All Chapters of Claimed By My Ex’s Rival: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

ELYRA.I should have known it before the light caught her face fully. I had noticed that smug tilt of the chin and that slow, dramatic pause like the whole world was a stage built just for her.It was Star.And she looked like she had come dressed for war.Her dress clung to her body like it had been painted on. The neckline dipped so low I had to blink twice to be sure my eyes weren’t exaggerating things. The slit at the side reached almost to her thigh. It was bolder than what I was wearing, and mine had already pushed the limits of what I was comfortable with.I folded my arms slowly.When did Nick start approving clothes like that?Nick used to frown at anything that showed too much skin. He had once told me he liked “classy elegance.” Now this?Interesting.The man standing beside me looked flustered. “Miss, you need to apologise,” he said, voice tight. “You are speaking to the wife of the event host.”His words surprised me, but I maintained a straight face.Star didn’t even lo

ELYRA.By the time I found my way back to the second floor, the party was almost over.The loud music from earlier had faded into soft background jazz, and the crowd had thinned out a lot. It was close to midnight. A few guests still stood in small groups, laughing quietly, holding half-empty glasses. The bright energy that had filled the hall earlier was now dull, like a candle almost burned out.I wrapped my arms around myself and walked slowly across the hall, my heels clicking against the shiny floor. My head was still replaying everything that had happened tonight, especially my little showdown with Star.I spotted Raidel’s secretary near the far end of the room. She stood beside one of the tall tables, checking something on her phone. When she looked up and saw me approaching, her eyes widened slightly.“Good evening,” I said calmly. “Have you seen your boss?”She blinked, almost like she had been caught doing something wrong. “Oh… um… no, ma’am. He left a while ago.”“He left?”

ELYRA.I have always hated having to make choices.To me, choices feel like standing in the middle of a road while two cars speed toward you from opposite sides. You can only jump one way. And no matter which direction you chose, something always got hit.Right now, that “something” was either my father… or my dream.I stood in the kitchen, wooden spoon in hand, staring at Raidel across the island counter. The smell of frying bacon filled the room, thick and salty, but I barely noticed it. My chest felt tight.Raidel leaned back against the counter like he had all the time in the world. There was that smirk on his face. That slow, cruel curl of his lips that made my stomach twist. If the devil ever decided to retire, I was sure he would take lessons from Raidel first.“You’re overthinking this,” he said calmly. “It's a simple this or that.”“I’m not,” I replied, my voice sharper than I intended. “You’re asking me to choose between my father’s treatment and my business. That’s not over

ELYRA.If there was one thing I didn’t expect when I decided to start over in this city, it was how hard it would be to get anything done without influence.I had the money, yes. But the connections? Not so much.And in this city, connections were everything.For the past few days, I had been running helter-skelter, chasing meetings, calling agents, signing papers, smiling at people who barely hid their greed. Every office I walked into had that same polite look—like they were waiting to see which powerful name I would drop.When I dropped none, their smiles faded..Still, I got what I wanted.I managed to secure a loft in the city centre—high up in one of the tall skyscrapers around. When I finally stepped into the apartment after signing the lease, I stood by the wide glass windows and looked down at the city.The cars below looked like toys. The people like ants.I let out a long breath.“At least this is done,” I muttered to myself.The relief I felt was real, like I had been hold

ELYRA.I woke up earlier than usual, the room still dim, the house quiet in that heavy way that made every small sound feel loud. For a few seconds, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, replaying what had almost happened. If he had turned around a second earlier… if I had made one wrong step…I pushed the thought away. There was no point dwelling on it.I got dressed quickly and moved around the house carefully, making sure my footsteps were soft. I actively avoided him. If I heard his voice somewhere down the hallway, I went the other direction. Luckily, he didn’t seem to notice anything. Or maybe he did, and just didn’t show it.Either way, I didn’t wait around to find out.By the time I got to my office, the tension in my chest had eased just a little. The office space felt different from the house. It was mine.When I stepped inside, sunlight poured in through the tall windows, lighting up the designs pinned across the walls.I stopped in the middle of the room.Yesterday, w