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CHAPTER NINE (ELARA'S POV)

Author: Abby Gale
last update Huling Na-update: 2025-02-17 20:00:32

“Why?” Killian asked. “Do you not trust me?”

“No, I do not.” Elara answered without hesitation. “I have worked so hard to get to where I am and I will not trust a stagger blinding thereby putting everything I have worked hard for, to risk.”

“Fair.” Killian said with a shrug.

“I'll head home now.” She said adjusting her blouse today had been a rollercoaster of emotions that she needed to recover from. “I will be here first thing in the morning with my lawyer.”

With that she turned and walked to the door. Her hand reached for the handle before she paused.

Throwing a glance over her shoulder, she looked at Killian who was watching her. “Prepare yourself.”

With that, she pushed the door open and walked out.

****

The next day….

Elara sat in the conference room at Haye's enterprise. His assistant ushered her in there as soon as she arrived. It was a private conference room on his floor so she had no worries of someone listening in on the discussion that was about to happen.

She dressed with confidence today, she was here for business. Her wavy brown hair was let down, she wore a black tailored suit which showed a bit of her cleavage, not too much to be considered immodest.

A pair of blood red heels, matching lipstick and natural makeup that just highlighted her natural features. She was gorgeous and she knew it.

She tapped her finger on the dark oak table as she stared out the floor to ceiling windows, looking at the city's skyline as she waited for Killian to arrive.

 

The door opened and shut with a soft click, she watched as Killian strode in confidently, his usual air of dominance was around him. He was dressed in a tailored navy blue suit that fitted him perfectly, it showed his lean muscles that she wanted to run her hands over.

He hadn't looked in her direction yet as he walked to the head of the table and pulled out the seat. Finally, he lifted his head and his eyes locked with hers.

He paused.

She watched as his eyes racked her body, something burning in his eyes— desire? The thought lit up a hunger she hadn't felt in years, the yearning for the touch of a man.

But she wasn't going to let it show as she maintained composure.

He slowly drew his eyes from her body to her face. It looked like he wasn't even breathing.

Good. She smirked internally.

“Close your mouth. You don't want to catch a fly.” she said cockily and that snapped him out of his trance.

His mask slipped back on as he took his seat, cleared his throat and adjusted the lapels of his suit.

“Hello, Elara.” He said smoothly, his deep voice soothing to her ears.

“Shall we begin?” She asked, turning serious and going straight to the point.

A slow predatory smile grew on his face. “You seem calm and prepared today.”

“I am.” She said coldly. “I have called my lawyer. He's on his way and will be here shortly. I'll advise you to call yours as well.”

He raised a brow at her command but said nothing as he nodded. “Fine.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and made the call.

They remained silent, staring down each other as they waited for their lawyers l.

A few minutes later, the two lawyers walked in. One day down next to Elara and the other next to Killian.

“Elara,” Killian called out. “I'd like to introduce you to my lawyer, Mr Richard Gates.”

Elara sent a small smile in the direction of the man who was staring at her keenly— studying her. “This is Mrs. Lilian Park.” She said, equally introducing her lawyer.

“Nice to meet you all.” Lilian said.

“Alright, let's get down to business.” Elara said with a clap of her hands.

Lilian pulled a brown file out of her bag and brought a paper out of it. The contract.

She cleared her throat then began. “My client, Miss Beckett, has briefed me of the situation. The first rule of the contact is that there will be no romantic interaction in private. Both parties will only act romantically in public for the sake of the media but behind closed doors they will live their separate lives.”

“Alright.” Killian said. “But what happens if we're caught in a place we consider ‘private’? You know paparazzi are everywhere.”

“Then we'll act as we should to avoid suspicion.” Elara answered. “But there will be no intimacy beyond that.”

Killian leaned forward, a panty dropping smirk lighting up his face. “Are you afraid of getting too… close, Elara?”

Her heart fluttered.

She shot him a glare then turned to her lawyer. “Tick the rule.”

This is going to be a long ride.

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  • Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride   chapter ten (Elara's pov)

    “Unto the next.” Elera continued. “No decision is to be made without both parties' approval. This includes any form of announcement, public appearances, interviews and more “She made sure to shoot Killian a knowing look as she spoke. He nodded but his expression was neutral this time. “Agreed. There will be full transparency henceforth.”Lilian read the next rule. “No one— neither the parties involved or any of their associates who are aware of the truth behind this can leak it. Any breach of this secret will result in severe consequences for the party at fault.”Killian's lawyer, Richard, finally spoke up. “What exactly do you mean by ‘severe’?”Elara answered his question with a stone face because she wasn't here to play. Neither will she allow anyone to jeopardize things without a punishment. “Twenty years in prison, punishable by law and a one billion dollar fine.”The lawyers exchanged glances but said nothing while Killian and Elara had a stare down. He didn't break their star

