked with a sneaky smiled.
He returned the gesture. That was enough to answer my question. "Let's go."
You should have seen the children's faces when I suggested the idea. They were excited and jumpy and it made them love me all the more. Unfortunately, the children couldn't attend the ball but the maids in the mansion were more than enough for the kids.
The police were doubtful about us, especially Elliot. His first impression wasn't anything to write home about. It also took them some time to discover that it was the famous uncatchable Elliot Vile.
But because the children trusted us and a few others, they let them take us. Giving us full responsibility of it. Elliot accepted it and even furthered it. He wanted to open up his own orphanage and the kids could stay in there.
They were shocked, even I was, but love can make a man change.
Miss Rica was taken to a mental asylum. I knew it wasn't over between us because there was something I had to uncover. Something was definitely fishy.
We returned to the mansion with the kids. They were even more excited to see the mansion. They were paired in twos in a room. Not because of insufficient rooms but because of comfort from each other after what happened today.
The rooms were also out of the demons' district' and they were well taken care of.
They ate all the rich food they had never tasted and had nothing to complain about. I was sure they'd have the best time of their lives.
I tucked Kim in and checked for the time. We had twenty minutes till the grand ball started and I wasn't dressed. I loved the dress I chose but it looked plain. And I wasn't plain.
"What are you thinking, Miss Lexa?" Sandra asked.
It was obvious that I wasn't satisfied with the dress. "I need glitter, glue, scissors and jewels."
"Miss Lexa?" she asked confused.
"You can find them in that drawer." I pointed at a lone white silver drawer at a corner of the room. She opened it and brought the materials.
One of the reasons I wasn't satisfied with the dress was because Elliot had seen me wear it. I wanted to dazzle him.
I studied at a tailoring school for a few weeks but had to drop out because of money shortage but there were some things I learned from the school and I had a few tricks up my sleeve before I did leave.
***
Elliot was obviously impatient. He was wondering why Lexa was already ten minutes late. He was never patient and never liked suspense. It took Elliot to hold anxious Lot down.
"I'm sure she must be beautiful. Vile will have some taste, right?"
I was talking to an older female business associate of mine with a cup of watenshi in my hand and a cup of champagne in hers with her husband standing beside her.
"Of course she must," the husband said in his rich Canadian accent.
They were rich but nowhere near me. The richest human being in the world only had 0.5% of how much I had but you can never see my net worth online. Digits and words can't hold it.
Elliot smiled. "She is."
"And you're smiling. She must be a keeper." She noticed that Elliot wasn't keen on the conversation. He was always looking at the entrance, waiting. "How did you two meet?" she asked with a smile, her wrinkles and dimples more evident.
"We've known each other longer than you can imagine."
Just then the lights dimmed. The spotlight crossed the grand hall and placed itself on the entrance. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to the entrance. The soft music turned to a bubbly Sia song that set everyone in the mood.
The gold coated doors open and she stepped in. Her first leg stepped into sight and from that you could see millions of dollars.
The shoe itself was made from crystalline diamonds. A more advanced Cinderella slippers with a blue sapphire flower on it.
As she entered, people began to chatter and murmur in surprise. She had really done something with the dress.
She gave it a splitting and added dark blue glitter to the bottom of the dress that shimmered anytime she made a single move. Her long black hair was back. Elliot was surprised and glad to see her hair back to normal.
Her long hair was French braided with sapphires implanted between the braids and the length surpassed her waist. She tied a black braided belt to her waist that was shimmering with light rubies. To complement the rubies was the beautiful red streaks in her hair.
She wore long white and red gloves that covered most of her hands, she really did look like an advanced Cinderella. She put no make up on and yet she was spot on... dazzling.
Elliot was speechless when he saw her. He was frozen until Lexa walked up to him, raising her hand to his. He snapped to reality and took hold of her hand. He was extremely excited to introduce her to everyone.
'Words fail me, Lexa. But you are amazing,' he whispered in her ear.
She smiled, slightly blushing. 'You look like a devil.'
He laughed and led her to the couple he was discussing with before. He was so proud of Lexa and she couldn't hide that she was pleased with his reaction.
The woman came closer to me and placed her hand on my cheek. "She's so beautiful. Just as I suspected."
She squeezed Elliot's nose while Lexa laughed silently. Lexa guessed that there was something suspicious about the three of them. "Elliot, would you introduce me to them?"
Elliot knew what Lexa was thinking. "They're my closest business associates. We're more or less partners. They also acted as my 'parents' some time ago. We have good history."
'Of course,' Lexa thought. "I'm pleased to meet you."
Lexa shook hands with them as Elliot led her to other people. Lexa met so many people that night that she couldn't count them all or remember their faces. Elliot had many 'business associates' and 'friends' for a silent devil like him.
He led Lexa to the last person on his list. It wasn't a new person but she couldn't call him a stranger.
"Andras, watch her. I need to make an announcement."
He wore a black tuxedo with a blue flower on his breast pocket and nice classy black polished shoes. "As you wish, sire."
Lexa held Elliot back before he could walk away. "I don't need a babysitter."
He turned to me, looking around suspiciously before focussing his eyes on me. "They might be business associates but they're not all friends. I'll be back."
She released him. He winked before walking up to the uplifted stage.
"Your highness," Andras said handing her over the blue rose in his pocket.
She took it with the brightest smile. "Thank you."
Elliot gave Andras a warning glance. 'Jealousy,' my inner mind thought. He got the attention of everyone by dimming the lights and putting the spotlight on him.
He called for a glass of watenshi and held it firmly, looking at it before turning back to the audience. "I called you all tonight to have a share in my happiness." He glanced at smiley Lexa. "Smiling has been engraved in my dictionary ever since I met this jewel. She is..." He looked at his filled glass. "The gin in my glass. The jasmine in my garden. I can't survive without her." Everyone made a short laughter while Lexa tried her best to control her smile. "I'd trade all the money I have for her. I'd do anything for her. I'd like to introduce my one and only. My fiancé. My soon-to-be wife. My heartthrob. My Alexa." A normal person would have done this first but Elliot was anything but normal. Lexa climbed up the stage. Elliot held her hand and pulled her close to him. "She is the reason I'm breathing." To everyone else it all sounded like poetry but Elliot was speaking the truth and the truth only. He may stay alive without Lexa but he would just be a walking dead. "Please, enjoy the rest of the party."
Everyone applauded while we got down from the stage.
"You're such a poet."
"You deserve more my princess," he said softly, kissing my exposed neck. He looked at the necklace and placed his eyes on me... a question running in his mind. "You remember it?"
Lexa looked at it then looked at me. "I thought you'd like it."
"I love it."
We both laughed. A slow romantic song came on. It was 'All of me' by John Legend.
Lexa squealed in excitement when she heard the song. "I love this song."
"Really?" he asked surprised. "Not my type."
"Then what do you like?"