Elias walked into Café Loctart, the door closing softly behind him.
Low chatter filled the establishment. His camera bag hung on his shoulder. He tucked one hand into his jacket pocket and scanned the area. Most of the tables and chairs were occupied. He considered it as a good sign—especially with who he was meeting with.
The day had inevitably arrived. He checked his watch for the time. There was still five minutes left before the appointment. His head turned towards his shoulder. The billboard in his line of sight showcased a standing in the middle of a vineyard background.
He gritted his teeth the moment amber eyes flickered towards the camera.
'That woman would stop at nothing to trample Evangeline, huh?' Elias thought. He shifted his attention back to the cafe and ran a hand through his chocolate hair.
The sooner this meeting ended, the sooner all of this could stop.
He stopped by the cashier and ordered a milkshake. When they asked if he'd wait for it, he agreed. There wasn't a line of orders so he received it in no time. Sipping from the straw, he smiled with any woman he made eye contact with.
Jane spotted him doing this as he made his way towards the back.
She huffed, drinking her cup of black tea.
As a rising model, she opted for a disguise. A short brown wig hid her light blonde hair while a sunhat covered the obvious lump it made over her scalp. Large sunglasses shielded her eyes. The multi-colored scarf around her neck rose up to her chin and all the buttons of her tan trench coat were clasped together.
She had refused to remove any of it despite the heater in the cafe.
It may look ridiculous but the important part was that no one recognized her.
Elias stopped when he reached her table. The temptation to scowl was strong.
She was easy to find even with the disguise. Who would wear a sunhat in the middle of autumn? Not only that but she brought her favorite purse—a limited edition item that only 10 people owned which happened to include one person in Maize City.
He could feel the eyes of her security team boring into his back. Just to rile them up, he flipped his camera bag open. The sounds made by releasing the safety pulls of guns reached his ears. He hid a smirk and pulled out all the contents of his bag.
Then, he did the same with his pockets.
Chairs scraped against the floor when the bodyguards returned to their original positions.
With the performance over, Elias turned towards Jane. "I'm amazed at how calmly you watched the whole thing. Were you that confident that I didn't bring a weapon?"
"I am that confident in the company I keep, Elias," she shot back. The cup rattled when she set it down on its saucer. The smile that blossomed on her lips didn't reach her sinister eyes. "You would have been dead before you could even blink."
She propped her elbows on the table and interlocked her fingers. The latter rested against her chin. "Please have a seat. Forgive the pun but you stand out too much by standing like that."
He chuckled but did as she said. "I'm sure you know well that good-looking people like us naturally attract attention. It's something we can't really avoid."
A scowl creased her forehead. "Don't be full of yourself. You're not handsome by any means."
Elias felt his temple throb. His grip on his milk shake tightened, causing the cup to crinkle. "Of course, you don't think so. Only one man is attractive in your eyes."
Jane smiled behind her hands. "Are we done with small talk? Tell me what's your decision. I hope you know which one is the right answer."
Any sense of amusement vanished from Elias's face. His lips thinned into a grim line and he tucked in his chin. His chocolate eyes darkened like soot. First thing first. "You took one of Evangeline's advertisement projects, didn't you?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about." Jane sighed. She sat back and reached for her tea. "The winery simply thought of trying another model before they made a final decision on the advertisement."
"I didn't even mention it was the winery." Elias smirked. He let his drink go and clenched his hand into a fist. "You can't fool me with this foul play."
She glanced at him once before taking a sip. "Is that so? Then, you know very well what would happen to you if you refuse to cooperate. You see… unlike last time, I have no leverage other than sparing your life. You should have known that before coming here."
Elias chose to stay quiet. It was true. He cooperated last time because of the money he needed for his studio plus the opportunity to have Evangeline as his muse. He reported Charlee Edwards as the person behind the whole scheme so Jane would know that he wouldn't expose her.
Ideally, he hoped she'd leave him alone after that.
