Elara sat down on her bed, tired of everything. She had tried calling Leah several times without success. Exhausted, she picked up her phone and dialed her friend Tessa’s number.“Hello, baby girl,” Tessa said, picking up her phone on the first ring. “How is married life treating you?” Elara sighed. She had to confess that everything was tiring.“It is tiring, Tessa,” she complained. “Everything.”“What’s wrong?” Tessa asked, sounding concerned.“Nothing. Everything still feels unreal. The jewelry, the designer clothes, everything,” she responded.“You know who you married, girl. It’s Damian Blackwood, the youngest billionaire and hot guy,” Tessa screamed, almost hurting her ears. “So many people think your marriage is loveless, given what happened between you and him in the past. I still can’t believe my friend married Damian.” Elara was silent. What others were thinking was right. They were right about their marriage. They both hated each other, but they didn’t have a choice but to
“Who is he?” he asked, moving closer to her. He needed to find out what was really going on. The Elara in his memories was a strong woman who never bent to the will of others, but seeing her like this left him stunned. “Who?” he asked again. She wanted to open her mouth to speak, but words failed her. Fear had overtaken her as she shook uncontrollably.“Elara.” He touched her shoulders gently. “I think you need to calm down.”Damian tried to calm her down, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t control her feelings. Her fear and the memories she had tried hard to bury were crashing down on her. The weight was becoming unbearable as she struggled to breathe. Noticing this, Damian carried her out of his study.“Mr. Blackwood!” his butler called when he saw him rushing her out. “What’s wrong?”“Aiden, call the doctor!” he shouted. “Call Jack now.”“Yes sir,” Aiden said, pulling out his phone. He followed Damian and dialed the doctor’s number. “Hello, Mr. Jackson. Your attention is needed immedia
“When will she be able to wake up?” Damian asked, dropping his phone on the table in front of him.“That, I can’t say. Let’s wait and watch her.”“Till when?” he asked.“And you said there isn’t love between you two?” Jack raised an eyebrow. “I don’t believe that.”“I don’t care what you think, Jack. I don’t love her, and I will never love her,” Damian muttered.“Okay. You should stick to your promise,” Jack said, rising to his feet. “You both had an agreement and a contract for one year of marriage, right?”“Yes.” Damian wondered why Jack was asking this all of a sudden. “What are you asking me this for?”“Well, I can ask to marry her after your marriage contract is over,” Jack smirked. Damian clenched his fists. Was Jack trying to test him? He knew that he was in love with someone else.“You’re joking, right?”“Do I look like someone who is joking, Damian?“Without giving it a second thought, Damian responded, “Okay, do as you like. I don’t care.”“Really?” Jack inquired. “Are you s
The soft beeping of medical equipment filled the room as Elara’s eyelids fluttered open. Confusion washed over her as she took in the unfamiliar surroundings. This was definitely not her bedroom. Where was she?As her vision cleared, she spotted a figure hunched in a chair beside her bed. Damian, usually well-groomed, looked disheveled, with tousled hair and a wrinkled shirt. Even in sleep, his face maintained its impassive expression, one that Elara couldn’t help but admire.She tried to speak, but her throat felt dry and scratchy. The slight movement caught Damian’s attention, and his eyes snapped open, instantly alert.“You’re awake,” he stated, his voice lacking emotion. Yet, Elara noticed a flicker of something—relief, perhaps?—in his steel-blue eyes.“Water,” she managed to croak out. Damian reached for a glass on the bedside table and helped her take a few sips.“What happened?” Elara asked, her voice stronger now. “Where is this place?”Damian’s jaw tightened. “My bedroom.”Sh
She stared at the phone in disbelief, frustration building inside her. Damian’s abrupt dismissal of her request left her feeling powerless and confused. She handed the phone back to Aiden.“Is there anything else I can do for you, Mrs. Blackwood?” he asked gently.She shook her head. “No, thank you, Aiden. You can go.”As Aiden left the room, Elara’s mind raced. Why was Damian keeping her phone from her?Unable to rest, she slowly pushed herself up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She needed to move, to think. As she stood, a wave of dizziness washed over her, reminding her of her weakened state. She gripped the bedpost, steadying herself.Just then, the door swung open, and Aiden re-entered the room. His eyes widened when he saw her standing.“Mrs. Blackwood,” he said, rushing to her side. “You shouldn’t be up yet. Doctor’s orders.”Elara sighed as Aiden gently guided her back to the bed. “I just... I need to do something. I can’t just lie here.”“I understand, but you ne
The atmosphere in the room was tense as Elara’s words lingered. Mrs. Blackwood was frozen, her face showing a mix of shock and anger. Damian, on the other hand, remained silent, his arm still wrapped around Elara’s waist.“How dare you!” Mrs. Blackwood finally sputtered, her voice trembling with rage. “You insolent little—”“Mother,” Damian interrupted, his voice firm. “I think it’s time for you to leave.”Mrs. Blackwood’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Damian, you can’t be serious. This woman—”“Is my wife,” Damian finished, his tone leaving no room for argument. “And as I said before, if you can’t respect her, you have no place in this house.”For a moment, it seemed as though Mrs. Blackwood might argue further, but instead, she straightened her shoulders and fixed Elara with an icy glare. “This isn’t over,” she hissed before turning on her heel and storming out of the room.As soon as the door slammed shut behind her, Elara felt her knees go weak. The adrenaline that had been fueling
