Chapter 6 #2
He was still sitting there with damp hair falling over his forehead, water trailing slowly down the side of his neck. Unusually quiet.
Amara lifted her eyes to him.
“What?”
Elias stared at her face for a second too long before speaking.
“I’m hungry,” he said hoarsely.
She blinked.
“…What?”
His thumb shifted slightly against the inside of her wrist, slow and absentminded.
“I’m hungry,” he repeated, voice lower this time. “Do you want noodles?”
Amara pulled her hand free gently.
“I already ate.”
Then she stepped back immediately, creating distance between them. The loss of her warmth hit Elias instantly.
Amara turned toward the door.
Elias rose to his feed behind her at once.
“I’m hungry,” he repeated again stubbornly, towering behind her now. “Eat with me.”
Amara turned fully this time, nearly bumping into his chest because of how close he was standing.
Her breath caught faintly.
Elias couldn’t even see her properly, yet somehow he still looked at her like this.
Like he was holding himself back from something.
His damp shirt clung slightly to his chest from the water. A drop slid slowly down the side of his throat, disappearing beneath the open collar.
Amara looked away first.
“Fine,” she said evenly. “Sign the divorce papers first.”
The temperature in the room shifted instantly.
Elias’s jaw tightened.
The heat in his expression cooled into frustration so quickly it almost felt dangerous.
Amara turned and walked out without waiting for an answer.
Elias remained standing in the bathroom for several long seconds, water still dripping from his hair onto the floor.
His chest rose slowly with a deep breath.
Frustration burned under his skin.
But underneath it—
something hotter lingered stubbornly in his veins, refusing to disappear.
An hour later, both of them were sitting across from each other at the dining table with steaming bowls of noodles between them.
The room was quiet except for the occasional clink of utensils.
Amara leaned back slightly in her chair, lazily twirling noodles around her fork while watching Elias from across the table.
He still wasn’t wearing his glasses.
And that was the problem.
His eyes were slightly narrowed from irritation, giving his gaze a dark, heavy look that should not have been legal during dinner.
Unfortunately for her—
it looked ridiculously attractive.
His damp hair still fell over his forehead carelessly, softening his usually sharp appearance. Combined with the half-lidded look in his eyes, he looked less like a ruthless CEO and more like a man starring in an inappropriate movie scene.
Amara took another bite of noodles, trying very hard not to laugh.
Elias narrowed his eyes slightly while staring down at his bowl.
She lost the battle instantly.
A snort escaped her.
Elias paused mid-bite and lifted his head toward her voice. Now he was looking directly at her with that same dangerously sexy gaze.
Amara pressed her lips together hard.
“Oh my God,” she muttered under her breath.
“What?” Elias asked flatly.
Amara pointed her fork at him dramatically.
“Are you seriously planning to attend meetings looking like that?”
Elias frowned slightly. “Looking like what?”
“That.” She waved her hand toward his face. “That bedroom-eyes thing you have going on right now.”
His expression immediately darkened with offense.
Elias stared at her like she had lost her mind. “I look perfectly normal.”
Amara snickered again.
Suddenly, the sound of the front door opening cut through their argument.
Both of them stopped mid-sentence. Elias’s jaw tightened instantly as he turned toward the entrance.
A second later, Bianca walked in.
The clicking sound of her heels echoed against the marble floor as she stepped into the living room with a designer bag hanging from her shoulder.
She wore a fitted beige dress that hugged her body tightly, the soft fabric molding to every curve so perfectly it almost blurred the line between where the dress ended and her skin began. The material wrapped around her waist and hips like a second layer, leaving very little to the imagination.
Amara’s expression fell so fast it was almost painful to watch.
In the morning he had attended her grandpa’s funeral.
And at night, his mistress already had access to walk into his house whenever she wanted.
The warmth disappeared from Amara’s face instantly, her lips pressing into a thin line as disbelief and fury flashed across her eyes.
Elias straightened immediately, displeasure darkening his face the second he saw Bianca standing there. His brows pulled together sharply, irritation flickering across his expression before he could even speak.
But before a word left his mouth, Amara suddenly moved.
She snatched her hands away from him roughly, the movement fast and sharp enough to make the dishes on the table rattle. Then she turned around and started grabbing the plates and bowls off the table with harsh, angry movements.
