Chapter 13 #3
The picture looked intimate. Careless. The kind of photo a man took of the woman beside him when he was completely comfortable with her. Her hair looked messy, her cheeks slightly flushed, and the caption beneath it made it even worse.
‘Who wouldn’t want to stay home with a beauty like this around?’
Elias’s jaw slowly tightened.
His expression darkened more and more with every passing second.
Felix glanced at him through the mirror before letting out a low laugh.
“Mr. Creed… I think you should hurry up,” he muttered. “At this rate, Mrs. Creed might really bring home a new husband before you know it.”
The second those words left his mouth, Elias looked up.
The glare he shot Felix was so deadly that Felix instantly shut his mouth.
His hands tightened around the steering wheel.
“Sir…” he muttered cautiously. “The light turned green. I’ll drive you home.”
Suddenly, Elias grabbed the pen in his hand and flung it forward violently.
The pen smacked Felix hard in the shoulder.
Felix flinched.
Elias leaned forward slightly in the backseat, his dark eyes burning through the rearview mirror.
“What the fuck makes you think I can go home after seeing this?” he snarled, rage flashing across his face.
Felix froze.
Elias’s jaw clenched as he stared ahead with a furious expression.
“Drive to Amara’s house.”
Felix rubbed his shoulder with a wince where the pen had hit him before tightening his grip on the steering wheel again. Without wasting another second, he quickly turned the car around and sped off toward Amara’s apartment.
Thankfully, the roads were almost empty at that hour.
The car cut through the streets smoothly, the city lights flashing past the windows while a heavy silence filled the vehicle. Elias sat in the backseat with a terrifyingly dark expression, his jaw tight the entire drive.
It didn’t take long before the car finally pulled up outside Amara’s building.
Before Felix could even properly stop the engine, Elias shoved the door open and stepped out.
His long strides quickly closed the distance as he headed straight toward the entrance.
A security guard immediately rushed forward and blocked his path.
“Sir, you can’t go inside—” the guard started nervously. “You need to verify your identity first—”
Elias didn’t even spare him a glance.
He simply shifted to the side, trying to walk past him.
The security guard quickly stepped in front of him again, looking panicked now, but before the situation could escalate, Felix hurried over.
He grabbed the guard by the shoulder and pulled him aside.
“Come here, come here,” Felix said quickly with a strained smile. “I’ll handle everything. I’ll do the verification process. Let’s talk over here.”
As Felix distracted the guard, Elias walked straight into the building without stopping once.
He headed directly toward Amara’s apartment.
The last time he had come here, he had secretly noticed her entering the security password while unlocking the door. The numbers had stayed in his mind ever since.
Now, standing outside the apartment, he pressed the code into the keypad without hesitation.
The lock clicked open.
Elias immediately pushed the door open and strode inside without even bothering to knock.
His expression was stormy, his movements sharp and aggressive, looking exactly like a man ready to catch his wife with another man and beat that man to death.
But the second he entered—
The living room was empty.
He paused.
Then he heard voices and movement coming from the bedroom.
His eyes darkened instantly.
Without hesitation, he headed toward the room and stopped at the doorway.
The sight in front of him made his expression turn even colder.
Amara was sitting beside Jasper on the bed, one hand supporting the back of his head while the other held a glass of water to his lips, helping him drink.
Jasper looked completely drunk out of his mind.
After he finished drinking, Amara carefully pulled the glass away and leaned over to place it on the side table.
“I’m done babysitting you,” she muttered tiredly as she tried to stand up.
But before she could move away, Jasper suddenly grabbed her wrist.
“Where are you going?” he whined drunkenly, tightening his hold on her hand. “Don’t leave me alone.”
Amara immediately frowned and tried pulling her arm back.
“Jasper, let go.”
“I want this song,” he mumbled nonsense, already swaying dramatically on the bed. “I’m gonna start a disco number right now. Look at me dance.”
He started moving around recklessly on the mattress while still holding onto her wrist.
“Stop it!” Amara snapped, smacking his shoulder lightly.
But Jasper was far too drunk to care.
Still rambling, he suddenly tugged her arm harder.
Amara lost her balance with a startled gasp and fell right on top of him.
At that exact moment—
A cold voice suddenly came from the doorway behind them.
“Your business partner is way too clingy, isn’t he?”
Amara jumped so hard at the sudden voice behind her that her entire body trembled.
She immediately twisted around, her eyes widening in shock the second she saw Elias standing in the doorway.
Then irritation quickly replaced it.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she snapped, pressing a hand against her chest as she tried to calm her racing heartbeat. “How did you even get inside?”
Elias didn’t answer her.
Not even a glance.
His eyes remained fixed on Jasper lying on the bed, and the deadly look on his face made Amara roll her eyes in frustration.
She quickly pulled herself away from Jasper before marching toward Elias. Planting both hands on her waist, she glared up at him.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” she scolded angrily. “Do you seriously think breaking into someone’s house is normal? You entered my apartment without permission!”
Still, Elias stayed silent.
His expression didn’t soften even slightly.
Amara narrowed her eyes harder. “Who gave you the password to my apartment?”
But instead of answering her question, Elias slowly lifted his hand and pointed toward Jasper sprawled across the bed.
“What the hell is he doing in your house?” he demanded coldly.
Before Amara could even answer, Elias’s eyes swept around the room.
Then his expression changed instantly.
There were Jasper’s things everywhere.
His jacket tossed over the chair.
His watch lying on the side table.
A few photographs scattered near the shelf.
