013

Elara Kings

Things had changed after the wedding.

There were the subtle changes, like how the maids now attended to me instead of treating me as their equal.

They would not even look me in the eye anymore, ensuring to keep their eye level below mine when I regarded them—although I did not miss the intensity of their glares when they thought I was not looking.

As well as their whispers.

There was something odd about it, like a bad joke that I was being left out of.

A secret that everybody else knows except for me.

And my husband?

Xander detested me more than ever before.

“What are you doing here?” he grunted as I stepped into the balcony that overlooked the city.

Somehow, he always knew when I neared him without speaking a word.

“To bring your medicine, I’m still your nurse remember?”

His silence was all I needed to know that he was not amused, but since when did I care about that anyway.

I moved closer to hand him his pills when he spoke.

“You don’t know how it feels, do you?”

Before I could think of a response, he continued,

“To be powerless, for the first time in your life, needing to rely on people, that don’t even have your best interest at heart,” he let out a scoff.

I stopped in my tracks, his words reminding me of all those things I tried to forget.

I wanted to tell him that I did understand.

I had been living like that for my entire life. He was the privileged one.

Those words threatened to escape, and just as I was about to speak, he muttered with a bitter tone.

“It doesn’t matter to you anyway, you’re just here for the money, like the gold digger you are.”

My jaw clenched at his words, and my grip tightened on the glass cup in my hands, resisting the urge to lash out.

He had been acting the same way for the past week, throwing jabs at me and taunting me with his words every so often, as if I was not as helpless as he was.

But now, I was not going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that, of knowing how much I struggled and tortured too.

That was between me and his devil incarnate of a brother anyway.

I restrained my anger, shoving the pills into his hands, and the glass of water into the other.

“Not much gold to dig from a man in a wheelchair, is there?” I spat out before storming away.

Of course I regretted the words as soon as I was out of the room. We both knew how much he was worth, whether he was in a wheelchair or not.

But I knew that my words would anger him anyway, maybe hurt him if I was lucky.

That night I went to bed with a scowl on my face.

The next morning however, was a different thing entirely.

Sitting in the moving car and watching the city pass me by, knowing that I could never walk its streets the same again.

The ride was silent, with only me and the driver in. Xander had refused to come, he could not show his ‘weakness’ before the board members.

Somehow it was okay for me to go alone, despite being new to this world.

But I was not entirely alone, I knew that.

As I stepped out of the car, Cassian was already waiting on the other side.

There were no words exchanged between us as he turned on his heel immediately I reached him, heading straight for the tall building.

Blackbourne Industries.

“Mr. Cassian,”

The receptionist greeted, her face lighting up as we approached.

“Hello Stella,” he greeted her with a charming smile, that made the woman blush furiously.

I could not tell what they were talking about, because I was zoned out of the conversation, admiring the interior of the world-renowned company.

But I did not miss the glances that the woman shot me ever so often, yet not acknowledging my presence otherwise.

I glanced at the watch on my wrist, the meeting was starting soon.

I tapped my feet impatiently.

Almost immediately, Cassian said something to make the woman blush again before he waved her off, and headed to what I presumed was the direction of the elevator.

My suspicions were confirmed when we were in the confines of the moving box together.

“When we get up there, you don’t say a word, just sit there and look pretty, okay?” there was a condescending lilt to his tone, barely noticeable but I caught it anyway.

I chose not to give him a reply, looking forward at my reflection instead.

I had worn a pantsuit for the occasion.

Apparently, all I needed was to sit in on the meeting for appearance, and I wanted to look good while doing it.

One less reason for those uptight rich people to look down on me.

The elevator dinged, announcing our arrival, and Cassian shot me one more glance before he stepped out. I followed.

I was not prepared for the sight before me.

A large conference room, with opulent men and a handful of women, surrounding the large table.

Their eyes were on me immediately we stepped into the room.

Cassian took the initiative to greet them with that same charming smile, but I remained bereft, not making any effort to mirror his actions whatsoever.

“This way,”

There at the end of the table were three empty seats, one at the head, and two at either side.

Without waiting for instructions, I headed straight for the head of the table, sitting comfortably as though it was something I did every day.

Cassian gave me a smouldering look, but moved to the seat on my right.

From the way the other people in the room regarded me, I knew that I was way in over my head.

I was in strange territory.

Luckily, I thrive in the unknown.

“Who is she?” A man across from me asked with a sneer.

Cassian cleared his throat confidently.

“This is—”

I cut him off immediately.

“I am perfectly capable of introducing myself, thank you.”

“I am Elara Blackbourne, and from here on I will be representing my husband, Xander Blackbourne, as the head of the board…”