Chapter 5 Sweet War.

Eliara's POV

I woke up the morning after the wedding to the scent of leather, bergamot, and freshly brewed espresso.

Jasail had already left the bed, if you could call it "our" bed. We hadn't touched eachother He hadn't even looked at me too long. There was no pretense, no accidental brushing of fingers, no post-wedding bliss.

And yet, i felt more married than I had ever felt engaged to Alexander.

I walked out into the kitchen wrapped in silk, the cool marble floor grounding me. Jasail stood by the window, shirtless beneath an open robe, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a glass of black coffee like it was a weapon.

He didn't turn around when he spoke.

"Your sister is already sniffing."

My stomach clenched. "How?"

"She saw the news leak. A single photo. You in that dress, me in that suit and that's enough information even for the blind."

I moved and stood beside him. "That was fast."

"She's desperate. They always move quickly when the illusion starts to crack."

He turned to me, his gaze unreadable.

"You should call her."

I blinked, confused. "What for?"

"Because if we want this to work, we need to control the narrative and the best way to do that is to get her talking, watch her squirm."

"And if I break character?"

"You won't." he said it with the type of confidence I don't even have for myself.

"How are you so sure?"

"Because you don't want to be weak anymore."

He was right, and it terrified me.

Calling Serena felt like dialing the devil, she picked up in two rings, her tone chirpy with a fake layer of concern.

"Eliara! Oh my God! I saw the post, you got married?!"

I took a breath and smiled, letting the venom sit just beneath my words.

"Surprised?"

She laughed too hard. "To him? I mean... Jasail Lancaster? That's just.....wow."

"I didn't realize you followed his life so closely."

"Oh, please, everyone does. He's like a myth in a designer suit."

I heard the edge in her voice, tight, forced. She hated this, i was supposed to be shattered, not glowing, not suddenly married to her ex-fiancé's richer, more powerful brother.

"Well," I said, "you know me. I don't like to dwell in the past."

Silence. Then she asked, slowly, "Are you.....okay? I mean, after everything?"

I smiled like a knife. "I've never been better." and it was true.

Later that day, Jasail and I staged a public appearance. A high-profile charity auction, expensive gowns, cameras. The perfect opportunity to send a message.

We arrived in coordinated black, the kind of sleek elegance that turned heads and raised questions.

Jasail's hand hovered over the small of my back, never quite touching. I leaned into him just enough to suggest intimacy but left space, room for speculation. Every movement, every glance, was calculated.

Reporters swarmed. Flashbulbs flared.

"Mrs. Lancaster!" one shouted. "Is this a love match or a business merger?"

I turned, smile poised. "Why not have both?"

The cameras ate it up.

But the real storm was inside.

Because that's when I saw him.

Alexander.

Tall, Arrogant, Confused and Angry.

He wasn't supposed to be there.

His eyes locked on mine, then on Jasail lastly, on the ring on my finger.

His mask didn't crack, but his pupils narrowed like a predator caught in its own trap.

Jasail leaned in, his lips close to my ear, voice calm.

"Smile, wife. He's watching."

Alexander cornered me in the gallery hall near a sculpture of a woman wrapped in barbed wire, reminded me of how wanted me to be.

"Tell me this is a joke," he hissed.

I stared at him, calm. "It's not."

"You married Jasail? My fucking brother?"

"You mean the brother you never talk about? The one you pretended didn't exist because he made you feel small and..... Inferior?"

"You're not in your right mind."

I leaned in, my voice a purr. "Oh, but I am. You just don't like who I became without you, so sad."

His jaw clenched. "You're being manipulated."

"No. I'm choosing him. The same way you chose Serena and besides you look more manipulated than I am."

His expression darkened, but his voice lowered. "This is war now, Eliara."

I smiled. "Great, I had my armour polished"

Back in the limo, I collapsed against the seat, breath shallow. My body was vibrating from the adrenaline, my hands trembling.

Jasail sat beside me, silent.

"You knew he would be there," I accused.

He didn't deny it. "Yes."

"Why didn't you warn me?"

"Because you needed to see him, to feel what power tastes like, sweet isn't it?."

I stared at him. "You're not just out for revenge, are you?"

"No," he said. "This is strategy. But I won't lie. Watching him break is....satisfying."

There was something dangerous in his voice. Not angry but amused.

That scared me more than rage but boy do I like it? Yes I do.

"What if I fall apart?" I whispered.

jasail turned to me then, really looked at me, eyes soft but sharp.

"Then I'll pick you up. Not because I care but because you are mine now. And I don't let what's mine shatter."

It was twisted comfort. But in this world, that was enough.

The night ended with us back in the penthouse. I poured myself wine. Jasail stood behind me, arms folded, eyes unreadable.

"What happens next?" I asked.

"We push harder. We make the world love us. And then we make them fail"

"And if I want out?"

His voice dropped.

"Then you walk away powerful, untouchable, and feared."

I turned to face him. "And if I want more?"

He paused. "Then we rewrite the game."

Our eyes met. For a moment, I didn't know where the act ended and the truth began.

But I knew one thing for sure, i wasn't broken anymore, I was something else.

Something worse, sweet, something beautiful.