Shadows of the Past.
+25 BONUS
Elara sat down on her bed, tired of everything. She had tried calling Leah several times without success. Exhausted, she picked up her phone and dialed her friend Tessa’s number.
“Hello, baby girl,” Tessa said, picking up her phone on the first ring. “How is married life treating you?” Elara sighed. She had to confess that everything was tiring.
“It is tiring, Tessa,” she complained. “Everything.”
“What’s wrong?” Tessa,asked, sounding concerned.
“Nothing. Everything still feels unreal. The jewelry, the designer clothes, everything,” she responded.
“You know who you married, girl. It’s Damian Blackwood, the youngest billionaire and hot guy,” Tessa screamed, almost hurting her ears. “So many people think your marriage is loveless, given what happened between you and him in the past. I still can’t believe my friend married Damian.” Elara was silent. What others were thinking was right. They were right about their marriage. They both hated each other, but they didn’t have a choice but to marry and make use of themselves.
“When are you coming back, Tessa?” she asked, trying to change the topic. Explaining things to Tessa over the phone wasn’t the right choice. She needed to see her.
“I’ll be back in town tomorrow,” Tessa replied. Tessa came from a well–to–do family. She was the only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harrington. Tessa Harrington had been nothing but a good friend to her since they were in college. Elara had focused all her energy on her studies, earning a scholarship until she finished her education.
“I can’t wait to see you, honey,” she responded.
“Same here. I can’t wait to see you and, of course, hear how your love life begins with Damian,” she teased.
“I can’t wait to tell you everything, honey,” she responded.
After Elara finished her call with her friend, she ended the call. She sighed before placing her phone down. She was about to lie down on her bed when she heard a knock on the door.
“Who is there?” she asked, standing up to answer the door
“Mrs. Blackwood, it’s me,” the voice answered. Elara opened the door to find a maid standing in front of her. She was smiling.
“Joy, what brings you here?” Elara inquired.
“Ma’am, Mr. Blackwood needs your attention,” Joy replied, with a bright smile plastered on her face. Joy had a beautiful figure with golden hair and long eyelashes. She was dressed in a long white dress that accentuated her curves. Her skin was smooth, and she had a radiant glow about her. She was a picture of health and beauty. Her bright personality made Elara like her.
She expression tightened slightly, masking her initial surprise. She nodded and gathered her thoughts quickly. Thank you, Joy. I’ll head over to see him right away.”
“Yes, ma’am.” After Joy left, she went back inside. She needed to dress well. Damian insisted on Elara dressing well at all times because he believed that appearances reflected one’s self–respect and status. He thought that maintaining a polished look could influence how others perceived and treated her, which was crucial in their social circles.
She opened the closet filled with designer clothes her husband had bought for her. Elara chose a short red dress and put it on.
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1/3
Shadows of the Past
+25 BONUS
She admired herself in the mirror, then confidently chose matching earrings and heels that enhanced her elegance.
After she was done, she picked up her phone before walking to the door. She opened the door and headed to Damian’s study. Her heart raced with nervousness as she approached the study. With a heavy sigh, she knocked on the door of his study.
“Come in,” Damian answered from behind the door. Elara was about to open the door when her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and saw it was Leah, her former assistant.
“Hello, Leah,” site answered, picking up the call. “I’ve been trying to reach you.”
After minutes of silence, she spoke again. “Are you there?”
“Elara,” Leah finally spoke. “I saw your calls.” She whispered softly as if something was bothering her.
“Where are you?” she demanded, knowing her behavior was unusual. The Leah in her memories had always spoken with confidence.
“I’m sorry, I can’t talk right now,” Leah said, making her heart race. Was Leah in trouble? Did she cause Leah trouble? She remembered Leah was an orphan who had only a sick brother to take care of.
“Nothing, Elara. I’m fine. Do you have something to say? I saw your call.”
“Leah,” Elara asked, feeling troubled. “Are you sure you’re fine?”
“Yes,” Leah insisted.
“Elara,” Damian called, opening the door. “What are you doing?”
“As you can see, I am on a call.”
“Elara, I need to go. I’ll talk to you later.”
She was about to respond when the call ended. Something was amiss. Something was troubling Leah, and she needed to find out.
“Why do you need to see me?” she asked Damian, who was looking at her coldly as if she were prey.
“Come in,” he replied, walking back into his study. Elara followed him and closed the door.
“You need to see this,” Damian said, handing her the phone he was holding.
She was confused after seeing what he wanted her to watch.
“What’s this, Damian?”
Damian took a seat on the sofa, gesturing for Elara to sit as well. She sat down on the far end of the sofa.
“Come closer,” he stated.
“No, I prefer to sit here.” He watched her for a few moments before speaking.
“Did you call me here to see this?” she spat. Seeing Damian’s face every day made her feel irritated.
Damian, knowing that they were not outside to maintain their fake love, gave in to her.
“It’s time I kept my word, as you’ve kept yours,” he began. “I’ve been searching for the anonymous person who made that post online.” Her face brightened as he said this. She sat down eagerly, wanting to know what he was about to say next.
2/3
Shadows of the Past
+25 BONUS
“Have you caught him?” she inquired.
“No, not yet, but my men have been tracking him down. So far, we haven’t found out his information.”
“Really?” she asked, unintentionally moving closer to him. Her heart couldn’t contain the joy. At last, she was about to find out who was behind her current situation.
“Yes. This is all we’ve found about him,” he said, showing the excited Elara the information. Upon seeing it, the blood drained from her face, and her body trembled with fear. Him–why him?
Her heart pounded in her chest as she stared at the screen Damian held out to her. Her mind raced, trying to process the implications of what she was seeing. The name on the screen was one she never expected to see again –a ghost from her past that she had hoped to bury forever
She recoiled, her breath hitching. “No… it can’t be him,” she whispered.
Damian watched her reaction with a mixture of curiosity and concern, his usual cold demeanor faltering for a moment. “You know him, don’t you?”
She swallowed hard, forcing herself to meet his gaze. The memories flooded back–painful, dark memories that she had fought so hard to forget. “Yes,” she admitted, her voice trembling. “I know him.”
