Chapter 113
Chapter 113
Alice had just been subtly insulted by Eliana, but there was no way to react without making a scene. Instead, she forced a gracious smile and mumble “I’m fine, Lainey. Really.”
In truth, Lainey had never taken Alice seriously. To both Lainey and Anthony, Alice was nothing more than a pawn, a tool to use against Theodorte And nobody cares how a tool feels.
What truly preoccupied Lainey, though, was how much Eliana had changed. The only reason she could speak to her like that, Lainey figured, was because she now possessed the heirloom emerald necklace.
“You should be more worried about how to explain this to Theodore,” Lainey snapped. “Getting caught in a tabloid scandal with an actor? You’ve dragged the Russell family’s name through the mud.”
Eliana’s tone was calm, but the words carried a sharp edge. “I’m sorry, but aside from a few people, who even knows I’m Theodore’s wife anymore? No one, right?”
The remark struck a nerve. Lainey’s expression stiffened, and she let out a cold laugh. “Alright then. Let’s hope you can act this tough when you’re standing in front of Theodore.”
Eliana didn’t dignify her with a response. She turned and made her way upstairs.
Theodore was already home.
It wasn’t surprising. Eliana had deliberately delayed her departure from the office to avoid the reporters loitering outside Starlight Media. It was only under Nolan’s cover that she managed to slip away.
Seeing Theodore again brought a strange tightness to her chest. Though she had done nothing wrong, she couldn’t shake the unease.
He stood by the window, half–turned, a cigarette between his fingers. When he saw her, he took a final drag, exhaled slowly, and said, “You’re back?”
Her eyes fixed on the cigarette. It was the first time she’d ever seen him smoke.
She hated the smell of it and even more, she hated seeing him wear down his body like this. Silently, she walked over, took the cigarette from his hand, extinguished it, and dropped it in the trash.
Then, meeting his gaze, she asked directly, “You already know, don’t you?”
He raised an eyebrow, his voice low and slightly hoarse. “Shouldn’t I?”
“You actually believe what the media’s saying?” she asked, disappointment flickering in her eyes.
She didn’t care what the world thought. But if he doubted her, that hurt.
Theodore reached out and lightly tapped the furrow between her brows. “If you say nothing happened, then I believe you.”
At those words, the light returned to her eyes. “There’s really nothing between Raphael and me. I don’t even know why those reporters were staked out outside Mr. Yates‘ office.
“And that hat? Raphael only gave it to me to cover my face. It’s not what they’re making it out to be at all!”
Theodore listened quietly, then said, “There’s only one way to make the public believe you two had nothing going on.”
Eliana leaned in, curious. “What way?”
“You’ll have to figure that out for yourself,” he replied, his tone distant, already walking over to the sofa and picking up a finance magazine as if the conversation were over.
Chapter 113
Several minutes passed before he looked up again and asked, “Thought of anything yet?
she ventured a guess. “You’re not planning to bankrupt the newspapers, are you?”
“That’d just treat the symptoms, not the cause,” he replied with a sigh. He patted the space beside him, “Come here
Eliana obeyed quietly and took her seat next to him.
Theodore looked at her and asked, quietly but deliberately, “What am I to you?”
There was no way she could miss the implication this time.
“Huh?” Eliana blinked, caught off guard by the sudden turn.
“Just answer the question,” he pressed, his tone calm but unmistakably firm.
Instead, she shot back with a question of her own, her voice soft but tinged with frustration. “Why don’t you just tell me what this brilliant plan of yours is first?”
She hadn’t expected him to be in the mood for games, not now.
He held her gaze, steady and unwavering.
sing. The plan is the world now you’re my wife.
He had once considered waiting for her to ask him to acknowledge their marriage. But now he saw it clearly. Getting her to that point on her own would be nearly impossible.
“I’m sorry. What did you just say?” Her voice rose in disbelief as she instinctively rubbed at her ear, as if she’d misheard.
“I said,” he repeated, evenly, “the only way to shift the public’s attention away from Raphael is to make it known that you’re mine.”
Eliana blinked slowly, letting the words sink in. “But
won’t you regret it later?”
If he went public now, declaring that he, the pride of the Russell family, had married a woman as plain and unremarkable as her, what would happen if he changed his mind one day? A divorce wouldn’t just be messy. It would be a public spectacle.
“I won’t.” His response was immediate, absolute.
In that moment, it hit her. If they went through with this, she would have no retreat. And somehow, that made him the ruthless one.
She lowered her gaze, staring at her phone. Online, things were spiraling. Raphael’s fans were in a frenzy. Some had even dug up her identity as the third daughter of the Burke family and were threatening her openly, promising revenge.
She didn’t want to become one of those horror stories, the kind where a woman walks down the street and ends up scarred for life by acid.
Meanwhile, Theodore sat quietly, his index finger tapping a slow rhythm on his knee, his composure almost unnerving. “Have you made up your mind?” “I have,” she said, drawing in a long, shaky breath before exhaling. “Let’s do it. Let’s make it public.”
The news that Theodore and Eliana had married two months earlier broke across the internet like a tidal wave.
ithin hours, it topped every major headline and sent a shockwave through the entire city of Covenhill.
heirs and socialites familiar with Theodore wasted no time in reposting the story. The frenzy escalated by the
velation was a slap in the face.
Chapter 113
At home, Raphael stared blankly at his Twitter feed, finally understanding what Nolan had tried to warn him about
“We are so screwed,” Ed muttered beside him, practically bursting a vein.
Raphael had said Eliana was bad luck, that she’d tipped off the paparazzi herself. He’d spoken with absolute confidence, never realizing that the fact, Theodore’s wife.
“Raphael, my guy,” Ed groaned, half in disbelief, “if Theodore decides to blackball you, the only future you’ve got is going back home and taking over the family business.”
Back at Russell Manor, Alice swept her arm across her vanity, sending bottles and brushes clattering to the floor.
She had been so sure Theodore would blame Eliana.tead, he had chosen to protect her, so much so that he was willing to blow the lid off a marriage they’d kept secret for months.
It was the last thing Alice wanted.
Behind her, Anthony placed both hands on her shoulders. He leaned in slowly, catching her gaze in the mirror, and said with quiet cruelty, “Pathetic. You can’t even outmaneuver a little girl.”
A cold shiver ran down Alice’s spine. The gentle, affectionate version of Anthony had yanished. In his place was someone darker, colder. And for the first time, she allowed herself to imagine what might happen if, one day, she became completely useless to him.
And she wasn’t the only one losing her composure.
At Burke Manor, Isaac bounced into the room with an iPad in his hands. “Mom, look! Ellie’s in the news again!”
Belinda didn’t even glance at the screen. She waved him off with a look of disdain. “Don’t bring me that girl’s name. I’m sick of her.”
“No, seriously, this time it’s about Ellie and her husband…” Isaac blunted.
AD
