Fourteen hours later, their night landed in Lunara.
Thanks to the minimal time difference between Lunara and home, It was already well past midnight by the time Eliana and her team exited the plane.
Luckily, a private car was waiting for them at the airport, sparing them the usual hassle.
As soon as Eliana and Megan got into the car, Elana turned her phone back on. Within seconds, two messages lit up her screen.
[Have you arrived?]
(Call me once you land.
To Eliana, they came across as nothing but commands, cold, clipped, like orders from a boss rather than concern from a husband,
All the resentment she’d been bottling up over the past few days boiled to the surface. Even on a business trip, she couldn’t escape his overbearing
attitude, so she blocked his number.
Megan, who happened to glance over just in time to see what Eliana did, flinched instinctively.
She couldn’t even get Theodore’s secretary to return her calls, yet Eliana could go ahead and block the man himself. Clearly, when someone’s the favorite, rules don’t really apply.
Meanwhile, at Russell Manor.
Theodore had lost count of how many times he’d checked his phone, scrolling back through his messages, searching for a reply that wasn’t there.
Based on her flight time, she should’ve landed by now.
He tried sending another message, but this time, an error popped up.
Message failed to send.
He froze, realizing she’d blocked him.
Theodore, Russell Group’s CEO, a man who’d never been ignored in his life, had just been blocked by his own wife.
His face darkened like an approaching storm. With a sharp crack, he threw his phone against the floor. Tonight would be another long, sleepless night.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
Grim–faced, he walked over and opened it.
Jayden stood outside, peering up at him. “Where’s Elana?”
Theodore’s voice was flat. “Why do you care!”
Jayden frowned. “It’s late and she’s not back. Aren’t you even a little worried?”
He was worried. That was exactly why he kept posting her over and over, only to be rewarded by her shutting him out.
Trying to brush Jayden off, he said curtly, “She’s on a business trip”
“What?” Jayden blinked, pulling out his phone to check her contact. He started typing a message.
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Chapter 188
Theodore raised an eyebrow. “You have her number?”
Jayden gave him a defiant look. “Not telling you.”
He turned to leave, but hadn’t taken two steps before Theodore grabbed him by the back of the collar and hauled him back like a misbehaving voice was low and sharp. “Ask her where she is.”
Jayden was going to do that anyway, so he hit send.
Minutes passed, but still no response.
Theodore let out a dry, bitter chuckle. If she was ignoring him, there was no way she’d respond to Jayden.
But then, Jayden blurted out in surprise, “She repliedi Slie
Theodore snatched the phone from him.
[Just Landed. On the way to the hotel.
replied”
He stared at the screen like the message might somehow change if he looked long enough, as if he could will her to include even a single word that hinted she was thinking about him.
“Hey, give it back!” Jayden wrestled the phone from Theodore’s iron grip. When he saw the message again, a smug smile crept across his face. “Wonder if she’s got time for a video call later?”
Theodore fought the urge to throw him out of the room.
Instead, he changed his mind. “Get in here.”
If Eliana was really going to video chat with this brat, he wasn’t about to miss it.
But she didn’t. She said she was too tired, that she needed to rest.
out of her way just for Jayden.
For some reason, that made Theodore feel slightly better. At least she hadn’t gone out
“What are y
are you grinning about?” Jayden said, cocking an eyebrow. “At least she answered me. Not like you.”
He’d already noticed the broken phone on the floor. It wasn’t hard to guess what had happened.
Elana had blocked him, and Jayden knew it.
Eliana had barely finished texting Jayden when another message lit up her phone. This one was from Anthony, asking where she’d gone and why she hadn’t come home yet..
Out of politeness, she typed out a quick reply.
Megan, sitting next to her, peeked over and couldn’t hold back a gasp. “Wow… The Russell men really don’t hold back when it comes to checking in an you, do they?”
Everyone always said the Russell brothers didn’t get along. But right now, it felt like they were all circling Eliana like planets around a sun.
“Checking in?” Eliana gave a tired half–smile. It was exhausting for her, if anything.
One wanted to control her. Another tried to seduce her. The last used her as a pawn in his passive–aggressive standoffs with Theodore. None of them were doing it out of pure concern.
Just then, their driver turned around. “Ms. Burke, Ms. Thompson, we’ve arrived at the hotel”
2/4
one presidential
You take
with a lack of mild reget. “Ladies, very sorry, but due to the peak travesson, there’s only
schically leapt in pla
“i really don’t uninud =
“No, not I don’t mind!” Megan clasped her hands in a dramatic plea “Please, I’m begging you. Take the suite
Eventually, the butler offered a compromise. The suite was large enough for two if they didn’t mind sharing. Megan hesitated, then looked cautiounty Elana, worned the might say no
“You good with that?” Eliana asked.
“Absolutely!” Megan chirped, relieved.
Once they were inside the suite, Megan watched Eliana unpack a tiny toiletry pouch and blinked in disbelief. “That’s all the
Elana looked over, puzzled. “Yeah. Why?
“Okay, now look at mine”
Megan had hauled along three full suitcases. One of them was dedicated entirely to skincare and makeup. Compared to that, Eliana’s kit looked more like something you’d toss into a purse.
“How do you live like this?” Megan asked, genuinely baffled.
I’m just a normal person,” Eliana replied, deadpan.
Megan didn’t buy it, not for a second. After all, how many “normal” people would dare to block Theodore Russell?
I slapped on a sheet mask, Megan suddenly lit up with an idea. “You want to try one? This mask’s loaded with
After she finished her skincare routine and slap serum. Total game changer.”
Since they’d be rooming together for the week anyway, Eliana decided to accept the gesture. “Sure. Thanks”
Megan grinned, pulled out her phone, and snapped a selfie of the two of them in matching masks.
“Twinsies,” she said, typing up a caption before posting the photo to Twitter.
It didn’t matter that it was the middle of the night. Megan had enough followers to blow it up instantly.
Within minutes, it was trending
With the masks on, most people wouldn’t have recognized Eliana. But not everyone missed the detail.
Felix spotted the photo immediately, saved it, and gleefully dropped it into a private group chat. Just to twist the knife, he tagged Theodore directly
[So your wife skipped home tonight to crash in a hotel with a rising starlet? You cool with that?
The thread exploded with memes and laughing emojis. Apparently, no one in that chat group believed in sleep
Theodore stared at the screen, his jaw tight. After a moment, he let out a cold, humorless laugh. Even Megan was getting better treatment than him.
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