Chapter 53
Chapter 53
Eva’s POV
It started with a knock.
Not the kind of knock that echoed like an emergency. Just a gentle, steady rhythm on the penthouse door.
I had just finished folding the last set of laundry, mostly Dominic’s shirts, which somehow always ended up in the communal laundry basket despite us having our own separate rooms. I didn't mind though. Folding things gave me something to do with my hands and my head.
Wiping my palms on my jeans, I walked to the door and peeked through the peephole. It wasn’t someone I recognized immediately, but he looked familiar. Dark curly hair, gold-rimmed glasses, and a stack of folders tucked under one arm.
I opened the door slowly.
“Hi. Can I help you?”
He smiled politely. “Hi. I’m Elias. Dominic sent for the financial review reports from the club. I’m part of the back-office audit team.”
“Oh! Right.” I stepped aside. “Come in. He’s not here at the moment, but I can take them for him. I handle some of the finances too.”
Elias nodded and stepped inside, eyes flicking around the penthouse like he was storing mental notes. I recognized the look—he was probably used to scanning environments, picking up details most people missed.
He placed the folders gently on the coffee table. “These are copies for his review. The original files have already been backed up to the server.”
I nodded, crouching beside the table to flip through the top document. “Did something stand out? Anything we should be worried about?”
“Nothing serious,” Elias replied, adjusting his glasses. “Just a few discrepancies in the drinks inventory numbers and some irregular timing in late-night expenses. But it might be routine stuff. I flagged them just in case.”
I frowned, making a mental note to check on it myself. “I’ll go over them today. Thanks for coming all the way here.”
“No problem.”
I sat with the folders for a while, flipping through them slowly. I scribbled some notes, highlighted sections that needed more review, and sent Dominic a quick message about Elias’s visit.
Then I realized something. I needed fresh air.
\---
The penthouse had everything anyone could want—views, silence, a private gym—but sometimes, it still felt… high above everything. Disconnected.
I decided to go out. Not to a store or a spa or even the hospital. Just… out.
There was a small art gallery not far from the city square. I’d seen posters for their new installation all week. “Simplicity in Shadow”—a collection of photographs and abstract art inspired by urban loneliness.
It sounded heavy. And somehow, that felt perfect for today.
I left with one of the guards trailing behind me discreetly. Dominic would have grumbled if I tried to go alone. I didn’t even argue anymore.
The gallery was quiet. Cool. Peaceful.
Most of the pieces were black and white photographs. Cities at night. People sitting alone at café tables. Windows with the lights still on long after midnight.
And yet… there was something oddly comforting in all of it.
It wasn’t about sadness. It was about quiet. Space. Solitude without emptiness.
I stopped in front of one photo that drew me in immediately. A woman sitting alone in a laundromat, head tilted, eyes closed. The machines around her blurred in motion, but she looked… still.
Peaceful in the chaos.
I didn’t know why it struck me so deeply, but I stood there for a long time.
Maybe because I knew what that felt like.
Being still while the world spun.
\---
On my way back, I stopped at a small flower stand near the gallery’s exit. It was run by an older woman with silver-streaked hair and the brightest green eyes I’d ever seen.
“Looking for anything special, dear?” she asked.
“Just something that smells like spring,” I said honestly.
She laughed and handed me a small bouquet of lavender and white freesia.
“For peace,” she said. “And for clarity.”
I smiled, paid for it, and held the bouquet close as I walked back to the car.
\---
The penthouse smelled of cedar and lemon again—Dominic’s favorite candle was burning near the entrance. I set the flowers in a glass of water and placed them on the counter, the soft scent already soothing the room.
I was changing into more comfortable clothes when I heard the elevator ding.
A moment later, Dominic stepped inside, dressed in a black dress shirt and slacks, looking exhausted but still sharp.
“You’re back early,” I said, meeting him at the hallway.
“You’re not,” he countered, setting his keys down. “Went somewhere?”
“The gallery,” I said, gesturing toward the little bouquet. “Stopped for flowers too.”
His eyes landed on the lavender bundle. “You okay?”
“Better than okay,” I said honestly. “It was a quiet day.”
He nodded, stepping into the kitchen and reaching for a bottle of water.
“I forgot how much I like quiet days,” he said.
I leaned against the counter. “Me too.”
There was a pause, then he looked at me with a curious expression.
“I got a call from Elias.”
“Mm-hmm,” I hummed. “He dropped off the files. I went through some of it already.”
“I figured you would,”