Chapter 3

Elias

"Listen, Elias, don't scowl all day—you'll frighten Anita off. Her family's in the rare earth business, old friends of your grandfather. If the two of you married, our business would flourish beyond measure."

"Come on, son, give us a smile. Like this."

Vivian's lips curved upward into a deliberate, textbook-perfect fake smile.

The corner of my mouth twitched with impatience.

That afternoon I'd cut my San Francisco business short because my mother had summoned me home, claiming she was ill. Only when I arrived did I discover she wasn't sick at all. The whole lie had one purpose: to set me up with Anita.

I'd never cared for marriages of convenience—every one of them reeked of calculation.

Had I seen through her deception from the start, I might already be on a flight back to New York, home in time to see my new bride tonight.

Rather than play along with my mother's performance, I opened the booking app and searched for the next flight to New York. Never before had I been so desperate to get home.

Seeing my attention drift, my mother snatched the phone from my hand, planted her fists on her hips, and jabbed a finger at me.

"Elias, I'm talking to you about something serious. You're thirty-two now. It's time you settled into a marriage and produced an heir."

"Even if you don't like the girls I introduce you to, you're free to find one to your own taste."

"A lawyer, a doctor, an actress—I wouldn't even object to a waitress from a coffee shop. I won't look down on anyone for their background."

She rattled on and on until my head throbbed.

No one knows my mother better than I do. She is domineering and vain. Ever since I took over the family business, she'd been scouring the world for someone to marry me off to. She swore up and down that pedigree meant nothing to her—yet the arrogance in her eyes was enough to drive anyone away.

I let out a soft sigh and looked her dead in the eye.

"Mother, what if I'm already married?"

"What?"

In that instant she forgot all about her elegant composure. Her shriek was loud enough for the dogs outside the villa to hear.

Clearly she didn't believe me—she assumed it was just an excuse to escape the arranged meeting.

"Don't you lie to me! You think I can't see right through you?"

Before she could finish, I held the marriage certificate up in front of her.

She grabbed it in disbelief and studied it inch by inch.

"Impossible! This has to be forged!"

I shook my head.

"We registered the marriage yesterday afternoon. If you don't believe me, look up the certificate number online. Our marriage is legally binding."

The moment my mother's eyes landed on Elena's photograph, she flew into a rage.

"Who is this Elena? How do you even know her? Why have I never heard of her?"

"She was a year below me at Harvard Law. Anything else you want to know, you'll learn in time."

My mother's mouth fell open in astonishment, and no words came out.

My thoughts drifted back to that summer, to the welcome dance for new students.

I should have been buried in my thesis, but my friend Jack had dragged me along to the party for a bit of fun. Bored out of my mind, I looked up to find Elena standing before me. She seemed to have had too much to drink—the alcohol had flushed her cheeks, and her smile was breathtaking. A bottle in one hand, she looped her other arm around my neck and kissed me on the mouth.

Her lips were soft, and the fresh scent of camellias clung to her. I couldn't resist. My hand moved of its own accord to her waist, deepening the kiss.

Then Elena got a clear look at my face. The color drained from hers, and she stammered out an apology.

"I'm so sorry! I mistook you for someone else."

And with that, she bolted.

I stood there in the crowd, watching her disappear, savoring the warmth still lingering on my lips.

I'd assumed "I mistook you for someone else" was just her way of covering up the awkwardness. But the next day I asked around through friends, and it turned out Elena really did have a boyfriend—and that night she truly had confused me for him.

After that I had no choice but to let it go. When I graduated, I left New York and returned to San Francisco. Yet in all the years since, I never could forget that kiss.

Then this year, Jack invited me to join him at his big law firm. Scrolling through the team-building photos on his Facebook, I spotted Elena.

Jack, it seemed, had no memory whatsoever of this junior from Harvard—he only knew her as a newly hired intern.

In that moment, my heart began to stir. I was seized by an urgent need to get close to her. And so, with barely a second thought, I accepted Jack's offer.

The night we celebrated signing the contract, I ran into her in the hotel elevator. She seemed drunk, slumped limp against the notorious Beckett‌. Without a shred of hesitation, I pulled Elena to my side.

Only later did I learn that Beckett‌ had drugged her. I meant to take her to the hospital—but just like the first time we'd met, she kissed me again.

There was no question of it: once more I fell headlong into Elena's sweet kiss. That kiss set loose the desire I'd buried in my heart for years.

By dawn, watching Elena asleep beside me, my conscience filled me with shame. And yet, at the same time, my love for her surged beyond all control.

This time, I refused to let her slip away. Money, fame, status—whatever it took, so long as it kept her by my side.

And I succeeded. Elena became my wife. In the days to come, I would make her fall in love with me, little by little. This love, arriving so late, was one I treasured all the more.

"Elias, this sounds like some reckless game. We know nothing about your new wife—her family, her character, none of it. That's a risk!"

Her words sent an unpleasant jolt through me, and I had no desire to argue with my mother any longer. She'd already made me miss the last flight; I would have to take the earliest one out tomorrow.

"Enough, Mother. I won't allow anyone to meddle in my marriage. And if you insist on getting involved, then arrange our wedding as soon as possible."

With that, I went upstairs to my own room.

My phone screen lit up. A message from Elena.

Mr. Elias, I'm afraid I won't be able to move into your house tomorrow. A new partner is joining the firm, and the boss won't let us take the day off.

Reading it, I suddenly remembered something.

My wife still had no idea that the new partner was me. I couldn't wait to see the look on Elena's face when she spotted me at the firm tomorrow.

It was going to be priceless.