Then she spun around sharply.
The dishes on the dining table rattled loudly as she grabbed plates one after another and stormed toward the kitchen.
“I’m not finished eating yet,” Elias complained loudly behind her.
Amara ignored him completely.
A loud clang echoed from the kitchen a second later.
Then another.
And another.
She was throwing cutlery into the sink with enough force to make the entire kitchen rattle.
Meanwhile, Bianca walked toward Elias sweetly, her heels clicking softly against the floor. She stopped close to him, tilting her head slightly as she smiled up at him with innocent-looking eyes.
“I just came to thank you for helping with the transfer of my dad’s materials,” she said softly. “He was really worried the shipment wouldn’t be transferred on time, but because of your help, everything became easy.”
She twisted lightly on her feet, fingers brushing against the strap of her bag as she looked at him through blinking lashes.
“I really want to repay you.”
The meaning behind her words was obvious. The flirtation dripping from her voice wasn’t subtle at all.
Elias frowned immediately.
“There’s no need,” he said coldly.
Then he pointed toward the door.
“You can leave.”
Bianca’s face fell.
Before she could recover, Elias continued in an even colder voice, “And don’t come to my house unannounced again. Who gave you my address?”
Bianca forced out a small laugh, clearly embarrassed.
“I just wanted to thank you personally. You’re always so busy at the office, so I thought you wouldn’t have time to meet me there.” She looked at him carefully before adding quietly, “That’s why I came here. I thought… maybe you’d be happy to see me.”
Behind them, Amara rolled her eyes so hard it almost hurt.
She washed her hands aggressively under the sink, then grabbed a towel before walking out of the kitchen.
As she walked past Elias, Bianca didn’t even spare him a glance.
“Just sign the divorce papers already and end this,” she said sharply. “I’ve waited long enough. You barely have time for me as it is, and I’m tired of wasting mine.”
Elias’s head snapped toward her instantly.
“What the fuck did I say that made you think I don’t have time for you?” he shot back.
Amara didn’t bother responding.
She walked straight past him and disappeared into the bedroom.
Elias stood there with irritation burning across his face before turning sharply toward Bianca again, his patience visibly thinning.
“I don’t like people entering my personal space without permission,” he said sharply. “Don’t come here again unless you’ve spoken to Felix first. He will handle it.”
Bianca’s lips puffed out like a sulking child.
“But I really want to spend time with you,” she mumbled. “We’ve not met since we returned from Australia.”
Elias let out a frustrated breath and rubbed a hand over his face.
“You know exactly why we were together in Australia,” he said flatly. “That situation is over now. I don’t need your help for now.”
Bianca stared at him with disappointment filling her face before finally turning around and leaving.
A few seconds later, the loud slam of the front door echoed through the house.
Silence filled the house.
Elias waited there for a second, his expression still dark, before finally turning toward the bedroom.
As soon as he stepped inside, he heard Amara talking on the phone.
She stood near the bed with her phone pressed against her ear. One hand held the phone while the other flipped through the divorce papers lying on the side table — the same papers he still hadn’t signed.
“What other option did I have, Jasper?” she said into the phone, exhaustion clear in her voice. “It’s not easy dealing with him. I had no choice but to come here and coax him into signing the divorce papers.”
The moment Elias heard that, his expression changed instantly.
The jealousy hit first.
Then anger.
His jaw clenched so tightly the muscles visibly flexed beneath his skin.
A dark look crossed his face as he stood there silently staring at her.
For a second, it looked like he wanted to say something.
Instead, he turned around abruptly and walked back out of the room with a cold expression on his face.
Not long after, Amara walked out of Elias’s house and headed toward her car parked along the quiet street. The cold air brushed against her face as she tightened her coat around herself and reached into her bag for her keys.
But just as she approached the car—
Someone suddenly stepped out from behind it.
Amara startled hard, immediately halting in her tracks.
Bianca appeared in front of her with her arms crossed and a smug look on her face, clearly waiting there on purpose.
Amara let out an annoyed breath, one hand instantly pressing against her chest from the sudden scare.
“What the hell are you doing?” she snapped. “Appearing out of nowhere like some devil child.”
Her eyes moved lazily over Bianca before she added dryly, “I already know you’re a devil. You don’t need to prove it to me.”