But, of course, he knew that wouldn't happen and so he waited for her to approach him instead.
"Trust me, Ms. Wilson," he sneered. "I had known that since the day we met."
"Perceptive," Jane mocked him. She tilted her head sideways. "And you know the only reason I hadn't killed you is because of this secret you know about Evangeline Reed, right?"
"Why else haven't I told you?"
"And so the rules of the game must change," she concluded. Her tea cup sat empty in front of her. "Either you tell it to me right here, right now or you won't walk out of that front door."
"If you do that, you'd never find out."
Jane merely shrugged. "It just means I don't find you necessary anymore. I can't let you escape when you know about my schemes. So what will it be?"
Elias took a deep breath, exhaling through his nose. He folded his arms over the table and slowly leaned forward. The two of them maintained eye contact, neither one refused to surrender. The timer beside the chessboard had almost reached its limit.
Someone needed to make the next move.
And that someone was him.
"Evangeline Reed is not what everyone thinks she is," Elias began to say. "You know how we tried searching about her? Her background? Her previous jobs? Her familial relationships?"
"Yes?" Jane frowned. "Are you saying that you were able to uncover it?"
"I'm saying that her name isn't even Evangeline Reed."
She stiffened in her seat. A switch clicked inside her head. "What do you mean?"
Elias suppressed a smile. He got her right where he wanted. "It's a false identity. Evangeline Reed is not real. The woman is fooling Ambryan Hathaway into thinking that she is a real person."
Jane processed the information. The edges of her vision stained red. Why was a woman like that standing by his side? Did this implicate that she had lost to a liar? How outrageous! More than a liar, she was a fraud!
A person like that only deserved one thing.
Something swelled inside Jane's chest—now she had the perfect excuse for what is to come.
Elias felt sick. The woman before him didn't even bother to hide her delight. He could almost hear her brain coming up with ways to use this knowledge. Taking a sip from his milk shake, he let her imagination run wild.
It would be easier to persuade her this way.
Jane paused, noticing that she was getting ahead of herself. She hadn't even asked the most important question yet. "If she's not Evangeline Reed then, who is she?"
"I thought I could get her to confess with that ex-boyfriend scheme." Elias pressed his cheek on his knuckles, placing his elbow on the table. "You saw it yourself. There is no record of her so it's a complete blank. And with a blank paper… you could…"
"... write anything you want."
He nodded. It was a good plan at the time. It surely brought him what he wanted while pulling along Jane so she wouldn't interfere. He even managed to get Evangeline's number which he chose to withhold on this meeting. It would only be a burden to the real plan.
"Is that everything you know?" Jane asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.
"She didn't tell me who she was but she did seem worked up when I tried to interrogate her on this false identity." Elias put the milk shake down and spun it within his hand. The bottom of the cup scraped the table. "If you play the right cards, you might get what you want."
She arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. "What are you saying now?"
He beamed. Since she asked, she should be willing to listen to his opinions. "I mean, you'd tell Ambryan about this, wouldn't you? But how could he believe you? And even if he did, how sure are you that he wouldn't choose Evangeline still?"
Jane averted her gaze. Who would still accept a deceiver like that? Wouldn't it be natural to not trust that person anymore? Evangeline had lied to him about everything. It should be common sense to be furious or upset.
Then, she'd be the one to comfort him.
And maybe he'd finally notice how much she cared.
"Now, if there is evidence… let's say… something that could prove Evangeline's 'real identity' and taint her image in his eyes that's beyond redeemable…" Elias thought out loud, faking a sigh. "Then, you would have the ball in your court."
Jane snapped her head back towards him. The gears in her head started to turn. With the blank background, it would be easy to manipulate. Why not go the extra mile? Evangeline should have seen it coming. It could also be another source of blackmail if needed.
The plan sounded better and better.
"What if he finds out that it's a lie?" Jane questioned after a moment of silence.
Elias grinned. "Who said it couldn't be true though?"