Elara’s fingers trembled slightly as she dialed Tessa’s number. After everything that had happened, she desperately needed to hear her best friend’s voice. The phone rang twice before Tessa’s familiar, cheerful tone filled the silence.“Elara! Oh my god, where have you been? I’ve been worried sick!” Tessa’s voice was a mix of relief and concern.Elara took a deep breath. “Tessa, I’m sorry. So much has happened. I don’t even know where to start.”“Start from the beginning, honey. I’m all ears,” Tessa encouraged, her voice softening.Over the next hour, Elara poured out everything—fainting, waking up in Damian’s bed, the confrontation with his mother, and the revelation about Daniel Regars. Tessa listened patiently, only interrupting occasionally to ask for clarification.“Wow, Elara,” Tessa breathed when Elara finally finished. “That’s... a lot to process. Are you okay?”Elara sighed, sinking back into the pillows. “Honestly? I don’t know. Everything’s happening so fast, and I feel lik
The next day.“Good morning,” Damian greeted as she opened her eyes wide, as if she had just seen a ghost. “I hope you’re feeling better.” Elara felt surprisingly energetic, much better than the day before.“Yes,” she replied, sitting upright. Damian Blackwood had a strikingly handsome appearance that commanded attention. His sharp, chiseled features, dark tousled hair, and intense icy blue eyes gave him a mysterious and intimidating aura. He was so handsome that she couldn’t look away.“Are you done staring?” he asked with a smirk.“Yes,” Elara answered unconsciously.“Really?”“What!” Her eyes widened. “What did I just say?”He scoffed, enjoying her embarrassed expression. It was amusing to see her so flustered.“Have you captured and imprinted my look into your brain?”“And why should I?” she demanded, trying her best to hide what she felt. Elara was mortified and wondered why she couldn’t look away. Damian moved closer to her, lifted her chin, and looked straight into her eyes.“I
The tension in the room intensified as Vera broke away from the kiss, her gaze fixed on Jackson’s face. His expression was gentle and vulnerable, just as she had hoped. She reached out to touch his cheek, a deliberate move to draw him further into her grasp.“I’ve been so lost without you,” she whispered. “There’s something I need to tell you, something important.” She led him to sit beside her on the plush sofa, her movements deliberately hesitant. “It’s about Elara.”Jackson stiffened at the name. “What about her?”“I’ve heard... troubling things.” Vera’s voice trembled perfectly. “About her connection to certain criminal elements. People who’ve been released from prison recently.” She watched his expression shift, doubt creeping in like a shadow.“She isn’t the type.”“Are you accusing me of lying, Jack?" she interrupted, cutting him off. “You’ve known me since we were kids.”“Vera.”“You don’t trust me, do you?” She stopped. “Or do you still believe I have feelings for Damian and
Daniel Regars stood outside the towering iron gates, a free man for the first time in years. He inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with the crisp air of freedom, but it did little to soothe the rage simmering beneath his calm facade. Freedom meant nothing to him, not when his family was shattered, his father dead behind prison walls.He didn’t know why he was released so soon, but he could take this opportunity to destroy both of them.Daniel clenched his fists, a dark smile flickering at the corners of his mouth. “They’ll pay,” he murmured to himself. “For my father, for my family. They will both pay.”He didn’t know when or how, but vengeance had been his only thought, the one idea keeping him alive in that cell, counting down the days to his release. Who knew he could be released sooner? Now he was out, and nothing would stand between him and retribution.Daniel didn’t waste time. He knew he would need allies, someone who shared his hatred for Elara and Damian. His mind circled back
Elizabeth’s living room settled into a delicate quiet, broken only by the baby’s soft coos and the gentle tick of an antique clock on the mantel. Her hands trembled slightly as she smoothed her skirt, decades of stolen life weighing heavily in the air between them.“You must have so many questions,” Elizabeth said, her voice carrying the weight of unbearable loss. “About what really happened. About her.”Damian sat on the couch beside Elara, who was still cradling their son. His eyes hadn’t left the baby’s face, as if memorizing every detail he’d missed. “Start from the beginning,” he said, his voice tight. “Start with how Serena stole everything.”Elizabeth’s composed demeanor cracked, revealing raw pain beneath. “She was Father’s illegitimate daughter. My half-sister. But being Father’s secret child wasn’t enough for her – she wanted everything. My life. My identity.” She paused, struggling with the memories. “The day you were born, son... the happiest day of my life became my worst
