Chapter 14 #2
Amara stared at him for a second, then rolled her eyes. “I don’t care.”
Elias’s expression didn’t even change. He leaned his head back slightly against the couch, completely unfazed.
“Fine,” he said simply. “Then I’m not leaving.”
Amara exhaled sharply, visibly done with him.
“God, you are unbelievable,” she muttered.
In the next second, she strode over to him.
Before Elias could even react, she grabbed his hand and yanked him forward, her other hand snatching his coat and tie from the coffee table.
“Amara—” he started, but she didn’t let him finish.
She dragged him toward the door with firm, determined steps. Elias stumbled slightly behind her, forced to follow as she pulled him along.
She swung the door open and shoved him outside without hesitation.
Then she shoved his coat and tie into his arms.
“Leave,” she snapped. “I have work to do. I don’t have time for this nonsense.”
Elias straightened, adjusting his balance. He glanced at her, still looking unbothered despite being thrown out.
“I’m going to live with you,” he said calmly, as if continuing an earlier conversation. “You can’t just kick me out like this. I’ll have my driver take you wherever you want, but we are not done talking.”
Amara didn’t even let him finish.
She grabbed his shoulders and pushed him fully out onto the landing.
“Goodbye,” she said coldly.
The door slammed shut in his face.
A beat of silence followed.
Elias let out a frustrated breath, running a hand through his hair as he turned away. Even though he clearly didn’t want to leave, he eventually walked away.
It was evening when his car rolled up outside the same apartment building, coming to a smooth stop at the curb.
Felix glanced out the window from the driver’s seat, confusion flickering across his face. Then he turned toward Elias, alarmed.
“Mr. Creed… isn’t that Mr. Bishop?”
Elias straightened immediately in his seat.
His eyes followed Felix’s gaze.
Outside the building stood Maverick.
He was holding a bouquet of flowers casually in one hand, as if he had all the time in the world.
Elias’s expression darkened.
Without a word, he pushed the car door open and stepped out, slipping his phone into his pocket carelessly as he walked forward.
His pace quickened.
“Maverick?” Elias’s voice cut sharply through the air. “What are you doing here?”
Maverick turned at the sound.
He looked Elias over slowly—calm, unbothered, almost amused.
He was dressed in a simple black T-shirt and jeans. His hair, slightly overgrown and swept back, brushed his neck, giving him a relaxed, effortless look that somehow made him more striking.
A faint, indifferent smile tugged at his lips as he shifted the bouquet slightly in his hand.
Elias stopped right in front of him.
For a brief second, his eyes flicked toward the apartment entrance behind Maverick.
Then back to him.
His brows lifted slightly.
“Tell me,” Elias said lowly. “What the hell is going on?”
Maverick looked at Elias with a completely unbothered expression, as if the tension in the air meant nothing to him.
“What do you think I’m doing? Isn’t it obvious?” He said casually. Then he tilted his head slightly, glancing down at the bouquet in his hand. His tone was light, almost teasing. “I’m going on a date.”
Elias’s jaw tightened instantly.
For a second, he didn’t move. Then something in it shifted, like a curtain dropping over his face. The calm vanished, replaced by something darker.
He stepped forward, invading Maverick’s space.
His voice dropped dangerously. “Don’t get involved in Amara’s life. She has nothing to do with what happened that night.”
Maverick raised his eyebrows slightly, completely unfazed.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said simply, his expression innocent.
That only made Elias’s irritation spike.
“She has nothing to do with Zoe,” Elias snapped. “She didn’t know anything that happened that night. Stay away from her. I’m warning you—don’t even think about getting close to her.”
For the first time, Maverick’s smile disappeared.
A sharp flicker of anger crossed his face.
“Oh?” he let out a short, disbelieving laugh. “I’ll take back what your precious wife took away from me.”
Elias’s eyes turned cold. “She didn’t take anything from you. It was an accident.”
Maverick’s gaze hardened further. He stepped closer suddenly, closing the distance in a quick, aggressive movement. His hand shot out, grabbing Elias by the collar of his shirt and jerking him slightly forward.
Their faces were now close enough for the tension between them to snap at any second.
Maverick’s eyes darkened as he growled, “I’ll judge it myself. It has nothing to do with you.”
His grip tightened as he leaned in slightly, voice turning sharp with fury. “And don’t forget… I haven’t forgotten how quick you are to take sides when it suits you, you arrogant asshole.”
