로그인ElaraI never expected peace to feel so unnatural.After everything that had happened over the past few days, I tried forcing myself back into the rhythm of ordinary life. I buried myself in work, cleaned my apartment far more thoroughly than necessary, and kept reminding myself that overthinking had never solved anything.It didn’t stop my thoughts from wandering.Louis’ sudden transformation refused to make sense. The man who had once looked through me as though I was invisible was suddenly patient, considerate, and almost… gentle.Then there was Alistair.His calm dismissal of my confession still lingered in my mind like an unfinished sentence. Since then, he had remained polite whenever we met, but there was an invisible wall between us that I couldn’t ignore.I hated that it bothered me.“You’re doing it again.”Denise’s voice interrupted my thoughts as she sat curled up on the couch.“I’m doing what?”“Thinking yourself into another emotional crisis.” Denise tossed her handbag o
Alistair There was comfort in routine. Numbers didn’t lie. Contracts didn’t hesitate. Board members didn’t ask inconvenient questions about feelings they had no business discussing. People were far easier to manage when emotions were removed from the equation. By eight o’clock, I had already finished one meeting and was halfway through another. A proposed acquisition was on the table, along with quarterly projections and a list of executives waiting for my approval before moving forward with the next phase of expansion. I listened. I questioned. I decided. To everyone in the room, I was exactly what they expected—calm, methodical, and impossible to read. No one noticed that my attention drifted for the briefest of moments. A pair of amber eyes slipped into my thoughts. “I think… I’ve fallen in love with you.” The words returned with irritating clarity. I had dismissed them the moment she said those words.It had been necessary. Encouraging Elara’s feelings would only pull h
CeliaI used to believe Elara was temporary.She had appeared out of nowhere, married a man no one knew much about, and somehow found herself tangled with the Valmont family. It was only a matter of time before she disappeared from our lives.At least, that was what I kept telling myself.Lately, that lie has become harder to believe.Every time Elara stepped into Grandfather’s house, something shifted.He smiled more. He laughed more. The atmosphere in the house felt… lighter.And Louis…Louis had changed.I noticed it long before anyone else would have.At first, I convinced myself he was only pretending. Grandfather had made it painfully clear that he approved of Elara, so naturally Louis would play along if it meant repairing their fractured relationship.That explanation satisfied me.Until it didn’t.Now, whenever Elara visited, Louis quietly pulled out her chair before anyone else could.He poured her tea without being asked.He made sure she had eaten.Small things.Insignificant
Elara The days that followed settled into an unexpected routine.Every few afternoons, I found myself back at Mr. Valmont’s house. Every visit was almost the same. Tea.Stories.Laughter.And Louis. Only… Not the Louis I used to know. The first time I noticed it, I convinced myself it was a coincidence. I had been reaching for the teapot when he quietly stood first. “I’ll pour it.” Before I could protest, he had already filled my cup before serving his grandfather. The second time, he noticed I had skipped lunch after arriving straight from work. “You haven’t eaten.” “I’ll eat later.” “No.” He disappeared into the kitchen before returning with a plate his grandfather had insisted be prepared. “You always forget when you’re busy.” His words froze me. Months ago, he would barely notice whether I’d eaten at all. Now… He remembered. It felt strange. Not comforting. Not satisfying. Just… Late. His grandfather noticed every small change. One afternoon, after Louis carried
ElaraI woke up tangled in unfamiliar sheets with sunlight spilling softly across the room.For one peaceful second, I forgot everything.Then I remembered.My confession.The words I had blurted out without thinking.The way Alistair had looked at me afterward.And the way he had dismissed it so effortlessly.I stared at the ceiling, letting out a slow breath.I had spent half the night convincing myself that it didn’t matter. Maybe he had ignored it because he didn’t want to embarrass me. Maybe he simply didn’t know how to respond.None of those explanations made the disappointment hurt any less. I rolled onto my side.Alistair was already awake, standing near the windows with his phone pressed to his ear. His expression was unreadable, his voice calm and controlled as always.He glanced at me.Our eyes met.A small smile appeared on his lips.“Morning.”“Morning.”That was all.No mention of last night. No awkwardness.No conversation about the confession that had been replaying in
Elara I didn’t look back after Louis drove away.There was no point. The moment the black sedan pulled up outside my apartment building, I already knew who had sent it. Only one person would arrange something so unnecessarily dramatic without offering a single explanation. Alistair. The chauffeur opened the rear door for me. “Miss Elara.” I thanked him quietly and slipped into the car. The door closed with a soft click, shutting out the noise of the street. As the city drifted past the tinted windows, my thoughts refused to settle. Grandpa Valmont’s hopeful smile. The family album. His quiet wish that I would someday become part of their family. Louis’ silence during the drive home.Each memory tugged at me in a different direction. Yet none of them stayed in my mind for long. Because every road eventually led back to the same moment. “I love you.” Three words. Three impulsive words I hadn’t planned to say. Three words Alistair had calmly stepped around as though they
ElaraI knew the moment I stepped into the penthouse that something was off.The air was heavier than usual—thick with smoke and something darker, something restless. The faint scent of whiskey lingered, sharp and unapologetic. My heels clicked softly against the marble floor as I walked in, my eye
ElaraCelia opens her mouth.I did not even let her start.“Oh, no,” I cut in smoothly, lifting a hand as if silencing a child mid-tantrum. “You’ve done quite enough already.”She blinks, clearly not expecting that.I lean back in my chair, crossing one leg over the other, perfectly composed. “In f
LouisThe moment Celia walks in, I know something is wrong.It’s in the way she shuts the door too controlled. In the way she walks toward me too deliberately. And most of all, in the way she folds her arms and just… stares.No greeting. No smile.Just tension.I loosen my tie slightly, watching he
ElaraHe doesn’t hesitate.That’s the first thing that unsettles me.I barely finish laying out the proposal when Louis cuts in, his voice firm, decisive—almost eager. “I agree,” he says, eyes locked onto mine as if sealing something far more dangerous than a simple arrangement. “Let’s strike the d







