Chapter 16 #3
She pointed toward the door where Xavier had left, looking genuinely horrified.
"I only agreed to marry him because I thought I would become a rich wife and take over all of his money and business. That's the whole point!"
She placed a hand over her chest dramatically.
"But him? No. He's not even my type."
Her expression immediately changed as she thought about it.
"I like younger men. Sweet men. The kind who are clingy and affectionate and actually know how to make a woman feel loved."
For a moment, she looked completely dreamy, but then she quickly shook herself and looked back at Elise with determination.
"Still, I won't give up on this. No matter what."
She lifted her chin proudly.
"There are things in life that are bigger than money, and I—"
Before she could finish, Elise quietly pulled out her phone.
Astrid stopped mid-sentence as Elise scrolled through it for a few seconds before turning the screen toward her.
"Look."
Astrid blinked.
On the screen were photographs of exquisite jewelry pieces—diamonds, rare gemstones, and elegant designs that looked like they belonged in a private collection rather than a normal jewelry store.
"This is the jewelry collection Xavier's parents prepared for his future bride," Elise explained as she swiped through the pictures one by one. "These are some of the things she will receive."
The rest of Astrid's sentence completely disappeared.
Her eyes widened.
She leaned closer to the phone.
Then closer.
And within seconds, all traces of her previous panic vanished.
She practically snatched the phone from Elise's hand and began scrolling through the pictures herself, staring at each piece with complete fascination.
The diamonds reflected in her eyes as she examined every detail carefully, looking like she was seconds away from drooling over the jewelry.
"Wow..."
Her voice had completely changed.
"This is..."
She swallowed, still staring at the screen.
"This is incredible."
A moment later, as if she had forgotten everything she had said only seconds ago, she looked back at Elise with a bright smile.
"All right." She nodded firmly. "I'll do it."
Elise raised an eyebrow.
Astrid hugged the phone closer to herself.
"I guess I can make some sacrifices for money. It's fine. I'll compromise. I'll sleep with Xavier."
***
Darkness had settled over Manhattan by the time Benjamin steered the Rolls-Royce away from Chen Group headquarters.
Unlike that morning, the back seat felt unusually empty.
Elise wasn't there.
She had already left for the mansion in a cab before Xavier had come downstairs. The moment Benjamin had informed him, an inexplicable irritation had settled over him, one that had only grown stronger with every passing minute.
The city lights streaked past the tinted windows while silence settled heavily inside the cabin.
Yet despite the silence, Elise's presence lingered.
The faint floral perfume he had sprayed in the car that morning still hung in the air. It was soft, delicate. The one she wore often. Every breath Xavier took carried traces of her, making it impossible to push her from his mind.
His jaw tightened.
It had only been two days since Astrid had moved into the mansion, yet Elise refused to leave his thoughts.
She was all he could think about.
What he couldn't understand was her complete lack of jealousy.
She had watched another woman move into her boyfriend’s home and stand beside him, yet she hadn't argued with him. She hadn't cried. She hadn't demanded an explanation. If anything, she had accepted it with a quiet smile that disturbed him far more than tears ever could.
It wasn't supposed to happen like this.
She was supposed to be angry.
She was supposed to fight for him.
Instead, she had simply... let him go.
The realization twisted something deep inside his chest.
An unfamiliar ache spread through him, tightening until it became difficult to ignore. Xavier lifted a hand and absently rubbed over his heart, his brows knitting together. For the first time in years, he couldn't understand what his own emotions were trying to tell him.
His gaze eventually drifted to the phone resting beside him.
Without thinking, he unlocked it and opened his photo gallery.
His thumb stopped on Elise's picture.
For a long moment, he simply stared. Then, almost unconsciously, his thumb brushed gently across her face on the screen.
She was smiling.
A soft, genuine smile that reached her eyes. He realized with a sharp pang that he could no longer remember the last time she had smiled at him like that.
These days she still smiled...
But it wasn't for him.
Not anymore.
It felt as though she was slipping farther away every single day, like smoke escaping through his fingers no matter how tightly he tried to hold on. And for the first time in his life, the thought of losing someone filled him with a quiet, suffocating fear.
A short while later, the black Rolls-Royce pulled to a stop in front of Phantom, the city's most exclusive private club. Its name glowed against the darkness, the sleek black facade illuminated by soft golden lights as luxury cars lined the entrance.
Benjamin glanced into the rearview mirror.
"Mr. Chen," he said respectfully. "We're here."
Xavier slowly came back to reality, his thumb still resting against Elise's photograph.
For a long moment, he simply stared at the screen before locking the phone and slipping it back into his pocket. Whatever was twisting inside his chest hadn't eased. If anything, it had only grown worse.