Chapter 35

Silver’s POV

I stared at my husband in disbelief. Was he seriously telling me to pretend I care about him? As if I didn’t already care about him. I folded my arms across my chest and pressed my lips in a thin line as I glared up at him.

“What makes you think I don’t already care about you?” I asked him.

He turned to look at me, his eyes narrowed.

“Because you allowed someone to take advantage of me the other night. What am I supposed to think?” He asked through his teeth.

My brows furrowed together.

What was he talking about?

I allowed someone to take advantage of him the other night. I was the only one who was with him until the morning. The hurt expression on his face when he looked at me made my heart ping with pain. Something told me that Rebecca might have been right. There was some kind of misunderstanding that seriously needed to be cleared up. But just as I opened my mouth to speak, the producer returned.

“We are about to air,” she said, motioning for us to follow her.

Elliot went ahead of me without sparing me another look. I followed behind, wanting to talk to him, but knowing it had to wait until after the interview. There was no way I was going to be able to talk to him right now.

As we stepped on stage, I was bombarded by clapping and cheers. I quickly realized we were in the air and a nervous feeling fell into the pit of my stomach. My mouth fell open at the sight of the crowd before us. I squinted as the lights around the studio nearly blinded me and I tried my best to smile and wave at those who were cheering my name.

Elliot went over to the couch as if he had done this a million times before. Merida Ryder sat on her chair with her leg crossed over the other and a notebook on her lap. She had a bright smile on her lips as she saw Elliot taking a seat.

I sat beside Elliott, trying my best not to look as awkward as I felt.

Once the clapping died down, Merida made her introductions and spoke to the audience with grace. I couldn’t help but steal glances up at Elliot who wore a stern expression. I hated that he was upset with me. I shook the thought out of my mind and focused on Merida who was smiling a me.

“I’m so glad to finally meet you, Silver,” Merida said, holding her hand out to shake mine. “I must say, I saw your painting at the auction, and I was blown away. It was incredible. How did you convince Alpha Elliot to pose that long for your portrait?”

I looked at Elliot who appeared relaxed and content on the couch. He was gazing down at me with a loving expression, and it made me relax a bit. I smiled at him before looking back at Merida.

“It was easy. Elliot would do anything I ask him,” I teased, wrapping my arms around his arms. “He’s quite tentative to his wife.”

Merida chuckled.

“It appears he is. You must tell us, how did you two meet?”

“It’s actually quite a boring story. We met at a bar and Elliot was the one who approached me first. He had a kind smile and he wanted to dance with me, so I took his hand and let him guide me to the dance floor. My heart fell fast for him,” I said, a small blush appearing on my cheeks as I spoke about Elliot.

This story wasn’t completely the truth but telling them the full truth would only make us both look bad.

Elliot surprised me by taking my hand and entwining our fingers together, giving me a small yet reassuring smile.

“She was and still is the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life. The moment I saw her I knew I had to have her,” Elliot explained, still looking deep into my eyes. “I knew right then and there that she was the one I was going to marry.”

My heart swelled at his words; I wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth or not. But from his words, I feel the power within them. I felt my heart nearly beating out of my chest as I gazed up at him.

“You truly are an incredible couple,” Merida breathed just as the audience chorused their “Awes”

“I remember the first thing she wore too,” Elliot said, looking back at Merida. “She wore this loose-fitted black V-neck blouse and tight-fitting jeans. If I didn’t snag her someone else certainly would have and I wasn’t going to let another man touch her.”

Merida chuckled and I blushed.

He was right; that was exactly what I was wearing. I just couldn’t believe that he remembered that.

“So, Silver, tell us about your painting. How many hours did it take you to complete, and what inspired the portrait setting?”

“It took an entire night,” I answered automatically. “Honestly, I saw the setting in my mind. My favorite type of flower is red roses, so I always try to incorporate red roses in my paintings. It’s kind of like my personal signature. For the background, I put pieces of Elliot's personality and his brewing demeanor together to create something that would fit him. I wanted something that would not only look great but something he would be proud of. I take pride in my work and every piece is customized to appeal to its audience I guess in that moment, while I was painting, I kind of just forgot that it was meant for the auction. In my mind, this portrait was meant for Elliot, and I wanted to create something he could be proud of.”

“Silver is the most passionate person I know,” Elliot told Merida as he squeezed my hand gently. “Watching her work is incredible. It was an honor to get a front-row seat to it.”

As the questions from Merida continued, I could feel the tension between Elliot and me dispersing. I was leaning into him and eventually, he moved his hands from mine and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, keeping me close to his side. I felt content and happy by his side.

Soon, Merida went from asking us questions herself, to having the audience ask us questions.

“There are rumors about Elliot and Shirley being in a relationship. Can you confirm or deny that?” Someone in the audience shouted, making my face feel hot all over.

I looked at Elliot who visibly tensed at this person’s words before clearing his throat.

“Those are just rumors. Don’t be quick to believe everything you hear on the media,” Elliot said shortly.

“Is it true that Silver was engaged before she met you?” A female asked, making my eyes grow large.

My engagement wasn’t known around the territory, so I wondered how this person got intel about that.

Elliot didn’t look as bothered though.

“It doesn’t matter if she was or wasn’t. What matters is that she’s with me now,” he said cooly. “You should mind your manners.”

The woman who asked that question bowed her head shamefully and sat back down.

After a few more questions about my painting, Merida finally turned back to look at me with a smile on her lips.

“We are almost out of time for more questions. But there is one more I’d like to ask you about if that’s okay?” She asked.

I nodded, bracing myself for this last question.

“Of course,” I told her. “You can ask me anything within reason.”

“I heard that there was an anonymous buyer for your portrait of Elliot. What can you tell me about that?” Merida asked.

I raised my brows.

“Not much honestly. The buyer insisted on remaining anonymous. I’m honored that someone went to great lengths to purchase my paintings at such an incredible price. But even if nobody bothered to purchase my painting at this auction, it was still an honor to be invited to participate. Whoever this buyer was, I’d like to personally thank them. But I respect the fact that they’d prefer to be unknown. I hope wherever they are, they are taking great care of this portrait because I worked very hard on it.”

Merida smiled, pleased with my response. Just before she was about to begin her outro for the talk show, Elliot cleared his throat and held out his hand for her to stop.

“I can assure you that the portrait is in good hands, and it’s being taken care of,” Ellio surprised me by saying.

“How can you be so sure of that/,” I asked him, raising an eyebrow.

He smiled at me before leaning back in his seat.

“Because I was the one who purchased it. So, I know for a fact that it’s in good hands”

My jaw nearly hit the ground.

Elliot was the anonymous buyer of my painting?