All Chapters of LOVE BENEATH RIVALRY : Chapter 141 - Chapter 150

At the entrance, a few staff members stiffened, startled from their routine. Their surprise barely had time to form before Damian was already approaching, posture relaxed yet authoritative, his presence alone enough to silence questions before they were asked. Introductions were brief. Courteous. Efficient.Inside, the butler—an older man with years of discipline etched into his posture—froze mid-step when he was informed of the unexpected guest.“So early…?” the man murmured, disbelief clear even as professionalism fought to hold its ground.Damian smiled faintly, the kind that didn’t ask for permission.“She’s aware of my visit,” he said calmly, voice smooth, unhurried. Certain.The butler hesitated. Just for a second. Long enough for doubt to flicker. But something in Damian’s tone—quiet, assured, unyielding—made refusal feel pointless.“…Very well, sir,” he said at last, stepping aside. “This way.”They entered the estate, footsteps echoing softly through the halls until they reac

Luca’s small voice rang out before his body even fully processed what his eyes were seeing.“Mommy…?”It came out thin. Confused. High with uncertainty. The way a five-year-old called when something didn’t fit the rules of his world.His fingers tightened instinctively around the toy robot he had brought downstairs with him, the plastic digging into his palm as he stood frozen at the foot of the staircase. His socked feet barely touched the cold marble as he leaned forward slightly, blinking hard, as if blinking again might make the image change.Elisa…His mommy…Was in the arms of a man.A strange man.Not a staff member. Not the butler. Not anyone Luca had ever seen in this house before. A tall man. Broad shoulders. Too close. Close enough that Luca could see his mother’s hands resting against the man’s chest, close enough that her head was tilted toward him in a way Luca had never seen.The world inside Luca’s chest cracked open.His breath hitched sharply, the sound caught halfwa

The sound fractured the air.Not loud enough to shatter glass.But sharp enough to split something far more fragile.Luca’s cry followed instantly — raw, shocked, trembling. His small fingers flew to his cheek, his body recoiling not just from pain, but from disbelief.For a heartbeat, the entire room froze.Then chaos erupted.Damian moved first.“Elisa—”His voice was sharp, startled — not angry, but urgent.He stepped forward immediately, the house staff reacting just as quickly, as everyone rushed to diffuse what had already spiraled.Damian positioned himself between Elisa and Luca without hesitation. His arm lifted instinctively, not forceful, but firm enough to stop her forward movement. His body shielded Luca almost unconsciously — protective, immediate.“Stop,” Damian said quickly, too quickly — his voice warm but strained underneath. “Elisa. why did you have to hit him like that, even after I already said it was fine?"He sighed deeply at the situation at hand, incredibly di

It took a long time.Not minutes.Not a brief comforting moment.It felt like hours.Hours of quiet reassurances.Hours of tiny hiccupping sobs.Hours of a five-year-old clinging like he was afraid that if he loosened his grip even slightly, the world would collapse around him.Damian remained seated on the edge of the bed, Luca in his arms, gently rocking him back and forth.“Breathe,” Damian murmured softly. “Just breathe slowly. In and out. Like this. See? Just like how I'm doing it.”Luca sniffled loudly, trying to mimic the breathing pattern but failing miserably and dissolving into another hiccup.“You’re bad at breathing,” Luca muttered through tears, half-accusatory.Damian blinked.“I’m bad at breathing?”“Yes,” Luca insisted weakly. “You breathe too big. It makes my chest hurt.”For a moment, despite the weight in his chest, Damian almost laughed.“I apologize,” he replied solemnly. “I’ll try to breathe smaller.”That earned him the tiniest watery glare.Luca sniffed again,

The next morning dawns quietly over Elisa’s estate, sunlight filtering through tall, ivory curtains and spilling in pale gold ribbons across the marble floors of the dining hall. The world outside felt deceptively peaceful—birds chirp, a fountain trickled softly in the courtyard—but inside, something far more volatile brewed beneath the calm.Elisa sat at the long breakfast table, porcelain cup poised between delicate fingers. Across from her, Luca swung his small legs under his chair, humming softly to himself, entirely at ease after the emotional reconciliation of the previous night. The fragile tension that had once clung to the estate felt lighter now, though Elisa’s heart still carried the faint aftershock of everything she had endured.The television mounted on the far wall played softly in the background—until suddenly the tone shifted.A sharp chime. A red banner flashed across the screen.Breaking News.The anchor’s urgent voice filled the room.Three prominent families—the H