Damian’s car wound through the quiet streets of the suburban neighborhood, each turn bringing them closer to the address Ghost had provided.Elara’s fingers drummed restlessly against her thigh, her heart pounding in her chest with each passing moment. The sun cast long shadows across the pavement, a reminder of how their world had shifted since Nina’s revelation just days ago.“It’s just around this corner,” Damian said, his voice tight with an emotion Elara couldn’t quite place. He had been unusually quiet since they’d left the house, lost in thoughts he seemed reluctant to share. His knuckles were white against the steering wheel, betraying the tension coursing through him.The car slowed to a stop before a modest two-story home, its white exterior pristine against the backdrop of a well-maintained garden. Rose bushes lined the walkway, their blooms adding splashes of color to the serene setting. Elara reached for the door handle, but Damian’s hand caught her wrist, stopping her.“
Elara felt Damian tense beside her, his hand tightening around hers.“The baby,” Nina said, her voice barely above a whisper. “The one my mother had killed... he’s alive.”The words hung in the air, seeming to suck the breath from Elara’s lungs. Alive? How could that be possible? She had mourned that child, had borne the devastating grief of his loss for months.“What are you saying?” Damian asked, his voice tinged with a desperate hope that Elara dared not give in to.“I overheard her,” Nina explained, her gaze fixed on the ground. “Giving instructions to the assassin, Ghost... she wanted the baby dead, to sever the last tie between you and Elara. But I... I couldn’t let him do it. I begged him, pleaded with him, until he agreed to spare the child’s life.”Elara felt the world tilt on its axis, her heart racing as the implications of Nina’s words sank in. Their child, the one they had been robbed of, was alive. Alive and out there, somewhere, all this time.“Where is he?” she demande
“Nina, my daughter,” Serena called as she spoke softly to her. “Thank you for coming.”Nina smirked, studying the frail woman before her with cold eyes. She hadn’t come out of concern or love. The only reason she was here was her mother’s manipulative threat of self-harm. The text message still burned in her mind: Come see me, or I’ll end it all. Another one of her mother’s desperate plays for attention.A bitter smirk twisted Nina’s lips. She may have been forced here, but that didn’t mean she had to pretend this was a happy reunion.“What do you want?” she asked, her tone sharp and irritable.“I know you must be angry with me, my dear daughter,” Serena said.She cut her off. “What do you want?”Serena drew a theatrical sigh, her shoulders slumping. “Please forgive me,” she whispered, her voice honeyed with practiced remorse. Her fingers clutched at the fabric of her sleeve. “You need to get me out of this place. I don’t belong here.” Her eyes darted around the stark walls before fix
After the trial, the city of Blackwood experienced a sense of relief, as if it had finally escaped the shadow of the Blackwood dynasty. The streets, once under the family’s influence, were now vibrant with a renewed energy and hope for a brighter future.Damian, driven by his own painful past, assumed leadership at Blackwood Industries, spearheading a transformation with Elara and their loyal allies. Together, they tackled the challenging mission of rooting out the long-standing corruption within the company.“It’s going to take time, but we’re committed to making this right,” Damian told a gathering of employees, his voice steady and resolute. “Serena’s crimes may have shattered the Blackwood name, but we’re going to rebuild it - piece by piece, if necessary - into something this city can be proud of once more.”The road ahead was not an easy one. Restoring the company’s reputation, repairing the damage done to its financial standing, and regaining the trust of both customers and sha
In the days following Serena Blackwood’s arrest, the city seemed to hold its breath, awaiting each new revelation that would shake the Blackwood empire to its core. The carefully crafted public image Serena had cultivated for decades had crumbled, and now the full extent of her crimes was being laid bare.At the center of the unfolding scandal was Detective Morrison, the man who had worked tirelessly to bring Serena down. As the FBI sifted through the trove of evidence seized from Blackwood Tower, Morrison began piecing together the connections that would ultimately unravel Serena’s web of deceit.One name kept surfacing in the financial records and encrypted files— Travis Blackwood, Richard’s younger brother. “We always suspected there was more to Travis’s role than simply being Richard’s brother,” Morrison told reporters, his stern expression betraying none of the triumph he surely felt. “But the depth of his involvement in the Blackwood family’s downfall is staggering.”According to
The morning dawned cold and gray over the city, a fitting backdrop for the day that would shatter the foundations of one of its most powerful dynasties. The first news alert came at 6:47 AM: “BREAKING: FBI RAIDS BLACKWOOD TOWER.” By 7:15, every major network had camera crews positioned around the gleaming skyscraper that had long stood as a monument to Serena Blackwood’s power.They were all there to witness her fall.Inside her penthouse office, Serena stood perfectly still as federal agents swept through the room, methodically dismantling the careful façade she’d maintained for thirty-one years. Her signature pearls – Elizabeth’s pearls, really – lay in an evidence bag, along with the contents of her private safe: passports, birth certificates, and a single, faded photograph of two sisters smiling on a Swiss mountainside.“Sarah Winters,” the lead FBI agent read from her warrant, “you are under arrest for identity theft, conspiracy to commit murder, fraud...”The list continued, but