Chapter 115
For a long time, no one dared lift their head. Eventually, someone cautiously ventured a greeting. “Mrs. Russell… you’re here
Gradually, more people began to greet her, though each one spoke with a level of deference that surpassed even what they showed Holan
And it was hardly surprising. Ever since the news of Eliana’s marriage to Theodore broke, panic had quietly spread through the office. Everyone feared they might be the next to be let go.
Jennifer, the department manager, had gone so far as to take a leave of absence. Given that she had once joined forces with Hannah to suppress Eliana, she was likely now hiding at home, scared out of her wits.
Eliana couldn’t help feeling slightly unsettled at the sight of her former colleagues behaving like this. “Please,” she said gently, “you don’t need to call me that. Just speak to me the way you always have.”
But everyone shook their heads. “No, that’s okay.”
To them now, Eliana belonged to a different world, one they couldn’t afford to cross.
It seemed there was no reasoning with them, at least for now.
With a quiet sigh, Eliana changed the subject. “I won’t take up your time. I’m heading to speak with Raphael about the endorsement.”
Immediately, the group chorused respectfully, “Yes, Mrs. Russell!”
Eliana rubbed her temples as she walked away.
Only after she had completely disappeared did whispers begin to stir.
“She didn’t say anything… does that mean she’s not mad at us?”
“Honestly, Eliana… uh, I mean Mrs. Russell… she’s always been easy to get along with.”
“Still, she really kept it under wraps, didn’t she? If it were me, married to Mr. Russell, I’d have blown it up on social media the moment the ring was on my finger.”
“I wouldn’t even bother showing up to work anymore!”
Just then, someone pointed at their phone, eyes wide. “Look! Someone snapped a pic of her getting out of a Rolls–Royce Phantom!”
“Now that’s making an entrance,” someone murmured, and the rest nodded in awe.
When Eliana reached the floor reserved for artists, Raphael was already waiting outside the elevator.
Their eyes met. He visibly froze for a moment, then shifted awkwardly. “I was just about to come find you.”
That saved her the trouble. Eliana said, “Mind if we talk?”
“Sure.” Raphael nodded and held out his arm to stop the elevator doors from closing, letting her step out.
The gesture surprised her. Given Raphael’s personality, she hadn’t expected him to show deference to power, not someone who casually addressed Nolan and Felix by name.
Once they were in his lounge, Eliana got straight to the point. “I hope yesterday didn’t cause you too much trouble.”
There was no anger or blame in her tone. She sounded as if she were stating something entirely ordinary. That composure made Raphael’s heart twist
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with sudden, complex emotion.
“Not at all. You cleared things up in time.” After a pause, he raised his hand to cover part of his face, voice laced with embarrassment. I’m sour a completely misjudged you.”
“You mean the reporters?”
“Yeah.” And once he got the apology out, the rest followed more easily. “And I owe you an apology for all the assumptions made before
He had looked down on her, spoken cruelly, and questioned her character. If the truth hadn’t surfaced, he might never have realized just how despicable his own behavior had been. It made him feel unworthy of the title “idol.”
Eliana studied him for a moment, then broke into a smile.
Raphael frowned slightly. “What’s so funny?”
“I was just thinking,” she said, unbothered, “I didn’t misjudge you after all. You really are the kind of public figure people should look up to.”
At least he had the courage to admit when he was wrong, something far too many people lacked.
Stunned, Raphael felt a quiet warmth stir within him. He extended a hand, a rare, genuine smile lighting his face. “Let me reintroduce myself again, I’m Raphael. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Eliana took his hand and gave it a light shake. “The pleasure’s mine.”
Meanwhile, in Nolan’s office.
“Ms. Burke, do you know why I called you in today?”
Nolan’s tone was cool and detached, strictly professional. A thin film of sweat began to gather along Hannah’s hairline.
She reached out quickly, her fingers lightly brushing the back of his hand as she cooed, “Nolan, are you still mad about that silly game of truth or dare! played with some friends? I’m sorry, okay? Please don’t stay upset with me.”
But Nolan pulled his hand away without hesitation and pushed a folder across the desk toward her. “Take a look.”
“What is it?” Her smile stiffened, and when her eyes landed on the contents, a fingerprint analysis report, a flash of fear passed unmistakably through her
gaze.
“If my secretary hadn’t caught you sneaking into my office yesterday,” Nolan said, his voice edged with disappointment, “I might never have suspected you.”
Knowing she could no longer talk her way out of it, Hannah raised her head, trying to salvage what she could. “Nolan, I didn’t mean for things to go this
far.
“I just… when I saw Raphael and Ellie together, I lost my temper. I thought maybe Raphael had fallen for her, just like you did…
Nolan’s fists tightened so hard that the sound of his knuckles cracking echoed in the room. “So your answer was to call the press. Have the take out Vellum Glow and try to stir up a scandal between Eliana and Raphael?
“Were you planning to take them both down in one blow?”
Hannah’s lips trembled before she suddenly broke into sobs. “Eliana already has everything. Why does she have to take the people around me too? You, Raphael… you both mattered to me. I was just so afraid of losing everything..
Two months ago, Theodore had not yet become the revered CEO he was now. Back then, he was merely a man spoken of with pity, blind, cold, and infamous. Eliana’s decision to marry him had seemed like the end of a bright future.
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Nolan had never once viewed it as something enviable.
But as he watched Hannah now, crying so helplessly, it stirred a faint echo of what they once had. That softening, fleeting though it was, prompted i
to offer a sliver of mercy.
“For the sake of what we once were,” he said at last, “I won’t take this any further. But stay away from Eliana. The Russell brothers aren’t the type te forgive twice. Be smart, Hannah.”
The moment those words fell, a line was drawn, final and irreversible. Hannah’s weeping faltered. Beneath the curtain of her long, tousled hair, her face twisted with unspoken malice. From this moment on, she vowed she and Eliana would not coexist in peace.
At Vellum Glow headquarters.
Inside the studio, Raphael had just finished with makeup. With Ed’s help, he adjusted his wristwatch and walked under the lights to begin shooting the advertisement, following the director’s instructions.
Seeing him so cooperative, Ed finally allowed himself to relax. Then, catching sight of Eliana standing quietly in a corner, he hesitated for a moment before walking over. “Mrs. Russell…”
After hearing the title repeated throughout the day, Eliana had grown numb to it.
“Raphael didn’t mean to cause any trouble,” Ed said, lowering his voice. “I wanted to thank you for letting it go.”
“He’s already apologized,” Eliana replied calmly. “Besides, I once dumped a bucket of red paint on him. I’d say we’re even.”
As they spoke, Raphael finished a round of shooting. He walked over with a hint of nervous energy in his posture. “Did I do okay?”
“You looked great,” Eliana said, handing him a bottle of water.
