Chapter 19 #2
And for the first time in years, Elias finally understood how deeply he had destroyed the woman he loved
Every word stabbed into his chest.
He lowered his head, his shoulders shaking violently as tears spilled uncontrollably from his eyes.
A broken sound escaped his throat, rough and uneven, but he still kept eating.
He shoveled another mouthful of the spicy curry into his mouth recklessly, barely chewing, as if he was trying to choke down the pain inside him. The burning spice tore through his throat and chest, making his eyes sting even harder, but he didn’t stop.
Tears continued falling onto the table and into the food untouched as his trembling hand tightened around the spoon.
His phone kept ringing loudly on the table beside him.
Again.
And again.
And again.
But Elias couldn’t bring himself to answer it.
Finally, with shaking hands, he grabbed the phone and threw it into the bowl of water nearby.
The screen instantly went dark.
A while later, the front door burst open.
Cassian stormed inside and immediately froze after seeing Elias’s condition.
Elias looked completely wrecked. His shirt was messy, his eyes bloodshot, and his face was flushed red while tears still clung to his lashes.
Cassian frowned deeply.
“Have you completely lost your damn mind?” he snapped, walking toward him.
Elias leaned back weakly in the chair without answering.
Cassian looked at the bottles scattered everywhere before glaring at him again.
“If you love her this much, then why the hell are you sitting here destroying yourself?” he demanded. “Why don’t you just confess that you have always been in love with her and fix things?”
Elias laughed bitterly, but the sound was broken.
“How am I supposed to face her now?” he asked hoarsely.
His eyes lowered painfully.
“You didn’t see the texts she sent me.”
His voice cracked.
“She went through everything alone while I kept hurting her.”
He pressed a trembling hand against his chest.
“It’s killing me from the inside.”
Cassian’s expression softened slightly, but his voice remained firm.
“Then get yourself together and fix it instead of drowning in regret.”
He grabbed Elias by the shoulder roughly.
“You still have a chance because she’s still single. But if you keep sitting here feeling guilty instead of fighting for her, then one day you’ll lose her for real.”
Elias stayed silent for a long moment.
Pain, guilt, and fear filled his eyes.
But more than anything, the thought of losing Amara forever—of her never being his again—made something dark and restless tighten inside him.
His jaw clenched.
“I’ll bring her back home.”
***
“Mr. Creed?”
Felix’s trembling voice came from the doorway of the CEO office as he cautiously stepped inside.
The sharp tapping of Elias’s pen stopped.
Elias lifted his head from the pile of documents spread across his desk. His cold gaze landed directly on Felix, heavy enough to make Felix’s throat tighten instantly.
For a second, the entire office fell silent.
Felix forced his legs to keep moving even though every instinct in his body was screaming at him to turn around and leave.
Ever since Elias had discovered that Felix had placed Amara’s messages into the restricted list, Felix was living in constant fear. The worst part was that Elias still hadn’t punished him.
That silence was more terrifying than anger.
It felt like Elias was deliberately dragging it out, carefully deciding what kind of punishment would hurt the most before finally delivering it.
Felix felt like he was walking around with a blade hanging over his neck.
He swallowed nervously and approached the desk, holding the file tightly enough for his knuckles to pale.
“This…” Felix cleared his throat before speaking again, trying to steady his voice. “This is the restaurant chain Mrs. Creed wanted to acquire.”
Elias said nothing, his expression unreadable.
Felix quickly continued before the silence suffocated him.
“They were facing financial and operational issues, but I negotiated a new offer this morning. They accepted and agreed to tonight’s meeting.”
Elias finally lowered his eyes to the file.
His fingers lazily flipped through a few pages before he leaned back in his chair. Without another word, he picked up his phone and called Amara.
The moment she answered, her annoyed voice came through immediately.
“Yes?”
Elias leaned back comfortably, one arm resting on the chair as he spoke calmly.
“You want the Magnolia’s restaurant chain, don’t you?” he said as he adjusted the cuff of his sleeve before glancing at her. “There’s a business dinner tonight for its acquisition. The owners will be there. Come with me. They’ll sign on your terms.”
“No.”
The rejection came instantly.
Elias’s brows lifted faintly in amusement.
He slowly spun the pen between his fingers before speaking again in a smooth, almost lazy voice.
“You sure?”
Amara instantly sensed danger in his tone.
Elias tilted his head slightly, his eyes darkening.
