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Jasper and Ellie had their late lunch in silence.

Each of them was in their own thoughts, and it was not an uncomfortable silence.

After food, they cleaned up together, kept the leftovers in the fridge, rinsed used dishes and placed them in the dishwasher.

Ellie was surprised that they didn't bump into each other. Not even once. Somehow, the whole experience was without any words spoken, yet they exactly knew how to move and what to do in order to accomplish the tasks like they did it many times before. And that was strange because it's the first time they did it.

"Would you like another glass of wine, or do you prefer something else to drink?", that was the first thing Jasper asked after a long silence.

"Wine is fine. I promise not to throw pillows at you."

Jasper paused and raised an eyebrow. "I am not the one to shy away from a good pillow fight."

Ellie glanced at the wine stain on the sofa. "Thank you for trying to make me feel better about this."

"Don't feel bad about it. I don't think I will get it cleaned." He ran his fingers over the edge of the stain. "I like it this way. It feels like you left a mark in this place."

"It does not match the color scheme.", Ellie was referring to the whole apartment which was in neutral shades of gray with some black and white.

"Maybe that is what you do… bring colors to my life."

Ellie smiled at his comment and she didn't know how to respond. She decided to ask one of the things which is on her mind since she heard Jasper's exchange with his father.

"Can you tell me about the party you are not attending right now?"

He paused for a second before responding. "Few families in our neighborhood are hosting gatherings on Saturdays. It's a regular thing, don't think that I'm missing on anything important. And today's party is hosted by Cavadini family. Even if you are not here, I would not go."

"Cavadini… Lilian?", Ellie knew, but she still wanted to confirm.

"Yes. Don't worry about her. Since I fired her, I didn't see her. And I have no intention of letting her get close to me." Jasper wants to make this clear. He doesn't want Ellie to think that there is anything lingering between him and Lilian.

Ellie is happy to see that Jasper is letting her know about the current situation, and she felt that this is the right time to bring up that Lilian is following her. "You didn't see her, but that does not mean that she didn't see you. Or me."

"What does that mean?"

"In the last week or so, there is a private investigator following me. And I found out that Lilian hired him."

Jasper frowned. "Are you sure?"

Ellie confirmed. "I saw photos of me, us… and that man. And there is this.", she got printouts that her father gave her from her bag and showed them to Jasper.

Jasper read the printouts and his frown deepened. "I am sorry. I will deal with him."

Ellie was happy that Jasper wants to handle the situation. "No need."

"The man is following you because of me. I should fix this."

"Even if you get him to back off, there is nothing to stop her from hiring someone else."

Jasper has to agree with this. "It seems you thought about this. What do you have in mind?"

"I think that we should deal with the root of the problem."

"With Lilian?"

Ellie shook her head. "With your father. Lilian might be annoying, but she is getting her courage because your father is supporting her, or at least she thinks that he is supporting her."

Jasper exhaled and lowered his head. It's not that he does not believe that Norman is the source of his many problems, but he does not know how to deal with him effectively.

Ellie saw that she hit a sore spot, but she knows that she is on the right track. This can't be avoided if they want to move forward. She reached out and held his hand in hers.

"I know that talking about your father might be uncomfortable. But if we are going to deal with this, I need to know what kind of leverage he has against you."

Jasper looked at their hands and then at Ellie's hazel eyes which lit up with determination. He repeated her last words few times in his mind, just to make sure he is not misunderstanding her. "Deal with this? Together?"

Ellie confirmed. "Lilian and your father are from your side, and I can't suppress them without your help."

Jasper blinked few times. He could not believe that she is saying these things so lightly. "You want to suppress my father?"

"No. I want Lilian out of my hair. Your father will be only the collateral damage."

Jasper stifled a laugh. "If my father knows that you said how he will be collateral damage compared to Lilian, he will be furious."

Jasper saw that Ellie is not joking and wondered if she was always this brilliantly resolute and why is he noticing that just now? She never ceases to surprise him. And he confirmed again: she is smart. "How do you know that he has some leverage against me?"

Ellie was not comfortable admitting that she heard things from JoAnna, and it does not matter from where she found out. "I don't mean to pry into your private things. I'm just trying to understand what is going on."

Ellie saw that Jasper lowered his head down (again), and she guessed that he is contemplating if he should say anything or not. She knows that she is asking for something he is not comfortable talking about, and the only way she can expect sincerity from him is if she offers the same in return.

"In this relationship thing… I hope that we can be partners. Equals. I don't mind you keeping things for yourself, but if it's something that can impact us as a couple, then I need to know about it. And right now, it seems that Lilian and your father can impact us. I want to know what they have on you. Since you fired Lilian, I assume that she does not have anything other than your father's support. I saw how your father is looking at you, and I believe that he has something on you that can control your decisions. Honestly, I don't know if I can be of any help, but I would still like to know."

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