"I'm going to get accustomed to not cooking." Ella joked while looking at the menu. Damien had offered to take them to dinner since they had stayed late in the office. He felt guilty for working her so hard and then just letting her return home without eating.

"Have you found something you'd like?" Damien asked, looking up from his menu. The only reason he was asking was because he knew that she had never been there before, and this was a place that Damien knew well.

"Not yet," Ella chewed on her bottom lip, still flipping through the fancy booklet. "They have quite a few options."

"May I make a suggestion?" Damien asked, watching as she eagerly nodded. She was truly lost in what to order at the different options of french cuisine.

Then, just as Damien leaned over, pointing at a specific dish, a couple walked in behind their waitress.

"Honey, wait." Celeste tugged on her husband's hand, stopping her advancement to crane her neck at a familiar figure she saw in the distance.

"What is it?" Romano frowned, upon seeing his wife's weird behavior. "A moment, please." He addressed their waitress who politely nodded and stood to the side.

"Is that... it is!" Celeste squeaked, her own emerald green eyes twinkling in mischief. Then, without giving her husband a warning, she surged forward, ignoring the waitress's pleads for her to stop. After all, at the high-class restaurant, the last thing any worker wanted was to create a scene that would cause valuable customers to leave.

"Honey!" Romano paid no heed to the panicking waitress as he rushed after his crazed wife. Celeste had her eyes set on the young pair, and just as she reached the table, so did her husband.

"Mom?" Damien frowned upon seeing his parents, especially his out-of-breath dad standing before him. "What are yo-"

"I'm so sorry!" The waitress arrived, instantly spilling apology after apology while simultaneously trying to pry away the older couple from the younger and startled one.

Ella, still startled at the sudden turn of events, was watching everything quietly while smiling softly and shrinking back. She could already tell that Damien's mom was a force to be reckoned with.

"Ma'am, please. Your table has already been set up-"

"Cancel it. We'll dine here." Celeste was already reaching for another chair.

"The cancellation fee-"

"We'll pay it." Celeste wasn't backing down, and Damien breathed out harshly. The situation was getting out of hand.

"Mom, please-"

"Damien, I think I deserve to meet the reason why you ditched dinner at my place." Celeste cut him off, picking up her son's menu. "It's nice to meet you...?"

"Ella," Ella extended her hand, shaking hers and then Damien's dad.

"Good God." Damien lowly growled before taking a seat next to Ella.

"I also think I need to apologize. I wasn't aware that Damien had prior plans. Had I known, I wouldn't have accepted to having dinn-"

"Nonsense!" Celeste's smile brightened. She was beginning to like the girl.

"It's not like I was going to attend anyway." Damien murmured to Ella while his parents adjusted their seats and as the waitress took their order for drinks.

Ella smiled, looking at Damien in amusement to find his face close, but he moved back, staring at his parents. Ella fisted her hand, urging her heart to calm down quickly,

"So Ella, what is it that you do?" Celeste questioned, taking note of the luxury brand purse that sat by Ella's side. Celeste didn't want some empty-brained, money-grabbing, little girl to be scratching at Damien's pockets. At least Selena was a smart lawyer who made her own money.

"She's a doctor, Mom. Don't beg-"

"Oh, wow!" Celeste's eyes sparkled. A smart, young woman. Excellent! "I must say, Ellie- can I call you that?"

"Yes, ma'am." Ella politely nodded and smiled kindly.

"You look quite young. How old are you exactly?" Celeste peered at the girl. She seemed to be her in early twenties, and not that it mattered too much, but if Damien was already in his early thirties, that could be an issue. They both would be searching for different things.

"Mother!" Damien interrupted, knowing that once his parents found out about Ella's identity, they would just judge her. Ella didn't need to spend her evening like that, much less because of his parents.

Ella placed her hand on Damien's arm discreetly showing him that she was okay. "I'm twenty-four."

"You're a doctor, you said?" Even Damien's dad, Romano, was confused.

"Of sorts. I skipped a few grades and doubled on classes, but I'm more of a psychologist," Ella explained, and almost instantly, their faces fell. Ella swallowed, fiddling with her fingers under the table. They were going to think she was crazy.

