Semua Bab Contract marriage: I am the daughter of my husband's enemy: Bab 11 - Bab 20

Elara’s POV,“I did! I did!” He exclaims, raising his hand. “Mummy, remember? That day you took me to Wonderland!”My mind flashes suddenly to one of those escape heists that failed, when I used the guise of taking him to Wonderland. I remember him rambling all about school, but I guess I was too focused on avoiding Lucien’s goons to listen to a word. So I had just kept saying ‘mm hm.’ At least, he told me, I guess?I smile down on Asher. “Of course, baby. I remember.” Then I glare at Noemi, who is shaking her head in disapproval. I mouth, ‘Fuck you.’ She mouths back, ‘Bad mum.’I ignore her, then place a hand on Lucien’s arm. “Anyways,” I start, gently pushing Lucien forward. “This is Lucien Kórvac, my husband. Lucien, these are my friends. Noemi and Camille.”They both smile. Noemi waves. “It’s so nice to finally meet you.”“I know, right?” Camille scoffs. “I thought the stars would fall before Elara would find someone who could take her to ecstasy.” She smirks, and my face turns re

Lucien’s POV,FIVE YEARS AGO- - - - -In the morning, I sit at the head of the table, the marriage contract laid out in front of me like a corpse dressed for burial. The Virelli family owes mine a mountain of debt, and my father had agreed with the patriarch. Their daughter belongs to us, and the Virelli family name is under the Kórvacs. With just a signature, I’d own every asset, every resource, and every man under the Virelli family name. But I don’t touch the pen.“I refuse,” I say calmly.The room is still. Anya stiffens, and Matteo blinks, startled. “Uh…uh, young…I mean, sir. What do you mean?”I hiss softly and look around. “I’d take your daughter if she comes with a price,” I continue. “A maid.”Confusion ripples through them, then Matteo laughs awkwardly. “You can have ten.”“Just the one.”“All right,” he says, gesturing to the man standing behind him. “Bring them all.”They line up in neat rows and bow their heads. In all honesty, I don’t care. My eyes search for just one.

Lucien’s POV,“So let me get this straight.” Mireya narrows her eyes. “You bought a whole kindergarten, so you’d get closer to this boy?”“He’s getting weirder as the days go by,” Adrian comments, and I purse my lips, then hand her the flier.“I have a good feeling about this one,” I say, ignoring them, and she takes the flier with a frown.“Hunch?” Adrian shakes his head and gestures to Niklaus. “Hés gone crazy.”“A spelling bee?” Mireya snorts after reading what the flier said. “He’s four or five.”“Five.” Niklaus grunts, and she glares at him. He shrugs. “What I don't understand is if he’s your son, who’s the mother, and why has she hidden him from you all these years?”“Is that your concern?” Adrian snorts. “I’m just over here wondering what happened to using protection when having sex?”“Protection is so overrated.” Mireya rolls her eyes, then goes to sit on the swiveling chair. “So, what’s the plan?”“He placed a tracker on it,” Niklaus explained. “He’d use it to find the boy’s

Elara’s POV,“Have fun in school!” I wave at Asher as he skips joyously into the building. “Mummy loves you,” I whisper and climb back into my car. Oh, my car! I kiss the steering wheel for the hundredth time that day. Damn, I missed my car.I basically screamed for joy when I woke up this morning and saw it parked in the lot. All this time, I’d been stealing and using any of Lucien’s cars, but they weren’t my Audi. My Audi car didn’t have trackers planted in it. No one could mess with the brakes, because I had already complicated the switches. My car was mine!After dropping Asher off at school, I take her for a spin around town. I decide to take a day off work and have time for myself. If Lucien has a problem, he should suck it up. I drive into the mall and get out when I notice them. I grit my teeth, turn around, and give them the middle finger. Like, come on. It’s not like I can escape without my child. They saw me dropping him off at school!I curse under my breath and walk into

Elara’s POV, “Elara!” She stumbles before catching herself. “Is that you, Elara?”“Yes, Lucy.” I choke back a sob. “It’s me.”~ ~ A DAY BEFORE“Lucy…”My voice falters as I read further. Lucy comes back to me the way unfinished things always do. Inevitably.I had found her name buried in old staff records while tracing a different thread, one of many small cruelties the Virelli household dressed up as discipline. I remember everything.I remember her hands first. Always warm and steady. The way she slipped extra bread onto my plate without the others knowing. The way she spoke to me was like a person, not an inconvenience or a mistake. In a mansion built on power, Lucy had been gentle. I remember the night I was locked in the shack again for “burning Ayra’s uniform”. Lucy had lit a candle and snuck in to stay with me. I remember the stories she told me. How she made me laugh. How I cried on her shoulder. How I confided in her that I hated my life. I remember how I saw her as my mo