Chapter 8 #4
He moved fast, stepping into her path. His arm lifted, blocking her from taking another step forward..
“What are you doing?” He said sharply.
She lifted her chin slightly, eyes locked on his. “Either you let me see who that is,” she said, “or that patient is not leaving my hotel.”
Elias exhaled through his nose, frustration flashing across his face. His hand flexed at his side.
Amara didn’t wait. She sidestepped him in one quick movement and walked straight toward the stretcher.
Elias reached out to grab for her arm, but she twisted away with a sharp, instinctive movement and pushed past his blocking hand.
She walked straight toward the stretcher.
The medical team kept moving, but Amara closed the distance in seconds. The moment she reached them, they halted.
Her eyes dropped to the patient. For a second, nothing registered. Then her expression shifted.
Recognition flickered—uncertain at first, like her mind refused to connect the image with memory. Her breath caught in her throat.
She turned abruptly, her hair whipping across her shoulder, staring at Elias with wide, stunned eyes.
“That’s Zoe…” she said, voice breaking slightly with disbelief. “That… Maverick… Maverick Bishop’s sister? Didn’t she die in a car accident like a year ago?”
Elias ran a hand through his hair, dragging it back as he exhaled a long, strained breath. For a moment, he looked like he was holding something heavy inside himself.
Then he stepped closer to her, lowering his voice.
“She’s in a coma,” he said quietly. “And I need you to keep this a secret. Don’t tell anyone. Not even Maverick.”
Amara’s stare hardened. “Why?”
Behind them, the stretcher continued moving. The medical team didn’t pause, already guiding Zoe toward the ambulance.
She instinctively reached toward the stretcher again, but Elias caught her wrist this time and pulled her back.
“Stop,” he said under his breath.
With his other hand, he signaled the medical team to move.
They immediately continued forward, loading Zoe into the ambulance.
Amara turned her head slightly, watching as the doors were shut and the stretcher was sealed inside.
Elias guided her back toward the hotel entrance, his hand firm around her wrist.
As they reached his car, Bianca appeared almost instantly, stepping in close to Elias.
Amara’s eyes flicked to her briefly—just a glance—before snapping back to Elias.
“What is going on?” she asked again.
Elias exhaled slowly, dragging a hand down his face.
“Zoe was in an accident,” he said finally, his voice lower now, controlled but strained. “But no one knows she’s still alive.”
His jaw tightened as he glanced briefly toward the entrance, then back at Amara.
“There are… things happening,” he added, choosing his words carefully. “And I need you to keep it a secret. No one knows she survived. So don’t tell anyone.”
Amara’s eyes narrowed slightly, her arms folding tighter over her chest as she processed his words.
“So you want me to just… act like she’s dead?”
Before Elias could answer, Bianca stepped forward.
“Just listen to Elias,” She snapped, her voice sharp with irritation. Her chin lifted as she looked at Amara, eyes narrowing. “He knows what he’s doing. Don’t you get it?”
She let out a small, almost mocking breath. Her eyes flicked between them before settling on Elias’s hand—still holding Amara’s wrist.
A flicker of irritation crossed her face.
“He’s a man. He knows better than you, so stop acting like it’s some huge deal and just say yes. It’s not that difficult.”
Amara turned her head toward her. The silence that followed was sharp.
Something flickered across Bianca’s face—jealousy, raw and unhidden—her lips tightening as her eyes darkened. She looked back up at Amara like she was something beneath her feet, something she wanted erased.
Amara noticed it immediately.
Without a word, she pulled her hand free from Elias’s grip and turned her body away from Bianca. Then she looked at Elias.
“But she knew before me,” Amara said, pointing her thumb toward Bianca.
Her lips curled faintly.
“Looks like you really do have a very close connection with your sweet little ‘nothing is going on between us,’” she added, sarcasm dripping from every word.
She didn’t wait for a response.
With a small shake of her head, she turned on her heel and started walking back to her car.
But she didn’t get far.
Elias moved immediately.
“Amara!” His hand shot out and caught her wrist, stopping her mid-step.
Amara froze for half a second, then turned her head back toward him.
