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CHAPTER TWENTY THREE (ELARA'S POV)
Dernière mise à jour:
2025-03-18 03:06:47
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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
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-03-18Shattered 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
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-03-18Shattered 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
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-03-20Shattered 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
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-03-20Shattered 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
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-03-20Shattered 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
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-03-25Shattered 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
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-03-25Shattered 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
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-03-25
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Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride CHAPTER FORTY SIX (IVY'S POV)
The conference room was quiet—too quiet. Everyone had left after the meeting, leaving nothing but the echo of heels, the hum of the AC and the bitter aftertaste of humiliation lingering in the air.Ivy sat at the head of the table, knuckles white around the armrests of her chair, her perfectly painted nails digging into the leather. Her heart was still racing, her breathing coming in fast as the scene from minutes ago replayed in her mind over and over.Elara.Killian.Walking into her company like they owned the place. Like they hadn’t just dropped a bomb in the middle of her sanctuary. Like they weren’t deliberately trying to ruin her.That presentation had been flawless. The proposal—bold, innovative, and worst of all, exactly what her board had been begging for. Sustainability and fashion? Exclusive tech-backed partnerships? Combining Elara’s brand aesthetics with Hayes Corp logistics? It was a golden opportunity. Too golden.She should have seen it coming. But she’d been too busy
Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride CHAPTER FORTY FIVE (ELARA'S POV)
The morning sun filtered through the tall windows of Killain’s mansion, painting golden streaks across the marble floor. Elara sat at the edge of the kitchen island, sipping coffee and ignoring the man across from her like last night hadn’t happened at all.No mention of the rooftop dinner.No mention of the bracelet.No lingering looks. No heat.Just cool silence and the clink of porcelain.Killain’s jaw was clenched tight as he scrolled through his phone, pretending not to notice her ignorance. But Elara didn’t miss the way his fingers stilled every time she moved. He was watching her—quietly simmering, trying to figure her out.Good.Let him stew.She wasn’t going to fall for that charming act of his. Last night had been theatre. A stage. And she’d played her role well.Suddenly, the sound of her notification broke through the silence. She picked it up, unlocking it.A message. From a name she didn’t expect.Beckett Industries.She arched an eyebrow.“What’s that?” Killain asked ca
Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride CHAPTER FORTY FOUR (ELARA'S POV)
The note arrived on a piece of perfectly folded paper sealed with a wax that only a man like Killian would use.So fancy. The note was simple. Five words written in that unmistakable slanted handwriting.“Be ready at 7. No arguments.”Elara scoffed, rolling her eyes the moment she read it. Typical Killain.But the second delivery was harder to ignore—a matte black box, smooth as sin, sealed tight. It also had a wax seal which made her roll her eyes again at his dramatics. He was acting like they were in the Victorian era or something. She opened it out of curiosity, expecting drama. What she found was worse.A dress. Elegant, beautiful and dangerous. Not flashy. Not desperate. This wasn’t a bribe—it was a statement. This one whispered control. Taste. Power.But worst of all? It was perfect.Black. Long-sleeved on one side, sleeveless on the other. A slit high enough to scream danger, but a neckline that whispered and teased. It shimmered under the light, silver threads woven into the
Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride CHAPTER FORTY THREE (PRESTON'S POV)
Preston watched Ivy storm out of the Silversmith, her heels clicking against the polished floor like war drums fading into the distance.He chuckled, a low sound escaping from his chest as his hand reached forward, wrapping around the rim of his whiskey glass as he lifted it for the first time that evening. Her perfume still lingered faintly in the air, all expensive floral notes masking the rot underneath.The audacity.The manipulation.The desperation poorly hidden beneath tailored silk and veiled insults.He had met sharks before, predators with porcelain smiles and blood on their hands, but Ivy Beckett—she was something else. The kind of woman who couldn’t stand to lose and would rather scorch the earth than admit defeat.Still, it hadn’t been her arrogance that made him laugh.It was her assumption.That everyone had a price.That he’d abandon Elara for a better paycheck, a seat closer to the throne, or a night tangled in the sheets with her.Pathetic.Preston leaned back in the
Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride CHAPTER FORTY TWO (IVY'S POV)
It had taken nine days, four ignored calls, and three dozen emails disguised in professionalism and charm for Ivy to finally get a response from him.Preston Grey.Preston Grey was a ghost.He didn’t operate through a firm or an office. No trail, no receptionist, no verifiable address. Just a burner email that replied in one lined sentence and cold confirmation. But she finally had him—an hour at The Silversmith, a low-lit whiskey bar tucked beneath the Avalon Hotel, where the city’s power players went to hide their dirt.And Ivy had plenty of dirt.She walked in thirty minutes early, her heels clicking against the polished floor as she slid into a booth at the far end. The bartender greeted her with a nod and a glass of her usual. She needed the heat of the bourbon to steady her nerves.Because Preston wasn’t just a PI.He was dangerous. Calculated. A man who’d been hovering too close to Elara for her liking. Too discreet to leave trails and too confident to be accidental.She needed
Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride CHAPTER FORTY ONE (ELARA'S POV)
As she walked further away from the table, ivy wasn't finished. Ivy’s voice was sweet when it came. That dangerous, sugar-laced tone Elara had come to associate with poison.“So,” Ivy said, “tell me, Elara… how does it feel warming the bed of two men? One in the daylight, and one in the shadows?”Elara froze.It was the briefest pause which she was certain that Ivy saw. She turned slowly, walking back to the table and taking her seat in front of her barely touched food. “Excuse me?”Ivy smiled, predatory and smug. “You heard me.”The terrace was too quiet. Somewhere below, a fountain flowed peacefully. Birds chirped like they weren’t sitting in the middle of a battlefield.Elara’s mind raced.Preston. How the hell did Ivy know about Preston?When she mentioned his name the first time, Elara had shifted the topic because she wasn't sure how Ivy knew but didn't want to discuss it further.He was supposed to be invisible. Silent. Her leverage in the background. Killain didn’t even know
Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride CHAPTER FORTY (IVY'S POV)
The table was set to perfection.A private terrace at one of the city’s most exclusive garden restaurants called Golden leaf. Pristine white linens lay on the table, polished cutlery, and floral arrangements hand-picked that morning. It was the sort of setting made for reconciliation—or assassination.Ivy leaned back in her chair, legs crossed, a beautiful flute of champagne in her hand. She wore a cream Chanel blazer, pearl earrings that shimmered under the afternoon sun, and the kind of smile that had ruined lives.She didn’t expect Elara to show.She certainly didn’t expect her to be early.But there she was.Striding toward the table with the calm arrogance of a queen, clad in a black silk blouse, wide-legged trousers that made her look seven feet tall, and a smirk that made Ivy’s grip tighten on her glass.“Elara,” Ivy said, standing to greet her.“Ivy,” Elara replied smoothly, leaning in to brush her cheek with a kiss that never touched skin.They both sat.The silence between t
Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride CHAPTER THIRTY NINE (IVY'S POV)
The city never slept, and neither did Ivy.Not tonight.Not since the gala.Not since that night.She stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of her penthouse, perched on top of one of the most luxurious buildings in the city, watching the skyline pulse with artificial light. But beneath the glitter of a thousand high-rises, all she saw were shadows.Her reflection stared back at her in the glass—perfectly done hair, blood-red lips, eyes sharp and tired. The woman staring back looked composed.But on the inside she was unraveling.Behind her, Aiden stirred on the couch, half-asleep, his arm draped over his eyes. His presence usually steadied her. He was the calm to her calculated storm, her partner in both business, intimacy and crime. But not tonight.Tonight, her thoughts moved too fast for comfort.She crossed her arms, rubbing at her bare skin as if that could shake the lingering feeling from her bones. The one she had carried since the masked figure tried to grab her from behind th
Shattered vows: Revenge of an ex bride CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT (KILLAIN'S POV)
It had been four hours since she whispered “You’re delusional” and disappeared into her room like she hadn’t just cracked open the cage he’d kept around his darkest urges.He hadn’t moved from the study since he went in and shut the door behind him.The drink in his glass had gone untouched, the bright amber liquid catching the dim light of the chandelier above. His jaw was tight. His heart a low, steady throb beneath the skin.Delusional?No.Strategic.Because if Elara thought for one damn second that he’d sit back while she twirled around town with a man like Preston Grey—wealthy, charming, powerful—then maybe she was the delusional one.She didn’t realize what she’d started. This wasn’t a petty game of jealousy anymore.It was war.Killian sat back in the leather chair, fingers steepled beneath his chin as Ethan’s files played again on the projector screen behind him.Preston was good.Too good.The kind of man that could take Elara from him in plain sight—with a well-timed smile,