    Huling Na-update : 2025-02-25
  • Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride   chapter eleven (Ivy's pov)

    “That witch!” She screamed as she threw her tablet across the room.“Calm down, ivy.” Aiden said, holding up his arms in a bid to soothe her.“Don't you dare tell me to calm down.” She snapped. “Can't you see? She's back and she's going to ruin everything!”“I know that she's back but freaking out is exactly what she wants you to do and it won't solve anything.” Aiden said calmly.“Look, Aiden.” She took a step towards him. “I know how hard I worked to get to where I am, I know the people I had to get rid of and how I got rid of them. Elara was one of those people and now that she's back, I know that she has something up her sleeve.”It was like her worst nightmare had come to haunt her in broad daylight. Something she had never imagined. She always had a plan and loved when things went as planned but this, she had never dreamt of it. It wasn't a slight hitch that she could overcome, it was a full blown stim gathering in the distance and she needed to think fast before it got to her a

    Huling Na-update : 2025-02-25
  • Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride   chapter twelve (Elara's pov)

    It had been a couple of days since they had signed the contract. Killian messaged her to come to his mansion for a talk.Elara had always known that Killian Hayes was powerful and wealthy. He has the kind of wealth that could power generations, the type that would forever be whispered through bloodlines and leave legacies in its wake, but nothing has prepared her for the awe she felt stepping into his mansion.From the moment she drove through the enormous iron gates, she was met with a spectacular view. The mansion itself stood tall in its glory— an architectural masterpiece with sleek modern finishes and classic traditional elements all blended seamlessly.The building screamed wealth and power. The driveway was long and paved with a Blackstone polished to perfection. On either side of the driveway stood towering stone sculptures and flower hedges. “He must love art.” She muttered.A breathtaking fountain stood in the center of the driveway, its water cascading like a waterfall add

    Huling Na-update : 2025-02-27
  • Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride   Chapter thirteen (Elara's pov)

    Killian waved his hand in dismissal. “There’s no need. She’s seen enough.” He turned his attention back to Elara. “Wait for me in my office. Down the hall, last door on the right.”With that, he walked past her, his cologne— cedarwood and pine, an utterly sinful combination lingered in the air after him.Elara resisted the urge to fan herself as she turned sharply in her heels and made her way to his office.His office was exactly like she had imagined— dark wood, leather furniture, a massive desk, fireplace and a large window. A decanter set sat on his desk, untouched, beside a thick folder and his computer.Shutting the door, finally alone she placed a hand on her chest as she sat down on one of the chairs. “Get it together, Elara.” She muttered to herself. “You're here for a purpose and not to drool over your fake fiancé.”By the time the door opened again, she had managed to gain back her composure and put on a professional face.She turned as watched as Killian walked in, fully c

    Huling Na-update : 2025-02-27
  • Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride   chapter fourteen (Elara's pov)

    Elara sat in front of the massive vanity mirror in one of the guest rooms at Killian's mansion. Tonight was the night of the gala where they would be making their first public appearance together.She stared at her reflection and marvelled at how talented the makeup artists waa. The woman had done a spectacular job— her skin glowed, her lips were painted a variant shade of red, her eyes had a smoky makeup that looked very seductive. She barely recognized herself.She got up and walked over to the full length mirror to look at her dress. The silk fabric clung to her body like a second skin. The dress was a masterpiece, it was black in color, under the glow of the chandelier the fabric looked like liquid as she moved. It has a plunging neckline that was teasing but didn't show too much, a high slit that was almost scandalous but was still elegant. The straps were made of diamonds that formed a crisscross pattern on her back.The dress screamed danger, wealth and power. And tonight, she

    Huling Na-update : 2025-03-07
  • Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride   chapter fifteen (Elara's pov)

    After a while, Killian pressed his hand slightly on her back. A signal that they had answered enough questions. "Elara and I are here to celebrate tonight. No further questions.” Killian announced.Elara flashed them one more smile before Killian guided her away. While she was a bit nervous during the mini interview, Killian was just calm and collected. Like lying was second nature to him, she wasn't surprised by this.The first part of the plan was done, it was time to look for the next. It didn't take long for Elara to spot her.Ivy.She was standing across the room with Aiden, talking to a wealthy older couple. Her expression was a carefully crafted one, her laugh was light and controlled. She looked composed and elegant but when her eyes landed on Elara, her lips pressed into a thin line and her face hardened.Good.Elara tapped Killian then tilted her head in the direction of ivy, he gave her a nod then they walked towards the couple.“Ivy,” Elara purred, her voice dripping with

    Huling Na-update : 2025-03-07
  • Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride   CHAPTER SIXTEEN (ELARA'S POV)