His expression was tense, eyes locked on hers, refusing to let her walk away like that.
Then, without looking away from Amara, he turned his head slightly toward Bianca.
“Leave,” he said coldly.
Bianca stiffened.
“I—”
“I said leave,” Elias repeated, sharper this time. “You can go to the hospital. Felix will meet you there.”
Bianca stiffened. “I want to stay with you.”
The words came out softer, but edged with frustration.
Elias didn’t even hesitate. His gaze hardened.
A silent warning.
Bianca’s mouth tightened. Her eyes flicked between them one last time—lingering on Amara with clear resentment—before she forced herself to step back.
Without another word, she turned and walked toward her car, each step stiff with anger she didn’t bother hiding anymore.
Elias didn’t watch her leave. His focus stayed on Amara.
“There’s nothing between me and her. It’s just—”
But Amara didn’t stay to listen.
She let out a short, humorless breath, already shaking her head as she stepped back from him.
“I don’t care,” she said flatly, lifting a hand in dismissal without even looking at him properly. “I have no interest in your love story.”
Her heels shifted as she turned away, already walking toward her car.
“And next time,” she added over her shoulder, voice cold now, “don’t waste my time with your personal matters.”
But she barely took three more steps.
She reached for the car door—
But before her hand could touch it, Elias was suddenly there.
He closed the distance in a few long strides and, without warning, scooped her off the ground.
Amara froze for half a second—then reacted instantly.
“Let go of me!” she snapped, kicking her legs in the air as she struggled against his hold. “Elias!”
Her legs kicked in frustration, swinging back and forth as she tried to break free, but his grip only tightened.
He carried her straight toward his car, his jaw tight, expression focused.
Amara twisted in his arms, hitting lightly against his shoulder. “Put me down!”
Instead, he placed her on the hood of the car.
The cold metal pressed against her palms as she instinctively pushed herself back, trying to create space.
Elias stepped closer immediately.
He planted himself between her legs, caging her in without actually touching her fully, his presence blocking her escape. His hands came down on either side of her hips on the car for support, trapping her in place.
“Move,” Amara said sharply, shoving at his chest. “I need to go home.”
He didn’t move.
Instead, he leaned in slightly, his gaze locked on her, intense and unblinking.
Then, lower—his voice dropped as he studied her face.
“You’re going to sleep without me again?” he asked, almost irritated. “How are you even sleeping properly?”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“You used to call me all the time at night when I wasn’t home,” he added. “Why did you stop? I haven’t gotten a single call from you in so long, Amara.”
Amara stared at him for a second, then let out a slow breath. She pushed at his chest again, harder this time.
“You don’t need to worry about that anymore,” she said coldly. “You can have all the time in the world for your business now. So stop behaving like it’s bothering you.”
With a sharp shove, she finally created enough space to slip off the hood.
She immediately turned and started walking away.
But she barely made it two steps. Elias caught her arm.
A hard pull spun her back toward him, and before she could react, he yanked open the car door and pushed her inside.
“Elias—!”
Amara scrambled instantly, trying to push herself back up, but he had already slammed the door shut behind her.
She reached for the other side immediately.
Too late.
Elias moved faster, sliding into the car right after her. The second she shifted to escape, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist and dragged her back against him, settling her forcefully onto his lap.
Amara froze, eyes widening in disbelief.
Then she started struggling again.
“Get off me—what the hell is wrong with you?” she snapped, shoving hard against his chest.
But Elias caught both her wrists easily.
One large hand pinned them behind her back while the other locked around her waist, trapping her completely against him.
“Stop moving,” he said roughly.
“No!”
She twisted harder, satin sliding against his suit as she fought to get free, but the movement only made his jaw tighten further.
A frustrated breath left Amara when she realized she couldn’t overpower him.
After a few seconds, she finally went still, glaring down at him furiously.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” she hissed. “Let me go! I have no interest in wasting my night on this. Go spend it with your lover instead. She’s probably dying from loneliness without you.”
She tried shoving him again.
This time, Elias grabbed her face.
His fingers slid along her jaw, forcing her to look directly at him.
“Stop this bullshit,” he said sharply. “She means nothing to me.”
