The Billionaire’s Reluctant Bride (Elara and Victor) novel Chapter 17

Shattered Facodes

Shattered Facades

The atmosphere in the room was tense as Elara’s words lingered. Mrs. Blackwood was frozen, her face showing a mix of shock and anger. Damian, on the other hand, remained silent, his arm still wrapped around Elara’s waist.

“How dare you!” Mrs. Blackwood finally sputtered, her voice trembling with rage. “You insolent little”

“Mother,” Damian interrupted, his voice firm. “I think it’s time for you to leave.”

Mrs. Blackwood’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Damian, you can’t be serious. This woman”

“Is my wife,” Damian finished, his tone leaving no room for argument. “And as I said before, if you can’t respect her, you have no place in this house.”

For a moment, it seemed as though Mrs. Blackwood might argue further, but instead, she straightened her shoulders and fixed Elara with an icy glare. “This isn’t over” she hissed before turning on her heel and storming out of the room.

As soon as the door slammed shut behind her, Elara felt her knees go weak. The adrenaline that had been fueling her bravado suddenly drained away, leaving her feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. Damian, sensing her weakness, gently guided her back to the bed.

“That was… unexpected,” he said, his voice uncharacteristically soft as he helped her sit down.

Elara looked up at him, suddenly unsure of herself. “I’m sorry if I overstepped. I just… I couldn’t let her talk to me like that.”

To her surprise, a small smile tugged at the corners of Damian’s mouth. “Don’t apologize. You handled her better than most.”

An awkward silence settled between them as they both processed what had just happened. Elara’s mind was filled with questions about the kiss and Damian’s declaration of love for his mother. She wondered how much of it was genuine and how much was just a show.

“Damian,” she began hesitantly, “about what you said to your mother… about loving me…‘

His expression immediately closed off, the familiar mask of indifference sliding back into place. “It was necessary to convince her,” he said coolly. “Nothing more.”

Elara nodded. “Of course. I understand.”

Damian cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. “Now, about your phone

But before he could continue, a knock on the door interrupted them. Jack’s voice called out from the other side. ” Damian? Is everything alright in there? I saw your mother leave in quite a state.”

Damian sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Come in, Jack.”

Jack entered the room, his eyes darting between Damian and Elara. “Well, it seems I missed quite the show,” he said with a grin. “Care to fill me in?”

As Damian briefly narrated the confrontation with his mother, Elara found her thoughts drifting.

“Damian,” she interrupted, her voice steady despite her weakness. “I think it’s time we talked. About everything.”

Both men turned to look at her, surprise evident on their faces.

“Elara, you should rest-” Damian began, but she cut him off.

1/3

Shattered Facades

+25 BONUS

“No, I need to get this off my chest now. There’s something you need to know.”

Damian’s jaw clenched, his eyes never leaving Elara’s face. For a long moment, he said nothing. “Okay,” he responded before turning to his friend. “Jack, can you please excuse us?”

Jack nodded and left the room.

“So, tell me, Elara. I need you to fill me in on everything without leaving out a single detail.”

She sighed. “That guy who made the anonymous post, his name is Daniel Regars. He was my bully back in school.”

Damian scoffed, trying to process the information. “You mean your boyfriend or bully? I’m not following.”

She shot him an irritated glance. “Listen to what I’m saying instead of jumping to conclusions. Daniel wasn’t my boyfriend. He was a stalker who wanted me to be his girl, but I refused him.” She paused, meeting his cold gaze. Because I rejected him, he made my life a living hell, turning almost all our classmates against me.”

“This is absurd. Did you not inform your professors?” he asked.

“They did nothing,” she whispered. “Daniel’s family was so rich that no one could control him, and I, on the other hand, was poor.” Damian watched her as she spoke, realizing how little he knew about her past or where she came from. All he knew was her name.

“So, what does he want from you now? Making that anonymous post against you?”

“I wish I knew,” Elara replied. “Ever since we graduated, I haven’t seen him. I wonder what made him do this now.”

Damian couldn’t help but think of how to punish this guy. “Maybe he still holds a grudge against you for rejecting him.”

“Well, he once told me I was the first girl who ever rejected him.”

“If I may ask, why did you reject him?” Damian asked out of curiosity.

“Why should I date someone like that? He’s rich, and I’m poor. He would never understand me, and I would never understand him. We come from different worlds, and our relationship would never work. We are totally different,” Elara responded. “And most of all, he was a serial cheater. A playboy.”

“Oh? And what about me?” Damian asked, catching her off guard.

“You?” she repeated, taken aback.

“Yes, me. What do you think about me?”

“Nothing,” she muttered. Was Damian trying to embarrass her? Was he teasing her after they had just kissed?

“Nothing. I feel nothing about you,” she replied, knowing it wasn’t entirely true. “Everything we have between us ends after one year, so I never expected anything from you.” He stared at her for a moment.

“I know the Regars,” he said, shaking off the unknown feelings stirring within him. “I’ll make sure I deal with him. Just trust me on this.”

“Okay,” she replied. “And one more thing.”

“What is it?” he inquired, his tone turning cold.

“I’ve been dismissed from my job.”

“What? What did you just say? Since when?“