Page 19 of Ella's Masquerade
“Because I know it’s futile.”
“Do you?” I steepled my fingers on the table and captured her gaze. “Have you tried?”
“What would you suggest I do, Tray? They own the school.” She lifted a brow as if to add,And that’s that.
“But they don’t own me.”
“That remains to be seen,” she replied coolly.
“Let me prove it to you tonight.”
Her eyes rolled heavenward. “This again.”
“My offer still stands,” I murmured. “Give me tonight to show you what I mean. If you like it, we continue working together. If you don’t, I’ll leave you alone.” At least in regard to seeking revenge. If she felt enough closure on the topic, then I wouldn’t push it. Instead, I’d just escalate my timetable on her recruitment into the fae world.
Done.
She blew a strand of hair out of her face and shook her head. “All right, fine. If it means you’ll leave me alone, I’ll play along.”
My lips curled. “Yeah?”
“Sure. Why not.” She didn’t sound the least bit excited, but I’d work on that. “So what’s the plan? How are you going to change my mind?”
I smirked. If only she knew. “Well, for starters, I’m going to need you to change out of those clothes and into something more formal.”
“That’s going to be a problem.”
“Why?”
“I don’t own a dress,” she replied, grimacing. “I’d have to borrow one from Ryan or Carmen, and…” She lifted another shoulder.
“It won’t do you justice,” I finished for her.
“I was going to say it won’t fit.”
That, too. “It’s not a problem. I’ll handle the dress. In fact, I’ll handle it all. You just have to play along.”
She arched a brow. “That sounds ominous, Nacht.”
“On the contrary,Cinder. I’m about to make all your dreams come true. After we eat.” Because I was starving. Then we’d begin.
Chapter Seven
Ella
What areyou really up to, Trayton Nacht?I wondered for the thousandth time as I studied myself in the mirror.And how the hell did you pull this off?
Not only did he magically open a store for me to find a gown, but he also had a team come in to do my hair and makeup. I nearly protested the latter but decided the battle wasn’t worth my time. If he wanted to waste his money on this extravagance, then so be it.
The only reason I indulged in this little game of his was to figure him out. He had to be doing this for his own benefit. Maybe Ryan or Charlie put him up to it. Some sort of twisted test to see how well he could humiliate me.
Well, the joke was on him.
Because he’d purchased this gorgeous dress and probably spent a pretty penny on my hair and face. Oh, and the shoes. The silver stiletto heels gave me an extra two inches—which was nowhere near his over-six-foot height. All in all, I suspected he wasted a little over a thousand dollars on this princess charade.
At least I looked good.
The slight V in the neckline gave me a hint of cleavage while the bodice tapered into my slim waist, and the skirt flowed down to my ankles. I twirled in the mirror, watching as the fabric swooshed around my legs.