"What... what did you say your name was, sweetheart?" Celeste softly asked, her eyes glancing at a glaring Damien momentarily.

Ella's heart dropped. They had heard. She reinforced her faltering smile, "Ella Cortesa, ma'am."

Celeste nodded, licking her lips. "You must be very quick on your feet to be so young and have a career."

Ella didn't miss the jab at how they didn't acknowledge her intelligence, but rather insinuated she was clever, almost sneaky. Ella looked away, relief filling her as she saw their waitress coming with a pen and pad in hand.

"Selena missed you today, honey." Celeste purposely addressed Damien with that topic in front of Ella. Ella quickly snapped her gaze away from her food and to Damien, who also seemed uncomfortable and visibly angry. "She's quite busy at her firm, so you need to not make her run around in circles."

"I don't have any wish to see her, nor does she to me, Mom. I can assure that." Damien almost growled the words out, cutting into his steak.

"I'm just saying, women like those don't come around often," Celeste innocently shrugged, ignoring Romano's elbow that jabbed her arm in warning.

Ella licked her lips, wanting to leave the restaurant now. It was clear that Damien's parents disapproved of her, and that kind of hurt her.

"Here," Damien switched Ella's plate with his since his steak was already cut.

"No, really, it's okay." Ella quickly shook her head and reached to hold his arm to prevent it from retreating her plate. "You eat yours," she looked at him as his jaw hardened; her eyes had already lost that shiny gleam that they always carried, and Damien noticed.

"They're the same, Ella. It doesn't matter." He gently prodded the plate away, and Ella breathed out softly in a huff.

"Thank you." She picked up her utensils, ignoring the look that his parents were giving her already.

"What about your family, Ella?" Celeste tilted her head as Ella looked up. The girl was beautiful; Celeste could see why her son would court her.

"My parents are in Spain, and my siblings are here." Ella poked at her food, her appetite gone.

"Spain?" Romano frowned. What were her parents doing so far away when their daughter was here and in crisis?

"Yes. That's their motherland so they decided to return," Ella answered, watching Romano nod thoughtfully. Ella wanted to defend her parents because she knew that Celeste and Romano were already thinking about how irresponsible her parents were, but before she could say anything, they moved onto the next topic.

"What about your siblings? Do they live nearby here?" Celeste was the one to ask this time.

"Yes. My older brother is a doctor here at the local hospital, and my little sister models." Ella felt the need to explain that her brother was an actual hospital doctor, otherwise they might think he was another psychologist.

"Oh, your parents must be proud." Celeste faked a smile, but Ella could see right through it.

"As long as we're happy, they don't really care what career path we choose." Ella suddenly missed her parents. She felt dumb. She could die for one of her mom's hugs right about now.

"Obviously." Celeste murmured in what anyone could see as agreement. Ella saw the indirect snark; she wasn't a psychologist just to treat people, but rather because she could read them well.

Throughout the rest of the dinner, Ella only poked and prodded at her food. She would secretly put some in her napkin and wrap it well so that she could later toss it out so that it would look like she was actually eating. She didn't want Damien to think that she didn't appreciate the effort he made to bring her here.

Once it was time to pay, Ella was quick to hand over her card.

"I invited you, why would you pay?" Damien had a scowl on his face as he put his card away.

"It's the least I can do." Ella said, feeling bad that the dinner had turned sour after her presence. Once she took the receipt and card back, she walked alongside Damien to the exit where his parents were waiting.

"Honey, why don't you come home for just a minute? I have a couple of things to give to you." His mom was the first to speak.

"No. Goodbye." Damien had had enough of his mom's rudeness to Ella, and he wasn't planning on further spending time with them. Swiftly, he took Ella's hand in his and pulled her away.

"Selena wants to see you, Damien, and you need to pick up a couple of things." His mom insisted. "Its just for a few moments. Ella can come."

Ella didn't feel well already. She was not about to put herself through another uncomfortable interrogation with his mom.

"You should go," Ella quietly said to Damien, prodding her hand away from his. "I'll take a cab home."

"I'll take you home." Damien reached to grab her elbow.