    The cameras were still flashing rapidly, the reported whispering furiously amongst themselves but she barely paid attention to it.Her heart was still hammering in her chest, her body betraying her and seeking more of Killian's warmth. The kiss had been meant for show—for the benefit of the crowd—but damn if it hadn’t felt real.Too real.Killian smirked down at her, his eyes were darker than before and held an emotion she couldn't quite decipher. “Mission accomplished.”Elara swallowed, forcing herself to step back, to put distance between them. “Yeah,” she said, voice a little too breathless. “Mission accomplished.”His gaze flicked to her lips, then back to her eyes. For a second, she thought he might kiss her again.And the most dangerous part? She wasn’t sure she’d stop him.But before history could repeat it, a voice interrupted them. “Well, that was quite the performance.”Elara turned to see an elderly man approach them. She recognized him, he was one of the biggest investors

    Huling Na-update : 2025-03-11
  • Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride   CHAPTER SEVENTEEN (ELARA'S POV)

    The one thing she had been trying to forget. The one that set her body on fire and made her spine tingle even after they pulled away. She forced a smirk trying to be cocky. “What do you think?” Killian studied her for a moment, he was searching for something. Then slowly, he reached out, brushing a stray strand of hair away from her face. Elara’s breath hitched. “Elara…” he murmured, stepping impossibly closer. His fingers brushed her bare arm, trailing up to her shoulder, sending shivers down her spine. “Tell me to stop.” She should stop this. She should step back. But she didn’t. Because the way he was looking at her? Like he wanted to devour her whole? It was intoxicating. Instead, she whispered, “I won’t.” A muscle ticked in his jaw, like his restraint had snapped. Then finally, he closed the distance between them completely. In a flash, his mouth was on hers, claiming, demanding. Elara gasped, her hands gripping the collar of his tuxedo as he backed her up

    Huling Na-update : 2025-03-11

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  • Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride   CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

    (Elara's POV)The air was thick with tension, but Elara loved it.She could still taste the extent of his frustration, she could feel the weight of his gaze as he took slow steps away from her. He was trying to retain control, to compose himself after what had just happened between them.She could see how hard he was trying in the way his jaw ticked, the way he ran his hand through his hair and over his face, the way he sighed.But he wouldn’t be able to.Not tonight.She knew the war between them had only just begun, but for now she had won this round.A slow, satisfied smile grew on her lips as she ran a hand over her hair, fixing it from the deliciously messy moment they had just shared. Then, she turned to him, her voice cool, calm and collected.Everything that he wasn't."I’m staying the night."It was not a question.Not a request.A statement.She didn’t wait for his response as she brushed past him, deliberately letting her shoulder to graze his as she walked through the di

  • Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride   CHAPTER THIRTY ONE (ELARA'S POV)

    The drive was silent.A thick, suffocating silence that felt more like a battleground than a moment of peace surrounded them.Elara liked this.She liked seeing him come undone.She knew what she was doing.And it was working.Every muscle in his body screamed restraint, but the tension was thrumming too loud, too violent for him to hold it for long.She turned her head slightly, taking in the sight of him. Sharp. Beautiful. Unraveling. He looked totally and utterly delicious.When they pulled up in front of his mansion, Killian slammed the brakes too hard, making the tires screech against the pavement.She almost laughed.So easy to rile up.He got out without a word, and before she could even reach for the door handle, he was there, yanking it open.His presence filled the space, dark and commanding.Then, in a voice low and cold, he said, "Get. Out."She did not because he demanded it but because she wanted to see where this would go.*****The moment they stepped inside, the heavy

  • Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride   CHAPTER THIRTY (ELARA'S POV)

    The silence stretched between them endlessly. The tension in the air was thick and suffocating. She felt the electricity dancing across her skin at the tension.Killian hadn’t spoken a word in exactly forty-five seconds since she had uttered the lie."He's my boyfriend."Elara sipped her wine slowly, letting the rich taste of aged wine coat her tongue as she savoured the moment she was having as she watched him.Every muscle in his body was locked tight, his hand curled into a fist on the table, his jaw clenched so hard she thought he might break his teeth.Good.This was exactly what she wanted.A distraction.Something to throw him off balance while she worked on the real plan.Killian had underestimated her for far too long. He thought he was the one pulling the strings, the one controlling the game.He had no idea that she had already rewritten the rules.He was so easy to manipulate—so predictable in his arrogance and possessiveness.She could practically hear his thoughts. Who i

  • Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride   CHAPTER TWENTY NINE (KILLIAN'S POV)

