Chapter 10

Elena

His words caught in my throat, and tears blurred my vision—whether from gratitude or grievance, I couldn't tell. I knew it was the courage he'd given me that finally let my emotions break free.

Suddenly I wanted to throw my arms around him and pour out everything: how my mother had abandoned me since childhood, and how Vivian had just misjudged me. But reason told me I mustn't. It would only trouble Elias, and I had come here for one purpose—to help him end this arranged family marriage.

Still, her words kept echoing in my mind, every syllable landing like a fist against my chest. Vivian's eyes met mine, flashing a warning, as if to say I should get out of her house this instant—or she wouldn't hesitate to air my mother's dirty laundry right in front of Elias.

Perhaps, in her fantasy, now that she'd exposed my past, I was supposed to grab the check and slink away with my tail between my legs.

I didn't know whether Elias knew the truth about my mother, but I wasn't afraid to tell him. I drew a deep breath, bent down, picked up the check from the floor, and handed it back to Vivian.

"It seems I should call you Ms. Vivian instead, because after everything you've just done to me, you haven't earned the right to be called Mother."

Vivian stared at me, eyes wide. She looked furious, her whole body trembling.

"What did you say?"

"Of course, I'm grateful that you think so highly of me—that you'd take the time to look into my family, and so graciously inform me of my mother's miserable circumstances. You should know, we haven't spoken in two years. Thank you for that."

"But as for how my mother is doing, it has nothing to do with Elias and me. Naturally, it won't affect our relationship in the slightest."

"And thank you for your generosity. Unfortunately, ten thousand dollars isn't nearly enough to buy out the love between Elias and me."

With that, I rose onto my toes and kissed him.

I'd only meant to spite Vivian, who had insulted me so freely—a light, fleeting kiss would have been enough. But he deepened it, his arms circling me, holding me against him, refusing to let me escape.

The soft warmth of it threw me completely off balance. My body responded on its own, drawing the kiss out longer. What surprised me even more was how practiced I felt, as though we'd done this a hundred times before.

I don't know how long it lasted before Vivian's shriek shattered the moment.

"Have you both lost your minds? Doing this right in front of me? I order you to leave my son at once!"

Sophia grabbed her mother from behind. "Mom, please, calm down—Elias is really about to lose his temper!"

Just as she'd said, Elias's face had already darkened. He spoke only one word.

"Apologize."

That pushed Vivian over the edge. Abandoning all pretense of dignity, she screamed:

"She's not worthy of one! A bastard born of some whore!"

The moment those words left her mouth, the room fell utterly silent. Even Vivian seemed to grasp the gravity of what she'd said.

Elias's brows knit tight, the veins standing out on his neck. His gaze fixed and cold, he advanced on Vivian step by step. All her earlier arrogance had vanished; she looked genuinely afraid of his anger.

He said nothing to her. Instead, he took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Goring, it's Elias. Cancel my mother's black card immediately, and tell Father this is my decision. Also, send someone to New York to bring her home."

Vivian went pale. "Have you gone mad, Elias? I'm doing this for your own good! How can you cancel my black card? How am I supposed to attend the jewelry auction next week?"

Elias regarded his mother coldly, then spoke slowly.

"The moment you sincerely apologize to my wife and earn her forgiveness, I'll reinstate the card."

With that, he took my hand and walked out without a backward glance.

Suddenly, Sophia called after him. "Elias, there's something I need to tell you."

He paused for a second, then turned to me and said gently, "Elena, would you mind waiting for me in the courtyard? I swear it won't take more than five minutes."

I nodded and walked out of the villa alone.

By the time I stepped outside, night had fallen completely, though the courtyard still blazed with light. Summer evenings were especially soothing. The night breeze brushed softly against my face, and the air carried the scent of lilacs.

I sank into a bamboo chair, slipped off the high heels that had felt like instruments of torture, and pressed my feet against the warm stone paving. In that moment, my frayed nerves finally began to unwind.

Then two messages popped up on my phone. One was a friend request—the profile picture was Sophia's. The other was from Charlotte, and her tone was anything but friendly.

Where are you? Get to my place right now. Mr. Beckett is waiting for you.

Irritated, I shut off the phone. She still didn't understand the situation—it was because of her that I'd fallen into Beckett's trap. If Elias hadn't shown up when he did, I couldn't imagine what would have become of me. Ms. Megan was probably a perfect example of that.

The thought only strengthened my resolve to get justice for her.

"What are you thinking about?"

I turned and saw him at once. Perhaps because of the heat, he'd taken off his suit jacket; the deep blue button-down traced the lines of his athletic frame. His smile was warm and understated—the kind that always made me feel safe.

I shook my head lightly. "Nothing. Just drifting off."

He came over, knelt on one knee, spread the jacket he'd removed on the ground, and carefully lifted my feet onto it. The lingering warmth of his body on the fabric, and its gentle texture, left me flustered and touched. That suit was custom-made, worth tens of thousands—and here he was, letting me rest my feet on it.

Before I could say anything, Elias spoke first.

"Elena, let me apologize on behalf of my family. My mother offended you, but I promise you it won't happen again. Sophia just told me what she said. I'm sorry I left you alone in the dining room."

This time I wasn't looking up at him—we were eye to eye. We were so close I could feel his breath. My cheeks flushed despite myself. I pressed my lips together and said, "It's all right, Elias. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my mother."

He cut me off at once.

"Elena, there's one thing you need to be clear about: the person I married is you. Nothing else matters. What's more, none of this gives Vivian any excuse to attack you. She has to pay for what she's done."

As he said it, his expression shifted from tender to severe. Vivian's earlier panic had made one thing obvious—the financial sanctions Elias had imposed were more than enough to frighten her. What surprised me most was that Elias, so young and accomplished, could command such authority within his family.

Only then did the weight lift from my heart—though worry crept back in almost immediately.

"Elias, we know so little about each other. We've only met three times—"

"Elena, we've met more than three times."