"It's fine, really. I have a couple of phone calls to make, so I'll just be busy anyway." Ella insisted, looking away to spot the cab that was already parked on the curb for any customers that needed a ride home.

"No. I need to apologize for my mother's behavior, and I should at least have some decency to drive you home, Ella. Allow me to, please." He searched her eyes for that glint that he had grown accustomed to adoring, but it still wasn't appearing.

"It sounds like your parents need you urgently, Damien." Ella smiled ruefully. "Here," she pulled out a pen from her purse and took Damien's hand. "I don't have a notepad, so I'm sorry, but this is my phone number. Text me later so I can save your number and text you that I'm home."

Damien grounded his jaw. Ella was persistent on leaving, and he didn't want to make her more uncomfortable, so he finally nodded. "Come, then." He pulled her over to the cab and pulled the door open for her.

"Thank you." Ella smiled, but it wasn't that same warm smile she always gave, no. This one was tight and fake.

"I'll call you." He promised, then he went ahead and threw all caution to the wind. It was clear to him now that he wanted more for and from this woman. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Ella tensed, unaware that Damien could show that much affection and that it would be directed towards her. "I'll leave her in your care, sir." Damien opened the passenger door to tell the driver and also hand him a large bill to cover the cost.

Ella, still slightly shocked, slowly got into the cab and pulled the car door closed.

"Address, little lady?" The driver slowly pulled from the curb, and Ella quickly fell out of her frozen form.

Meanwhile, Damien stormed back to his parents, unnervingly staring at his mother who was shocked to her core. That had been the first time in a long time since Damien had openly showed affection to someone.

"I hope you know that Ella is also the daughter of parents who care about her just as deeply as you care for me." Damien gritted out.

Celeste could only open and close her mouth, but Romano stepped up. "Son, you have to understand. You cannot trust everyone that shows an easy smile and is nice to look at-"

"Do you know her?" Damien, unable to comprehend as to how they could treat Ella that way, grilled them. "No. You don't. Otherwise you would know just how much she is fighting to hold her head above the water that Vanders is dead-set on pouring. I warned you guys once to stop believing in those rumors, that they would only make you guys look bad, but neither of you listened. I hope you reflect and figure out a way to get on her good side because she is not going away anytime soon."

With that, Damien turned away and stormed back to his car, ignoring his Mom's calls. He knew that she was only looking out for him but looking out for him did not entail her belittling another person, much less hurting them based on rumors. They had crossed a line today, and Damien wasn't one to look away from that, not even if they were his parents.

Once he arrived to his house, he tossed his tie and jacket on the sofa by the entrance, flicking on the lights. In his haste to leave the restaurant, he had forgotten to text Ella, so now he pulled out his phone. It had been more than half an hour, surely she had arrived to her house by now.

"Hello?"

"Did you get home?" Damien sat down on the edge of his bed after having walked there while the phone rang.

"Yeah." Ella sighed, it almost sounded like she was slightly out of breath. "There wasn't too much traffic." There was a sound of a can and then keys jiggling.

"Are you at your house right now, Ella?" Damien frowned. It sure didn't sound like she was.

"No, I went out for a walk. Rufus needed to be let out for a bit." She explained, letting Sam unlock her front gate for her before handing the keys back to her.

Damien ran a hand through his hair. "Alone? At night?"

"Sam went with me." Ella explained, then laughter bubbled from her once Rufus yanked too hard on Sam's hold, causing Sam to stumble forward, almost running into her gates.

Damien felt his heart clench a bit. During her time with him, she had barely eaten, spoken, and laughed. Now, Ella seemed to sound almost normal again, and that was no thanks to him.

"Ella... what my parents said, I'm sorry. They had no right to assume things about you."

"Eh, it's bound to happen. If not from your parents then from other people. Additionally, you don't need to apologize for something you can't control. Let go of that guilt." Ella tsked, waving a final goodbye to Sam before entering her home and deactivating her alarm system only to activate it once more. "Sleep well, Damien. I'll see you on Monday."

"Goodnight, Ella." Damien smiled upon hearing her soothing and content voice again, and hung up.

As expected, Ella was Ella, and she was strong. She wouldn't let one bad incident like that one bring her down. No. Her parents had taught her better than that.