The more Elias noticed, the darker his face became.
His jaw clenched so tightly that the muscles visibly twitched.
He turned his head toward Amara, disbelief and fury flashing in his eyes.
“That bastard lives in this apartment with you?” he said sharply, his voice rising in shock. “What the hell is going on here?”
He stepped closer to her, his dark eyes filled with obvious jealousy.
“I asked you to come home with me,” he growled. “Is this why you kept refusing? So you could live here with this goddamn manchild?”
Amara’s expression instantly hardened.
“It’s none of your business,” she shot back. “You’re the one trespassing here, Elias.”
She tried to move past him, but Elias immediately grabbed her wrist and pulled her back toward him.
“It is my business,” he snapped, his voice low and dangerous. “You’re coming home with me right now.”
Amara stared at him in disbelief.
“You don’t get to live with another man,” Elias continued angrily. “I’m your husband. The only man you will ever live with is me!”
His grip tightened around her wrist.
“If you don’t want to stay at the old house, fine. I’ll buy you another one. I’ll buy you an entire apartment building if I have to.” His voice grew more frustrated with every word. “Just come live with me.”
Amara immediately shoved at his hand.
“Have you forgotten that we’re divorced?” she snapped loudly, yanking her arm free before pushing her hair back from her face in frustration. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Elias? Leave. This is my house.”
Elias stared at her for a second before suddenly scoffing.
“You’re my wife, so whatever belongs to you belongs to me,” he said stubbornly.
Amara looked completely speechless at his logic.
“So if this is your house,” Elias continued confidently, “then this is my house too.”
Before Amara could stop him, Elias suddenly stormed toward the bed.
Jasper was still sprawled there half-drunk and barely conscious.
Without hesitation, Elias climbed onto the bed and flopped down right beside him.
“I’m sleeping here tonight,” he declared nonchalantly.
“What the hell?!”
Amara immediately snapped, her voice rising in disbelief.
She marched over to the bed and grabbed his arm, trying to yank him back up. “This is Jasper’s bed. Get up and leave right now.”
But Elias refused to move.
Instead, he adjusted himself more comfortably against the pillow and shut his eyes like he was already deeply asleep. He even let out an exaggerated slow breath, pretending to sleep peacefully.
Amara stared at him in disbelief.
“Are you fucking serious right now?” she snapped, tugging harder on his arm. “Don’t pretend to be asleep. Nobody falls asleep in five seconds!”
Elias remained completely motionless.
Not even a twitch.
Amara was still trying to drag him off the bed when more footsteps echoed through the apartment.
She turned around sharply and saw Felix entering the room.
Immediately, she pointed toward the bed with pure frustration written all over her face.
“Take your boss back to his own house, Felix,” she snapped. “He’s acting like a child.”
Felix glanced toward the bed.
At that exact moment, Elias cracked one eye open slightly and subtly pointed toward the door, silently ordering Felix to leave.
Felix instantly straightened.
Turning back toward Amara with the most serious expression he could manage, Felix cleared his throat softly.
“Mrs. Creed…” he started carefully. “Maybe you should just let Mr. Creed sleep here tonight.”
Amara looked at him like he had lost his mind.
Felix forced out an awkward smile. “Mr. Creed has been under a lot of stress lately. He really hasn’t been sleeping properly since you left.”
On the bed, Elias remained perfectly still.
Felix continued speaking with a painfully sincere face.
“I think he’s just really exhausted,” he added. “And honestly… it wouldn’t be nice to wake him up now after he finally managed to fall asleep.”
Amara immediately stepped closer with narrowed eyes.
“What does his sleeping problem have to do with me?” she demanded. “What exactly did I do?”
Felix’s expression instantly became dramatic.
“It’s because of you,” he said with a sigh, lowering his head slightly like a man burdened by tragedy. “Mr. Creed has been really worried about you. He’s used to having you around all the time, and now that you’re gone…” He shook his head sadly. “He’s been under a lot of stress.”
Amara crossed her arms over her chest, clearly unimpressed.
Felix kept going anyway.
“I honestly think it would be better if he stayed near you for a little while,” he insisted. “We have a really important business meeting in a few days, and if he keeps losing sleep like this, the deal might fail.”
Then he added even more seriously, “Even the doctor said his lack of sleep is starting to affect his health.”
Amara closed her eyes and took a deep breath, clearly trying not to lose her temper.
Meanwhile, Felix secretly glanced toward the bed.
Elias had opened one eye again.
This time, he gave Felix a subtle thumbs up.
Felix almost grinned.
He quickly hid his smile and turned back toward Amara with a serious face again.
For a second, Felix genuinely thought she might give in.
But then—
“I do not care.”
Amara opened her eyes and pointed directly at Elias.
“Pick him up and take him away right now.”
Her voice came out sharp and frustrated as she planted both hands on her waist.
Felix froze.
When he realized she genuinely wasn’t budging, he immediately took a cautious step backward.
“Mrs. Creed…” he started nervously. “I-I’m sorry, but I think I have to go.”
Amara frowned. “What?”
Felix suddenly lifted his phone and stared at the completely black screen as if it were ringing.
“Oh no,” he said. “I’m getting a call.”
Amara looked at the phone in disbelief.
“I really need to rush home,” Felix continued hurriedly while backing toward the door. “I have a date with my wife.”
Then he turned around and practically sprinted out of the room.
Behind him, Amara shouted furiously—
“You don’t even have a wife! I know you aren’t married!”
A loud slam echoed through the apartment as the front door shut behind Felix.