Chapter 5 Again

Lorenzo's POV. Lorenzo couldn’t quite say he was shocked that fate had brought him and Eleanor together again, and while he may not have known how it would happen, he certainly wasn’t expecting this. Eleanor, the once noble ballet goddess who never failed to dazzle an audience, was now a low-class waitress. This woman who he had deeply loved had indeed grown into her features compared to when he last saw her five years ago, but now her face was marked with the weariness a life of debt had imposed on her. Hearing her voice, and now seeing her in front of him, Lorenzo found it hard to describe his feelings; perhaps he should be happy, but he wasn’t. Lorenzo had never been able to process how things ended between him and his first love. At 18, in the throes of their romance, he saw Eleanor getting out of his enemy’s —Cruz Sterling— luxury car late at night. He never found out what happened, but even if Eleanor might not have betrayed him, that scene was etched not only into Lorenzo’s memory, but his heart as well. He was the son of a bar wench, fatherless, while Eleanor was the daughter of a prominent lawyer. He couldn’t let himself believe that love could bridge the chasm of class differences, for that was the same reason his mother was abandoned. But then something happened, Cate happened, which ultimately caused Lorenzo to reject Eleanor. He had wished to set her free. “I thought you’d have a better life without me,” Lorenzo lifted Eleanors chin, pulling himself back to the present. “Yet you’ve become a waitress? What happened to you Eleanor?” Eleanor tried to break free from his grip, but she was no match for his increased strength. He was no longer the weak boy he had been at 18. She continued to struggle in vain, but he swore he saw something other than annoyance in her eyes. “This has nothing to do with you Lorenzo,” Eleanor said. “Did you follow me here just to make fun of me like Cate?” “Maybe,” Lorenzo replied nonchalantly. Lorenazo didn’t expect to walk in and see Eleanor like this. But once he confirmed it was Eleanor, Lorenzo couldn’t resist the attraction. Probably the old mate bond working. He also admittedly wanted to see the look on her face when she realized he was an alpha. With his hands on Eleanor’s waist, her soft curves were almost inviting him to squeeze and tighten his grip in the most frivolous way — the Lorenzo of the past would never treat her this way. Eleanor became visibly angrier at his reply. Lorenzo saw how much Eleanor was struggling, and he saw an opportunity. A plan formed in his mind, one that would surely help his situation, but also be a way to keep Eleanor around for a while. To be honest, the thought of saving Eleanor from her horrible situation felt much better than he thought. "Eleanor," Lorenzo said, he still had the woman pinned against the corner. "Black Moon needs a lead ballet dancer. The lycan luna hopes every pack will perform ballet at her birthday banquet. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you." Eleanor’s face turned from anger to surprise to disgust. Yes, as much as he hated to admit, Lorenzo needed a dancer good enough to lead his pack’s performance for the lycan luna’s birthday banquet. He had little hope, but if the banquet wasn’t a success he knew his reputation would be compromised. He couldn’t let the Black Moon be embarrassed at the banquet, the thought gave him a headache, but seeing Eleanor had given him an idea. It was strange, the fury in her eyes was almost enchanting. “Why on earth would I help you, especially after rejecting me and embarrassing me in front of an entire restaurant of Blue Moon’s finest? What, should I agree because you’re an all powerful alpha now?” Eleanor asked incredulously. Lorenzo was momentarily stunned by her response, enough so that he loosened his grip and was shoved backwards. Eleanor made quick work of the bathroom lock and left Lorenzo to only watch as she hurried away from him. Eleanor's POV. I practically ran from the bathroom back towards the dining room, careful to grab my bag off its hook on the wall while hurrying past. As I burst back into the crowd of people and made a beeline for Cate who was still reeling from the public humiliation. “You need to transfer me the money you owe me,” I said without giving her a chance to interject. I grabbed a napkin off a nearby table and a pen from my bag, then I scribbled down my account number before shoving the napkin to her chest. The look on her face was priceless, as if she’d just been rejected by Lorenzo twice in a row. I left the restaurant before she could say a word. My mind was a mess. Lorenzo’s face kept reappearing in my thoughts, along with the sensation of his touch on my hips. I wish this new memory could be a positive one, but all it did was add to the pain of him rejecting me in the first place. When he left, I had been truly distraught; and now, his attitude towards me was as if I were a plaything designed for his amusement — such an asshole. I returned to my apartment feeling cold, damp, and crushed by shame, doing my best to avoid the bellman’s strange gaze, no doubt at my wine-stained uniform. I climbed the stairs two at a time, eager to reach the safety of my apartment, but when I arrived I almost couldn’t believe my eyes. Splashed across my door in red paint were the words: “You’ll be mine eventually bitch!” In the chaos of Lorenzo’s reappearance I had almost forgotten about the run in with my debt collector, Craig Little. I sighed, accepting that I would never catch a break. It took me forever to scrub the paint off but only a moment to decide I would go to the police station the next day. I wouldn’t let Little harass me any longer, especially since I would soon have all the money I needed from Cate. By the time my door was clean, it was well past midnight and I needed to get sleep while I still could. I laid down for what felt like mere moments before my alarm was blaring — I needed to get to the police station before my next shift. I tumbled out of bed and switched into a clean uniform, but unfortunately had to put on my only pair of work shoes, wine stains and all. After shoving a quick piece of toast and jam into my mouth, I headed downstairs to retrieve my bike. As I exited the building I was shocked at what I saw: Lorenzo, casually leaning against his black luxury limousine, smiling at me.