Chapter 3 Three

Elara knew Mrs. Gable didn't want to be indebted to anyone, but she wasn't some outsider-she was her own daughter.

Leo sat nearby, listening to their conversation, feeling utterly useless. He stole a glance at Elara, then blushed and lowered his head, silently vowing to become successful so he could protect and take care of this beautiful sister.

...

After convincing Mrs. Gable, Elara sold two more precious stones, bought a spacious apartment in the capital under a secure alias, and arranged for a flawless new identity for herself.

She was no longer the timid, weak Elara of old. She was now the vengeful Elara Thorne. Her next step was to devise a meticulous plan to bring ruin to her ex-husband's family and his beloved first love.

Elara glanced at her phone screen. Displayed was a dossier on Balthazar Winchester, chairman of the Winthrop Group, and coincidentally... Isolde's ex-boyfriend.

She had learned that three months after her disappearance, Cassian Sterling-her ex-husband-had obtained a unilateral divorce and married his first love, Isolde. But Elara knew Isolde could never truly forget the man she had lost, and as fate would have it, Balthazar Winchester was now Cassian Sterling's most formidable business rival.

After a decade in the Celestial Spire, the skill she had perfected most was the art of captivating men, of weaving a spell that made them lose all reason. She could only imagine the exquisite torment Isolde would suffer once the man she still pined for became utterly enthralled by Elara.

"Hey, miss, why are you standing here? The wind is strong; you might catch a cold."

Suddenly, a young man's voice interrupted her thoughts. Elara turned to see a hauntingly familiar face.

The young man rushed over and, with an air of chivalry, draped his coat over Elara's shoulders. "It's late, why are you still out here..." he began, but his words died in his throat as he got a clear look at her. He stood frozen, staring in disbelief. He had never seen anyone so breathtakingly beautiful before.

"Are you an angel?" the young man mumbled, his voice barely a whisper.

A soft, calculated smile touched Elara's lips. She reached out and gently cupped the young man's chin, her touch feather-light. Got you, little brother-in-law, she thought coldly.

This was Keith, Cassian's younger brother. As she looked at him, a torrent of bitter memories surged forth. When she had been married into the Sterling family, he had been a relentless tormentor, using her plain appearance as his favorite target for bullying and ridicule-"cow," "fatty," "stupid fool." The cruel insults were endless, none fitting for a brother-in-law to hurl at his elder brother's wife.

He had even, on occasion, deliberately tripped her or "accidentally" spilled drinks on her, leaving her humiliated, only for her to be the one scolded by her mother-in-law and Cassian for being clumsy.

Elara felt no affection whatsoever for Keith. He was firmly on her list for retribution. When Cassian and Isolde had rekindled their affair, Keith was the first to openly champion their cause. He had even suggested, in a voice dripping with malice, that they should "sell the boring wife to a brothel" to clear the way for his brother to marry his "true love" without complication.

Since he had shown no mercy, she could not be blamed for being ruthless in return. And now, it seemed the fates had delivered him to her, already half-enchanted.

Elara's finger still rested under Keith's chin. He was blushing furiously, stammering as he asked, "Um... excuse me, miss..."

She withdrew her hand, snapping back to the present. She could see the clear disappointment on his face at the loss of contact. She gave a faint, enigmatic smile. "I thought you looked familiar, like someone I used to know."

Keith hurriedly waved his hands. "No... no, I'm sure we've never met. If I had known someone as beautiful as you, I would never have forgotten."

"Is that so?" Elara's smile was cool. "Well, it's probably better that we don't know each other."

With that, she handed Keith his jacket and turned to leave. He quickly scrambled after her. "Wait! Where are you going? It's dangerous for a woman to be out alone at night. Let me give you a ride."

Elara kept walking, her voice dismissive. "No need."

Undeterred by her indifference, Keith persisted, following closely. "Is there anything I can help you with? Anything at all."

Elara stopped abruptly and turned to face him, her twilight eyes locking onto his. "I need money. Give me some."

It wasn't a request to borrow, nor was it a plea-it was a direct, blunt demand. The sheer audacity of it left Keith flustered for a moment.

Seeing his hesitation, Elara turned and continued walking without another word. Keith, regaining his senses, hurried after her. As he walked, he pulled a thick wad of cash from his wallet and thrust it toward her.

"I... I only have about two thousand in cash on me. Wait here, there's an ATM nearby. I can withdraw more for you!"

Elara stopped. Keith let out a puff of breath, surprised that his stamina was no match for hers; she looked completely unbothered, while he was slightly winded.

"If you're not going to get the money, I'm leaving," she stated flatly.

Hearing this, Keith sprinted to the ATM, withdrawing a thousand dollars-the maximum his weekly allowance would allow without triggering a parental alert. He ran back and handed the fresh bills to her.

She accepted the stack of cash without a word of thanks and without hesitation. As she moved to hail a passing taxi, Keith grabbed her wrist.

"Where are you going? I just gave you the money," he said, confusion and desperation in his voice.

Elara frowned and elegantly extracted her wrist from his grasp. "What? Do you expect me to sleep with you to pay off this 'debt'?"

Keith's face turned a deep, mortified crimson. "No! I... I would never! I just... I wanted to know where you're staying. How to contact you."

Elara looked down, feigning thought for a moment, before replying, "I don't have a phone at the moment. I was planning to find a hotel. Once I'm settled, I'll find a way to repay you."

When Keith heard she had no place to stay, his eyes widened in shock. How could a woman like her be adrift in the city with no home? A terrifying thought occurred to him: had she escaped from traffickers?

Driven by a sudden, chivalrous impulse, he grabbed her hand again, more gently this time, and pulled her toward his parked sports car. After guiding her into the plush passenger seat, he said, "Don't worry. I'll take you somewhere safe."

Without waiting for her protest, he climbed into the driver's seat beside her.

"Take us to my apartment near the university," Keith instructed his waiting driver, his voice firm, his heart hammering with a mix of excitement and a hero complex he didn't understand.