“Because I suddenly feel like talking to your parents about all the things you’ve been hiding from them lately.”
There was complete silence on the other end.
Then—
“You’re such a shameless bastard.”
Her furious voice made the corner of Elias’s lips curl upward slightly.
“I’ll pick you up at seven.”
He ended the call before she could continue yelling.
Felix stood there quietly, watching the faint smirk on Elias’s face with absolute disbelief.
The man looked terrifying one second and strangely satisfied the next.
That evening, a black limo stopped outside Amara’s apartment building.
A few seconds later, Amara stepped out of the building.
She was dressed elegantly in a soft champagne-colored blouse beneath a fitted cream suit jacket, paired with a sleek black skirt that fell just above her knees.
Nude heels clicked against the pavement as she walked toward the car, a delicate gold chain resting against her collarbone and adding warmth to her otherwise professional look.
The evening lights reflected softly against her loose hair as the cold breeze brushed past her, but her expression remained calm and composed as she approached the limo.
Felix quickly stepped out and opened the back door respectfully.
“Mrs. Creed.”
Amara paused midway before entering the car. Her expression immediately flattened.
“It’s Ms. Hawk now, Felix.”
Felix froze for half a second.
Sweat practically formed on his back.
“…Yes, Miss Hawk.”
Inside the car, Elias’s jaw tightened slightly at her words. His eyes briefly lifted toward her, dark and displeased, but he didn’t say anything.
Amara climbed into the limo without sparing him another glance.
The partition separating the driver’s seat from the back was already raised, leaving the two of them alone in the enclosed space.
The atmosphere instantly became heavy.
Amara deliberately sat near the window, crossing her arms tightly as she looked outside.
Elias watched her quietly for a few seconds.
Then he loosened his tie slightly and leaned back against the seat, his long fingers lazily adjusting the collar of his shirt.
“You know,” he said casually, his deep voice filling the quiet car, “for someone pretending to hate me, you seem very comfortable being trapped alone with me in a closed space.”
Amara turned to stare at him.
“Trapped?” she scoffed. “You used to lock yourself in the bathroom and refuse to come out if I accidentally walked in while you were showering.”
Her eyes narrowed mockingly.
“And now you think I’d be worried about sitting with you in a car?”
A low chuckle escaped Elias’s throat.
His gaze slowly swept over her face before he leaned slightly closer.
“That was before.”
Amara instantly became alert when his fingers moved to the buttons of his shirt.
Elias began unbuttoning his shirt, his eyes never leaving her face.
Every movement was dangerously confident.
Amara instantly stiffened beside the window, her brows pulling together as she looked at him like he had finally lost his mind.
“What exactly are you doing?” she asked cautiously.
Elias ignored the warning in her voice.
Instead, he shifted closer.
The leather seat dipped beneath his weight as he moved over her, one arm bracing beside her shoulder while the other reached for her wrist before she could react.
Amara’s breath caught.
“Elias—”
He ignored the warning in her voice completely.
His fingers wrapped firmly around her hand before he guided it beneath the open collar of his shirt and pressed her palm flat against his bare chest.
Warm skin.
Strong heartbeat.
Amara immediately tried to yank her hand back, but Elias only tightened his grip slightly, his dark eyes fixed on her flushed face.
The intensity in his gaze made heat rush straight to her cheeks.
“You’re insane,” she snapped, avoiding his eyes. “We’re literally on the way to a business dinner.”
A lazy grin spread across Elias’s lips.
“And?”
Amara glared at him harder, embarrassed by how steady his heartbeat felt beneath her palm.
“Can you act professional for once?”
Elias leaned even closer until his breath brushed against her skin.
“You’re my wife,” he said quietly. “I don’t need to be professional around you.”
Before she could argue again, Elias lowered his head and caught her lips in a hard, sudden kiss.
Amara barely had time to react before his hand slid around her waist and pulled her sharply against him. Her breath broke against his mouth as her back pressed into the seat, his body leaning over hers, taking space, taking control. The limo felt smaller instantly, the air thick with him.
His lips moved over hers with urgency and hunger.
He took her lower lip into his mouth, sucking softly before letting go, only to press in again with his tongue, dragging it over the same spot as if memorizing her.
His hand at her waist tightened, fingers pressing into her as if he was making sure she stayed right there.
Amara tried to push at his shoulder, weak and unsteady.