Chapter 41
Elara
We reached home in a few minutes, and I was annoyed to see River in the lobby of the penthouse building.
‘Zuriel, does she stay in this building, too?’ I ask, annoyed. The woman walks to us with a smile.
I’m still waiting for Zuriel to speak, but he doesn’t. He looks incredibly uncomfortable.
‘Hi, Rommies,’ River waves, and I flip. I scowl at Zuriel.
‘No, no. Zuriel,’ I say with tears in my eyes. I don’t want her in my new home. I don’t care if he thinks I’m being inconsiderate of his ex after everything she has been through.
Zuriel raises his hand to caress my face, but I revolt against him.
‘I don’t want her here,’ I whisper. I’m unable to hide it. This woman gives me a bad vibe, and I know she will ruin whatever progress we’ve made thus far.Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.
‘I know you don’t like me because of my history with Zuriel, but I can’t be alone now. I get so frightened,’ she croaked on the verge of tears.
‘Please, I don’t want to stay with strangers. I have no family anymore,’ she cries.
I turn my face away from her. She was truly unsettling me. I sympathize with what happened to her, but I don’t want her close to my husband. I want her out of my husband’s life!
‘Princess, she’s just staying until she completes her therapy sessions,’ Zuriel says, his voice soft. He sounded worried about me. I don’t say a word. I only purse my lips and head for the elevator.
Once in the living room of the penthouse, three people are waiting for me.
They bow and smile politely at me.
The man in an impeccable suit steps forward to introduce himself.
‘Hello, Ma’am. My name is Lou. I’m the butler around here. I’m at your service 24/7,’
I smile with a small nod. He steps back in line.
An older woman with black hair steps forward. She is a little plump with an hourglass figure. She has one of the warmest smiles,
‘Welcome to your home, my Princess. I’m Laban,’ she says, ‘I’m the chef, and I make sure that one over there does a good job with her cleaning. She’s my daughter, Miel,’ Leban points to the lovely young woman. They did have similar features indeed, except she was lean and taller. Their hair color is different, too. Miel has curly brown hair.
‘Hello, Princess! It’s an honor to serve you. I’ve been wanting to-‘ Miel starts, but her mother interrupts her,
‘Dear, let’s go get started on dinner!’
Miel frowns and side-eyes her mom before she bows to me.
‘It’s nice to meet you, Miel,’ I say. Her big honey eyes lit up in excitement. She bows over and over again. I suppress a chuckle.
‘Mama, can I show the Princess to her new room?’ she asks.
‘I’m sure she knows where it is,’ Leban says.
‘No, show me, please,’
As we went upstairs, Miel couldn’t stop talking about how excited she was that I was there. The workers were sent from the Crawford manor by Zuriel’s mother.
‘Miss River does as if she’s the mistress of the house. Now that you’re here, let’s see how she’ll be snapping,’
‘Is River unkind?’ I ask. She glances around the hallway before nodding.
‘She’s very rude. No one likes her,’
‘Well, she won’t be staying here for long,’ I sigh.
We reach the last room. It is Zuriel’s room,
‘Is this my room, too?’ I ask slowly.
‘Of course, silly! We are married to him now,’ Ara chimes in. She’s cheerful about it.
Miel looks at me in confusion before she nods. I open the room. To my surprise, it’s decorated with red roses. The ambiance is romantic. I blush deeply. Miel also flushes and smiles.
‘Lady Crawford asked us to decorate it like this. She’s excited, like everyone,’ she informs me. I sigh and thank her. I tour the room. It is lovely and has a huge space. There is a large canopy bed.
Many large windows illuminate the room with light. And I can see the whole pack from here.
There is a large walk-in closet and an ensuite bathroom.
I sit on the couch in my thoughts. I only break out of my thoughts when the door opens. Zuriel walks in. He sees me immediately. The truth is that I thought he would ignore me, but he came to me. My eyes widen when he crouches beside me.
‘You need to understand River. She was hurt because of me. I can’t turn her away just because we are married,’ he explains.
‘Zuriel, have consideration around me. How can you let her hug you like that? What articles will they write about when the press sees you,’ I say.
‘Have consideration?’ he scoffs, ‘I’ve been nothing but considerate of you,’
He gets to his feet, and so have I. I get offended. He made it sound like marrying me was a favor to me.
‘You had your chance not to be considerate, but you didn’t take it. You will respect our marriage and not be seen with her alone,’ I order. He snorts.
‘There’s nothing between River and I. You are my wife, Elara. I will never betray you,’ he says sternly. The sincerity in his eyes leaves no room for doubt.
Without saying another word, he leaves the room.