All Chapters of My Boss, My Step-Brother: The Devil From My Past: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

Elena’s words stayed with Elliot long after their late-night conversation. “Let go of the guilt,” she had said, her voice calm but firm, her gaze steady. It wasn’t just a suggestion; it was a plea for both of them. For days, her words echoed in his mind, challenging him to reconsider how he approached their relationship. For years, guilt had defined him. It had colored every interaction with Elena, shadowed every moment they shared, and dictated how he tried to prove himself. He wasn’t just trying to win her trust; he was trying to rewrite his past—a past that couldn’t be undone. But Elena’s honesty had been a revelation: she didn’t need him to rewrite the past. She needed him to be present, to focus on the man he was becoming, not the boy he used to be. Elliot began to notice how much of his behavior stemmed from that guilt. The overcompensation—showing up at her desk with coffee every morning, constantly asking if she was okay, defending her against even the smallest slights from

The call came late in the evening, shattering the calm of the night. Elliot’s father, a typically stoic and unshakable figure, had suffered a health scare. The news arrived with an urgency that sent the entire family reeling. Within minutes, Elliot was on his way to the hospital, his usual composure cracked by worry. Elena, sensing his distress, refused to let him face it alone. "I’m coming with you," she said firmly, grabbing her coat. Elliot didn’t argue; he needed her more than he was willing to admit. The sterile hospital atmosphere only heightened the tension. Machines beeped faintly in the background, nurses moved briskly, and the subdued murmur of worried families echoed through the halls. Elliot’s father was stable but under observation, and the doctors emphasized the importance of monitoring him overnight. Elliot sat in the waiting room, his head in his hands, wrestling with guilt. “I should have seen this coming,” he muttered. “He’s been under so much stress, and I didn’

The days following their successful collaboration on the high-stakes project passed in a blur of activity. Elena found herself buried in paperwork and deadlines, but despite the workload, her spirits remained high. The bond she shared with Elliot had grown stronger, and for the first time in years, she felt a sense of steady happiness. Elliot, meanwhile, had been quietly observing her. He’d noticed how her eyes lit up when she spoke of small memories from her childhood during late-night conversations. It was the little things: how she would describe her love for painting as a child but how she’d given it up after high school, or the way her voice would soften when she talked about a lost dream to visit a specific coastal town she’d always admired in a painting her grandmother once owned. He listened, carefully storing these details away. Though Elena had never asked for much, Elliot found himself wanting to give her something meaningful—something that would show her how deeply he c

The final weeks leading up to the project deadline were a blur of activity, long hours, and quiet determination. The high-stakes initiative had been handed to Elena and Elliot’s team months earlier, a make-or-break opportunity that would determine not only the success of their department but also solidify trust in their individual capabilities. For Elena, it was a chance to prove herself to the entire company; for Elliot, it was an opportunity to showcase his belief in her skills and leadership. From the moment they had been assigned as co-leads on the project, their dynamic partnership had drawn curiosity and whispers. Some still murmured about favoritism and impropriety, but Elena had learned to drown out the noise. She had grown confident in her position, and she knew that her hard work spoke for itself. Elliot, on the other hand, remained quietly steadfast. He ensured that their collaboration stayed productive and professional, never stepping over boundaries or drawing unnecess

For Elena, learning to let go of the past had been neither simple nor linear. It was a slow, sometimes painful process filled with moments of doubt, anger, and reflection. The memories of her high school years—of Elliot’s cruel teasing and the insecurity it had planted in her—were not the kind of wounds that vanished with time. They lingered like ghosts, ready to resurface when she least expected it. Yet, as their journey together unfolded, the man standing before her was not the same boy from those days. Piece by piece, she began to see the changes—not just in his words or gestures but in the quiet strength of his actions. It was in the way Elliot listened to her, in how he treated her as an equal, and in his unwavering patience as she slowly opened her heart to him. For Elliot, earning Elena’s trust had been more than a goal; it was his redemption. Her forgiveness gave him the strength to face the darker parts of himself and the mistakes he had made, pushing him to become the kin