All Chapters of Claimed By My Ex’s Rival: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

ELYRATwo days later, I finally stepped out of the cab in front of my studio building.The driver pulled away almost immediately, the sound of the engine fading into the busy morning traffic. I stood there for a moment, letting the warm sunlight wash over me. The soft breeze lifted the edge of my light sundress, brushing gently against my legs.I exhaled slowly.Thank goodness I changed my mind about what to wear today.Earlier that morning, I had almost gone with a heavy blazer and dark trousers. But the weather had other plans. The sun was bright, almost playful, and the light cotton dress felt like the best decision I had made all week.For the first time in days, I felt a small sense of peace.The studio building looked exactly the same as when I left it—tall glass windows reflecting the sky, the silver sign above the entrance catching the sunlight. Yet somehow, it felt different to me. Maybe because I had been away for two days. Maybe because so much had happened during that shor

RADIEL.I sat on the stiff metal chair outside Elyra’s hospital room, my elbows resting on my knees, my hands locked together so tightly my fingers had started to ache.My eyes hadn’t left the floor for the past ten minutes.Everything had happened too fast.One moment we were sitting across from each other at the restaurant, talking about the device that had been planted in her car… and the next moment, she collapsed.Just like that.Her body had simply gone limp, and before I even realized what was happening, she had slumped.I swallowed hard as the memory replayed again in my mind.“Elyra!”I had shouted her name so loudly people at other tables had turned to stare. For a moment—just one horrible moment—I thought she had stopped breathing.My chest tightened again at the thought.How?How did she suddenly faint like that?Elyra wasn’t someone who got sick easily. In fact, she was usually the healthiest person I knew. She worked long hours, so much that sometimes I wondered what wou

NICKThe country club was quieter than usual that afternoon, calm in a way that made it easier to think. The soft clinking of glasses, the low hum of conversations, the distant splash from the pool area… it all blended into a kind of background noise I didn’t mind.I sat at one of the outdoor tables, my laptop open in front of me, though I hadn’t looked at the screen in the last ten minutes.My mind was elsewhere.It had been for a while now.I leaned back slightly in my chair, tapping my fingers against the edge of the table as I stared ahead.Elyra.Just thinking her name made something tighten in my chest—not in regret, not exactly, but in irritation.After everything that had happened recently, I had to admit something I didn’t particularly like.None of it had worked.Not the embarrassment. Not the pressure. Not even the scandal.I let out a quiet scoff under my breath.“Well… not completely, anyway.”It wasn’t like she hadn’t been affected.She had.But the problem was she alway

ELYRAI stood there for a full second, just staring at him.I wasn’t even sure what expression I had on my face, but whatever it was, it must have been obvious enough, because the secretary standing a few steps behind me was struggling, very badly, not to laugh.Her lips were pressed tightly together, her shoulders shaking slightly as she tried to stay professional.I slowly shifted my gaze from her, back to him.Back to Radiel, standing in the middle of what was supposed to be a normal guest room.Except it wasn’t normal anymore.The floor was covered in sheets. Paint cans were scattered around. A ladder leaned against the wall, and one side of the room was half-painted in a soft pastel color that I hadn’t even chosen.And there he was—sleeves rolled up, a faint smudge of paint on his wrist, holding a brush like he had been doing this his entire life.I blinked.“Ma’am,” the secretary said quickly, stepping forward and handing me my bags. “I’ll… just take my leave now.”Her voice tre

NICKI leaned back in my chair, slowly twirling a pen between my fingers, watching it spin while I smiled in satisfaction. Some things never changed. Even after all these months, getting under Elyra’s skin was still far too easy.I let out a quiet chuckle, shaking my head slightly.The office was quiet, just the low hum of the air conditioner and the faint ticking of the clock on the wall. Everything felt calm and controlled, exactly how I liked it.Just then my phone rang, the sound cut clean through the silence. I didn’t rush to pick it up. Instead, I glanced at the screen first. It was an unknown number, but I already knew who it was.My grin widened just a little.“Right on time,” I thought.I picked up the call and brought the phone to my ear.“Hello?”“Good afternoon, sir,” the voice on the other end said quickly, almost too eagerly.I leaned forward slightly, resting my elbow on the desk.“Talk to me.”“I’ve done what you asked,” the man said. “Everything went smoothly.”Of co