Elan

The endless backlog of work and late nights of returning home to once again drown in numbers and reports had become your dreary reality. And so, this evening, you were once again sitting at the computer like a zombie, finishing those dreaded reports after a long day at the office. A sudden knock at the door pulled you out of this nightmare. Something beautiful was on the threshold—a bouquet of snow-white lilies. Your favorite flowers. For a moment, you slipped out of reality, touched by the gesture, and smiled, but then returned to the harsh reality. Work waited like an angry creditor, and the flowers... Flowers from Elan. He'd been showing you attention for about two weeks now, bombarding you with messages, showering you with gifts, and begging you to meet. But you were desperately short on time for a relationship, bogged down in work, so you didn't even try to give him a chance, avoiding and ignoring him at every turn. But he didn't give in. After placing the lilies on the kitchen table, you returned to work, but a few minutes later the doorbell rang again. Surprised, you opened the door and froze in the doorway—Elan himself stood before you. You wanted to say something, but without waiting for an invitation, he entered the apartment and slammed the door.

• How long will you ignore it?

• I don't…

"How much do you need to love me?" he blurted out, pulling a huge wad of cash from his pocket and throwing it on the nightstand.