    Killian clenched his jaw as he stared at the blurry photo on his phone as if he could burn a hole through it. The image was grainy, taken from a distance, but the content was clear enough. Elara had gone out with a stranger.A man she had never mentioned.A man who had his hand on her lower back in a way that was too intimate and too comfortable for Killian’s liking.His grip tightened around the glass in his other hand, he swirled the drink then downed it in one go. The burn of the alcohol did nothing to cool the rage simmering beneath his skin. Who the fuck was he?His first thought was that Elara had betrayed him—that she was plotting with someone else behind his back. That was a dangerous possibility, but not the one that unsettled him the most.No, what really set his blood on fire was the thought that she might be fucking this man.That the coldness she had been directing at him all week wasn’t because she was keeping secrets but because she had moved on from him.He let out a s

  • Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride   CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT (KILLIAN'S POV)

    The whiskey burned as it slid down his throat but it did nothing to distract him from the frustration in his chest.He was pacing like a possessed man, fists clenching and unclenching at his sides.He was angry.Angry at himself. At Elara. At the entire situation. Angry at the world.For years, he had built himself into a man who controlled every outcome, who never let emotions dictate his decisions. He had learned the hard way that attachment was a weakness, a vulnerability that could be exploited. Weakness was something he couldn't afford, something that shouldn't exist in his life. And yet, she was under his skin.Elara.The woman who was supposed to be nothing more than a business strategy, a piece on his chessboard she was playing him just as much as he was playing her. She was supposed to be something he could use to get closer to his goal. Someone that can be discarded at any time.The way she had looked at him today—cold, indifferent, dismissive—made something inside him snap

  • Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride   CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN (ELARA'S POV)

    Killian Hayes showing up at her doorstep was not part of the plan.Elara had spent the past week carefully crafting her next move, trying to play the long game—to get close enough to destroy him the way he had planned to destroy her.But now, standing in front of him, watching the way his sharp eyes narrowed at her, something dark flashing in them, she knew he could tell something had changed.Good.She heard him walk in after her, she turned briefly and saw something flickered across his face, a moment of hesitation, but then his usual controlled expression returned.“Elara.”He only said he name. A quiet command.There was a time where she might have reacted to it. A time when it might have meant something.Not anymore.She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe to the living room, raising a brow. "If you're here for business, we can talk tomorrow. If you’re here for something else, don’t waste my time."His jaw ticked. "Stop avoiding me."She let out a cold and humorless

  • Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride   CHAPTER TWENTY SIX (KILLIAN'S POV)

    It had been over a week.A week of silence.A week of no calls, no sharp-witted remarks, no infuriatingly addictive presence.Killian had told himself he didn’t care. That Elara’s absence was a relief, that he could finally focus on what mattered—taking down Ivy and securing what was rightfully his.But that was a lie.Because against his will, she was in his head.Every damn day.He hated it.Hated the way his mind wandered to her when he should be strategizing. Hated the way his fingers had hovered over her contact on his phone more times than he cared to admit. Hated the frustration building in his chest when he realized that she wasn’t reaching out either.Elara was avoiding him.The fact dawn on him and made an uncomfortable feeling settle In his gut with each passing day. He didn’t know why—or maybe he did but refused to acknowledge it.Another day passed and his irritation was at it's peak, another feeling was beginning to surface that he didn't like.He needed to see her.He w

  • Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride   CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE (ELARA'S POV)

    The room felt smaller, like the walls were caving in on her. The air felt heavier, like it was going to suffocate her.Elara sat frozen, her eyes glued to the screen as she reread the documents, her mind struggling to piece together what she was seeing.Killian Hayes.He wasn't just her so called partner in taking down Ivy. He wasn't just her fake financee, he wasn't just a man who had pulled her into his world. He was a man who had lied and had his own agenda from the start.She moved the cursor and opened another file. There it was, written in bold.The Beckett industries.There was a list of recent transactions on the scream but this time, the money trail didn't lead to ivy, rather it lead to Killian.Her hand shook as she clicked on another document, and another. It was all there.Years ago, Killian’s company had been sabotaged by ivy. Elara was well aware of this because he has told her. The information that ivy has leaked to their father gave him an advantage which he took and

  • Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride   CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR (ELARA'S POV)

    The next day, Elara tried to convince herself that she wasn’t affected by Killian’s rejection—again. She drowned herself in work, forced herself to focus on anything but the lingering memory of his lips on hers, the way his hands had gripped her waist. But the worst part wasn’t the kiss itself. It was how easily he had shoved it aside, how easily he had pushed her away.For the second time.She had let herself slip. Let herself believe in something that wasn't real. Something that could never be real.Big mistake.With a tired sigh, she walked over to her couch in her penthouse and sat on it with a glass of wine in one hand and her phone in the other. She had a mansion but today she decided to stay in her penthouse in case Killian came looking for her. She wasn't ready to face him.She looked out unto the city, admiring the different colors of the sky and the faint glow from the street below as she tried to drown out the voices in her head.You know that this is all fake. You knew wha

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