Chapter 114
Chapter 114
“Don’t even bring him up. He’s just some actor.” Belinda snapped, her voice tight with contempt.
At this point, all she could do was pray that Daniel wouldn’t be so furious when he saw the news that he’d take back all the benefits he’d granted the Burke family.
But Isaac interjected, “No, not that actor.”
“What do you mean?” Belinda rolled her eyes in exasperation, casting a half–hearted glance at the iPad until her expression suddenly froze. She snatched the device from Isaac and stared wide–eyed. “Wait… it’s actually Theodore?!”
“She’s pretty, and he’s handsome too!” Isaac exclaimed with childlike delight, cupping his face and crouching beside her. “They look perfect together”
In the other room, Hannah was doing everything she could to calm her nerves.
No one knew she had secretly looked at Raphael’s endorsement contract that day, and certainly no one knew she had been the one to call the reporters. As long as that remained true, she would be safe.
After checking her phone, Eliana turned to Theodore and said calmly, “Looks like the storm’s passed.”
Now, every headline and trending tag focused solely on her and Theodore. All other gossip had been pushed aside. The rumors about her and Raphael had disappeared without a trace.
Even Raphael’s once–hostile fans had done a complete turnaround, flooding her feed with blessings.
[Mrs. Russell, please look after Raphael at Starlight Media. Wishing you and your husband lifelong happiness!]
[I’m sorry for what I said before. It’s an honor for Raphael to be seen with you!]
[Please don’t blacklist him over this. Please!]
“Isn’t all this talk of blacklisting a bit much?” Eliana murmured.
But Theodore replied without hesitation, “Only if you say the word.”
She looked at him in surprise as he wasn’t joking. Quickly, she shook her head. “No need for that. He didn’t really do anything wrong.”
Theodore narrowed his eyes slightly. In truth, he had never been fond of Raphael. But without this incident, he wouldn’t have had the leverage to make their marriage public so smoothly.
He knew Eliana still harbored doubts, especially after that public scene with Alice, and Bernice’s words at the Therapy Center had only deepened her hesitation. She had never truly wanted to announce their relationship to the world.
But he wouldn’t let her slip away.
This was his chance, and he wasn’t letting go.
And yet Eliana, in all her naïve sincerity, believed he had sacrificed too much for her this time. That belief softened her resentment over Alice, perhaps more than she realized.
She even began to wonder whether it was finally time to trust him, the way he had always trusted her.
The next morning, for once, Eliana had slept soundly.
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Chapter 114
When she woke, Theodore was still asleep beside her. Quietly, almost reverently, she traced the contours of his sharp, flawless features with her? fingertips.
Finally, unable to hold it in, she whispered, “Thank you, Theodore.”
This man had wounded her deeper than anyone else, but he had also shielded her more fiercely than anyone ever had.
To her surprise, his eyes opened. “What did you just call me? Say it again.”
Caught in the act, Eliana quickly withdrew her hand and gave a flustered little smile. “Good morning,” she said, trying to gloss it over.
But as she started to get up, Theodore pulled her back and murmured, “Not until you call me ‘darling.”
“No way!” Eliana flushed.
“No way what?”
“I’m not calling you darling!” she huffed.
For a moment, silence hung in the air.
Then, as Theodore’s smug grin slowly spread across his face, Eliana wordlessly yanked the blanket over her head, trying to hide her burning cheeks.
She hadn’t expected him to coax it out of her so easily.
Worried she might actually suffocate under the covers, Theodore gently tugged the blanket down and said in a coaxing tone, “You need to get used to it. Otherwise, when we’re out in public, people might think we’re all show and no substance.”
Eliana bit her lip, hesitating. “But… isn’t just calling you by name enough?”
“Not close enough,” he replied.
Men were never satisfied. Back when she used to address him formally, he had wanted her to call him by name. Now that she did, he wanted something
even more intimate.
“Fine,” she said at last. “Next time we’re around your friends, I’ll try to call you… Honey.”
Years of emotional absence growing up had made it hard for Eliana to open her heart fully. But she was trying.
“Good girl,” Theodore said softly, satisfied. He pressed a kiss to her lips, then finally let her out of bed.
Downstairs in the dining room, Anthony approached with a relaxed smile. “So, Theodore, I saw the news last night. You and Eliana finally went public?”
When Theodore didn’t respond, Anthony showed no trace of embarrassment. Instead, he turned his attention to Eliana. “Congratulations, Eliana. It seems your perseverance finally paid off.”
“Thank you.” Yet to Eliana, the words rang hollow, as if Theodore had agreed to the announcement not out of love, but out of obligation or pity.
After the meal, Anthony continued, seemingly unbothered, “Theodore, do you know how Alice reacted when she found out?”
At that, Eliana realized Alice hadn’t come downstairs for breakfast that morning.
“Whatever she felt is none of my concern.”
Theodore, wiping his lips with composed elegance, turned to Eliana and said, “Come on. I’ll drive you to work.”
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11:23 Mon, 16 Jun
Chapter 114
When Theodore’s Rolls–Royce Phantom came to a smooth stop outside the main entrance of Starlight Media, the morning foot traffic insunctively slowed. Heads turned.
A car like this, easily worth a fortune, could belong only to someone of stature.
A few car enthusiasts, unable to resist, discreetly raised their phones to snap photos.
Noticing the stir, Eliana leaned slightly toward Theodore and said under her breath, “You’d better
not get out. People will swarm.”
He looked at her. “Are you sure you can manage on your own?”
“What do you think I am, a school kid? You’ve already brought glance, reaching for the door.
But Theodore gently caught her arm, his expression serious. Let everyone know you’re my wife.”
me to the front gate. How much more ‘managing‘ do I need?” she replied with a teasing
t forget to wear the wedding ring I gave you. Walk in there with your head held high.
It was then she noticed the ring on his own hand. He wasn’t merely offering empty words; he was declaring his stance, unmistakably and without reservation.
His thoughtfulness both moved and unsettled her. She feared that if one day he were no longer by her side, she might not know how to go on.
Shortly after Eliana stepped out of the car, Theodore’s phone rang. He glanced down, finding it was Daniel, and he picked up.
“Grandpa, about those rumors surrounding Ellie, I can explain,”
“No need!” Daniel’s booming voice cut through before he could finish. “I called to tell you, well done, boy! Well done!”
Theodore let out a rare chuckle, relieved that the old man wasn’t the least bit angry. “You’ve already handed her the family heirloom,” he said lightly. “If I didn’t act fast, how could I possibly live up to that?”
The moment Eliana stepped into the office, she felt the shift in the air. Conversations ceased, heads lowered, and a few people were visibly shaken.
She paused, taken aback, then remembered the fallout from the engagement party she’d inadvertently ruined. The entire department had harbored resentment toward her ever since.
But she understood where their frustration came from. And now, even with the status of Theodore’s wife, she had no intention of wielding it as a weapon to settle old scores.
