All Chapters of Claimed By My Ex’s Rival: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

ELYRA.When everything first happened—the leaks, the vandalism, the chaos online—I had thought it would destroy my reputation completely. I imagined clients backing out, people questioning my credibility, and months of work going down the drain.But life had a strange way of surprising you.If I was being honest, the whole situation had taught me something important.Not all publicity was bad.In fact, the scandal had done something I never expected—it pushed my name everywhere.People became curious.They searched for my page. They visited my website. They talked about my designs. The drama around the leak made people want to see what the fuss was about.Within days, my account traffic doubled.Within a week, it tripled.And somehow—almost unbelievably—I ended up breaking into the top three trending designers in the country.I still remembered staring at the numbers on my screen that day, wondering if it was some kind of mistake.But it wasn’t.Enquiries skyrocketed. Orders poured in

ELYRA.After Radiel left the studio, I tried to focus on work.His presence had completely thrown off my mood. The moment he walked out of the office earlier, the room had gone quiet again—but the strange tension he left behind hadn’t gone away.I sat at my desk and stared down at my design pad. The blank page stared back at me.Usually, ideas came quickly once I picked up a pencil. My mind would already be full of shapes, textures, and silhouettes waiting to be drawn.But now, I could do nothing. I tapped the pencil lightly against the paper. Still nothing.I let out a frustrated sigh and leaned back in my chair.“Great,” I muttered.My thoughts drifted back to the earlier moment. The way he had suddenly grabbed my chin. The ridiculous things he had said before leaving.My cheeks warmed again in irritation.“So arrogant,” I grumbled under my breath.It was his fault my concentration was gone. I glared down at the empty page as if it had personally offended me.After another ten minut

ELYRA.After the call ended, I sat there in silence.The screen of my laptop had gone dark, reflecting my own face back at me. For a few seconds, I didn’t move at all, just staring at it while the moment slowly sank in.Then suddenly, I clenched my fist and punched the air in excitement.“Yes! I did it!”The laugh that escaped me was loud and completely unrestrained. I had actually done it.Nick and Star had tried to humiliate me publicly, tried to drag my name through the dirt in front of everyone.And now, they were the ones scrambling.For the first time since this whole ridiculous drama started, I felt completely satisfied. Those two arrogant idiots had walked right into the trap they set for me.I leaned back in my chair, smiling to myself.“Serves them right,” I muttered. “They'll learn to never bother me with their rubbish, ever again.”Closing the laptop, I stretched slightly before reaching for my phone.If my guess was correct, the internet should already be exploding. And I

ELYRA.Radiel stood across from me with that same smug smile he always wore, like the world was a game and he already knew the ending. The sight of it instantly annoyed me.I folded my arms over my chest and stared straight at him. I had tolerated a lot since signing that ridiculous contract marriage with him, but I was starting to feel like he thought I was some kind of maid, or some pawn on a chessboard he could move anytime he wished.And I definitely wasn’t.“You know,” I said slowly, keeping my voice calm, “you could try addressing me with a little respect.”His eyebrows lifted slightly, but the smile stayed.“I already do,” he replied casually.I scoffed.“No, you don’t. And don’t pretend like you don’t know what I mean.”For a moment the room felt tense. His smile faded just a little as his eyes sharpened.“What exactly do you mean by that?” he asked.I took a deep breath. My nerves were already stretched thin from the chaos online, and the last thing I needed was Radiel acting

ELYRA.The last few days had been strangely quiet between Radiel and me.He had barely been around the house. Whenever I returned from work, the place was either empty or he was locked away in his study doing whatever it was he did when he disappeared for hours. We hadn't argued, but we hadn’t spoken either. It felt like two strangers sharing the same space.Honestly, I didn’t mind.The less I saw him, the easier it was to breathe.Right now, work was the only thing keeping my mind steady. The studio had been incredibly busy lately. Ever since the recent buzz around my brand, orders had flooded in and meetings never seemed to stop.It was already evening, though the white lights in my office made it feel like the day had barely moved.I leaned closer to my computer screen, adjusting the neckline of the digital dress I was designing. My fingers moved quickly across the tablet pen, tracing soft curves and folds in the fabric.“Almost there…” I murmured to myself.The design looked elega