Elena took her little niece by the hand.
"Come on, honey, we are going to mommy. I'm sure she can't wait to see you."
***
Katherine opened the door to her apartment without looking by pressing a button. She was expecting her sister to come back with her daughter, so she didn't think much of it.
Still not looking up from her magazine, she said: "I guess you lost your keys again, huh? Typical you, clumsy like a two-year-old and just about as refined as a baboon."
"Quite an intersting statement, Katerina."
As if struck by lightning, Katherine got up and looked at the man standing in front of her, completely shellshocked.
Elijah watched her reaction and continued: "I believe you have some explaining to do, Katerina! About your parents, for example."
***
The elevator opened. Elena and Nadia walked down the corridor to Katherine's apartment. A little irritated, Elena saw that the door was already open. At first she thought somebody broke in, but then she heard her sister's voice talking normally. She entered the apartment closing the door behind her and walked with Nadia to the big living room.
On the way there, the voices she heard became louder. She could now understand what they were saying.
"Don't let her fool you! Yes, our parents are still alive, but we don't get along and so I don't like to talk about them. She is obviously trying to make me look bad. Don't let her! Elijah, you know me, you know -"
"You!"
Upon hearing Elena's voice, Katherine and Elijah turned around. Elena was standing in the doorway to the living room and looked at Elijah. She was visibly displeased.
Elijah met her gaze. He looked at Elena for a moment, taking in her appearance. He also noticed the child next to her.
"Dr Gilbert. It's a pleasure to see you again. And who might that be?"
Katherine was silent, looking at her sister with fury and a silent warning in her eyes.
"Nadia. Katherine's daughter." Elena answered, ignoring her twin.
Despite knowing the obvious fact that Katerina had been lying to him, this revelation still felt like a punch in the stomach to him. After finding out about her cheating and telling him about dead parents, he had thought the lies and betrayals of Katerina would be all told and revealed. Now, he started to think he had just scratched the surface and it deeply upset him.
However, Elena didn't care much about the troubled look on his face. She finally realized that him complaining about her to her chief had nothing to do with her competences as a doctor. But despite her rising anger, she still did not want to confront him in front of Nadia.
Elijah looked at Katherine. His look said it all. Pain, disbelief, anger and disgust mixed in a whirl of outrage. All he still wanted in that moment was to get away from her.
"Elijah, please, just -" Katherine tried to persuade him, but he would have none of that. Without saying another word, he turned around and left.
Seeing him leave, Elena felt a surge of determination run through her. She was not going to let him walk away after what he did. She quickly kissed Nadia on the head, apologizing for leaving so abruptly. Katherine tried to stop her, still visibly furious. However, Elena chose not to pay attention to her sister and, with a last angry glare towards her, rushed out of the apartment after Elijah.
She caught up to him in the parking lot in front of the building.
"Hey! Stop!" she yelled and grabbed him by the arm, forcing him to turn around and look at her.
"You don't even know me! But you still used your position to threaten my job? My future? Why? Because Katherine told you to? How dare you do this, do you have any idea in what kind of trouble you got me?" she yelled at him. After she had spend the last two days feverishly wondering what she did wrong, she could barely believe that this man, however successful and powerful he may be, had just been manipulated by her sister, like many others before him.
Elijah looked at her trying not to let his heartbreak and distress show on his face. "Dr Gilbert, please! Not now! I know I shouldn't have done that to you, but right now I don't have the nerves to deal with it. I literally just found out that my girlfriend has been lying to me throughout our entire relationship. Hell, I was your sister's boyfriend for almost a year and it appears I don't even know her."
Elena now could see his pain, even though he was still trying to hide it. And despite her anger, she felt sorry for him.
She considered for a second and then she said: "Okay, look, I don't know what Katherine told you. But... it sounds like she played you. And -I think maybe an explanation would help. I know why Katherine has it in for me. If you want, I can tell you about her and me. But in return, you have to withdraw your complaints about me. Because unless you can prove otherwise, I am standing by my statement that I did nothing wrong!"
He gave her a hint of a smile and shook his head. "Of course I will withdraw my complaints. As for your offer, thank you very much, but I am in no mood for talking right now. Please understand that."
"Yes, I know. I didn't mean now. I don't actually have time now anyway. No, I meant, later. Like - do you have time tonight?"
Elijah looked into her warm hazel eyes, considering.
Then he nodded. "Where?"
"My place." she replied, taking out a note and wrote down her address. "8pm?"
He took the note and nodded.
Elena nodded back at him and excused herself; she had to go to work.
On the way home, Elijah's mind kept spinning around Elena Gilbert. She barely knew him. She had only met him once before, and that was when he threatened her job. But she still chose to take the time to explain things to him. Even though she owed him nothing. And after everything he had found out about Katerina by now, he was pretty sure that Elena was not a fraud like her twin sister had claimed her to be.
Either way, Elena Gilbert intrigued him. He was looking forward to seeing her again later.