He exhaled once, visibly forcing himself calmer.
“It’s business. That’s all.”
His thumb brushed slowly across her cheek.
Amara’s expression didn’t soften.
“Does it look like I care about your life?” she asked flatly.
Silence.
A short, humorless laugh escaped her.
“Yeah. Exactly.”
She shifted slightly on his lap, her eyes cutting straight through him.
“I don’t care what she is to you. I don’t care what you do tomorrow. Even if you run back to her right now and decide she’s the love of your life, it still wouldn’t matter to me.”
Her palm pressed firmly against his chest again, trying to force distance between them.
“I’m not your wife anymore, Elias.”
Something in his expression snapped at those words.
His grip on her tightened instinctively.
“Stop saying that,” he muttered darkly.
Before she could react, he suddenly leaned in. His face buried against the side of her neck.
Amara stiffened instantly.
Then his mouth closed roughly against the sensitive skin beneath her ear.
A sharp bite. Then a slow lick over the sting.
Another harsher one lower against her throat.
Amara’s breath hitched despite herself.
“Elias—stop.”
But he only dragged her closer against him.
His hand slid up the back of her neck, fingers tangling lightly into her hair as he inhaled deeply against her skin like he had been starved for it.
“Do you know how long it’s been?” he muttered hoarsely against her throat. “I can barely get any sleep without you in my bed, Amara.”
His lips brushed her pulse again.
“I miss your scent.”
Another slow kiss against her neck.
The roughness in his voice sent heat crawling across her skin despite how angry she was.
Her fingers curled tightly against his shirt.
“Elias,” she warned again, breath uneven now.
But he was already losing control.
His mouth moved lower, rough kisses pressing against her collarbone while his grip around her waist tightened possessively, keeping her firmly against him.
Amara’s breathing faltered for half a second.
Then memories of their past slammed back into her.
Something inside her snapped.
Without warning, she bent forward sharply and bit down hard on his ear.
Elias jerked violently.
“—Fuck—!”
The curse ripped out of him in pure shock as he recoiled backward.
His grip loosened instinctively.
That was all she needed.
Amara shoved hard against his chest and slipped out of his hold in one fast movement. She scrambled off his lap, threw the door open, and jumped out of the car before he could catch her again.
“Amara—wait!”
Elias followed immediately.
But she was already ripping his coat off her shoulders.
With one furious motion, she hurled it straight at him. The black coat hit his chest before falling heavily to the ground between them.
She pointed at him, her chest rising and falling quickly. “Stop it!”
“What are you doing?” Elias demanded, a growl finally breaking through his restraint as his gaze dropped to the coat before snapping back to her. “Amara.”
His chest rose sharply once before he took a step toward her.
“Come back here.”
But Amara was already backing away.
Her eyes were blazing now, voice cutting through the night air.
“Stop acting like you’ve suddenly started feeling something for me now, Elias,” she snapped. “Don’t ever kiss me again. And if you touch me like that one more time, I’ll scream bloody murder and report you for assault.”
Then she turned sharply, stormed to her car, and got in without looking back.
The engine roared to life.
Elias stepped forward instinctively to stop her.
But the car jerked forward first.
Amara drove straight toward him.
At the very last second, he stepped out of the way as the car sped past him before shooting out of the driveway without slowing down. Amara didn’t even spare him another glance.
She drove out of the hotel entrance at full speed, ignoring the stunned look on his face.
The night swallowed the sound of her car as it disappeared into the road.
Inside the car, Amara gripped the steering wheel tightly, jaw clenched, breathing uneven.
Her thoughts ran faster than the road ahead.
“What the hell is wrong with him?” she muttered furiously under her breath, tightening her grip on the wheel. “I spent an entire year begging that man to sleep with me, and he wouldn’t even properly kiss me.”
Her anger only grew the more she thought about it.
“And now suddenly he’s acting like he can’t sleep without me?” she scoffed bitterly. “Does he seriously think I’m so desperate for sex that I’d go running back to him just because he kissed me?”
A sharp exhale left her lips as she pushed her hair back in frustration, eyes fixed on the road ahead, anger still burning through her as she drove away.