His jaw clenched hard. “I haven’t forgotten how you chose Amara over me—how you got married instead of helping me get my revenge. You dropped a friendship of decades… over a woman. You fucking traitor!”
Before Elias could respond, the sharp echo of footsteps rang out from the entrance of the apartment building.
Both men turned sharply.
Amara stepped out.
Her hair was loose, falling over her shoulders, and she was dressed in a grey sleeveless casual dress with a square neckline—nothing formal, just effortless and unpolished.
She stopped when she saw them too close, tension instantly registering in her eyes.
Maverick immediately released Elias’s collar and stepped back, turning smoothly as if nothing had happened. The anger vanished from his face, replaced by calm composure and a polite smile.
Elias also took a step back, straightening his shirt, his expression tightening as he looked away for a fraction of a second.
Amara glanced between them, unimpressed.
Neither of them said anything.
Then she looked at Maverick and smiled lightly.
“Mr. Bishop, you’re early.”
Maverick lifted the bouquet a little, offering it to her with an effortless smile.
The flowers were fresh and carefully arranged—soft cream and blush petals wrapped neatly in elegant paper, still carrying the faint fragrance of dew.
“I didn’t want to keep you waiting,” he said casually.
“The deal is important to me too, so I’ll help however I can as your partner. ”
Amara returned the smile politely.
“I’ve already arranged a reservation for us at the restaurant,” she said. “You didn’t have to come pick me up personally.”
Maverick gave a small, relaxed smile, completely unfazed by the tension.
“It’s not a big deal,” he said lightly. “I’m glad to be here.”
Elias’s fingers curled tightly at his sides.
His gaze sharpened as he stared at both of them—Maverick and Amara—like he was forcing himself not to react. His jaw flexed once, controlled but strained.
Maverick didn’t even glance at him.
Amara, on the other hand, acted as if he wasn’t there at all.
That silence was what finally broke Elias’s restraint.
He stepped forward abruptly, sliding himself between them.
“Enough.”
With a quick motion, he reached out and snatched the bouquet from Amara’s hands.
“Maverick,” he said coldly, tossing the flowers back toward him.
Maverick caught them instinctively, his expression shifting only slightly.
At the same time, Elias grabbed Amara gently but firmly by the shoulder and pulled her a step behind him, placing himself between her and Maverick.
“She doesn’t need your help with anything,” Elias said, voice low and firm. “I’ll handle whatever deal she needs. You can leave.”
Amara’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Stop it,” she snapped, pushing at his chest. “This has nothing to do with you. It’s my business.”
But Elias didn’t move.
He stood his ground, blocking her completely.
“Elias, stop it,” she repeated, this time more forceful, shoving him again.
Elias finally turned his head toward her.
“I already told you,” he said sharply. “I will give you a better deal. Stop involving yourself with strangers!”
Maverick, who had been silent until now, gave Amara a faint smile.
“Let’s not waste our time here,” he said calmly. “Ready to leave?”
Then he lifted a hand, subtly reaching toward Amara’s arm again.
Before his fingers could touch her—
Elias moved.
In one quick step, he intercepted him, knocking Maverick’s hand aside.
The air shifted instantly.
Elias leaned in slightly, his voice dropping into something cold and absolute.
“I will break your hand.”
There was no humor in it.
A tense silence followed.
Amara exhaled sharply, clearly overwhelmed now. She turned toward Maverick with an apologetic look.
“Mr. Bishop… maybe we should reschedule. Let’s meet next Monday instead. I don’t think we can properly discuss anything like this right now.”
She forced a polite smile.
“Let me know what time works for you.”
Before Maverick could respond, Elias lifted two fingers subtly toward Felix, who was standing near the car.
Felix immediately understood.
He turned away and quickly made a call.
Seconds later—
Maverick’s phone rang.
He paused mid-sentence, frowned slightly, and looked down at the screen.
The name flashing across the screen made his expression darkened instantly. He pulled out his phone and answered the call, listening in silence for a few seconds before ending it abruptly. His jaw tightened, tension flickering across his face.
Then he looked back at Amara.
“I have to leave for now,” he said in a controlled voice. “Let’s talk later about scheduling our meeting. I’m sure we can have a peaceful discussion once you and I are both available… and without anyone else interfering.”
Amara smiled politely at him right away. “Of course. Yes, that sounds great.”