Now You Want Me? Too Late

Inside Elias’s car...

Elena stared out the window in a daze, her mind replaying Noah’s words.

She had told herself she wouldn’t let him affect her anymore. Yet, he somehow managed to hurt her all over again every time he appeared in front of her.

A lone tear slipped down her cheek. She wiped it quickly, afraid Elias would notice.

But no matter how hard she tried to hide it, he noticed anyway.

"Elena, are you okay?" Elias glanced at her while driving.

Elena couldn’t face him. She refused to let him see how upset she was. When she turned to him, she forced a smile onto her face.

"I am fine."

But that smile faded the moment she saw the traces of blood at the corner of his mouth. "You are hurt."

Only then did Elias become aware of the dull ache in his jaw and the stinging pain in his nose and lips.

Before he could say anything, she pulled out a handkerchief from her bag and reached out to wipe away the blood.

Elias stiffened. His foot slammed on the brakes. The car came to an abrupt halt.

Elena’s whole body lurched forward and collided with his. Their eyes met instantly.

Elias’s heart stumbled in her chest.

Very few people genuinely cared about him. When he saw concern for him in Elena’s eyes, he couldn’t stop his emotions from spiraling out of control.

The sudden urge to kiss her almost became unbearable. But he didn’t move an inch from his place. Only his fingers tightened around the steering wheel.

He didn’t want to push her. He would wait until she was ready.

Across from him, Elena tensed beneath his intense gaze.

"I..." She moved back. "Do you have the first aid kit here?"

"Hmm." He nodded toward the dashboard compartment. "There."

Elena opened it and found a small white box.

After taking out the antiseptic cream, she squeezed a little onto her fingertip and gently applied it to the torn corner of his lips.

"Hiss..." He winced.

"I’m sorry." Elena immediately withdrew her hand. "I-I..."

"It’s okay," he said softly, catching her hand. "This is nothing. I am fine."

Elena’s body went rigid. She suddenly became hyperaware of everything – the warmth of his hand around her wrist, the clean scent of his cologne, the heat radiating from his body, and the way his breath brushed softly against her skin.

Strange Sparks flew through her nerves. She suddenly thought that every cell in her body had grown sensitive.

At that moment, she forgot those painful words Noah had said, the agonizing memory of betrayal, and everything else. All she remembered was the man a few inches away from her.

She wanted to move back, but she didn’t. She kept looking into his dark, deep eyes as if some invisible force had trapped her in her place.

At that moment, she truly noticed how handsome he was.

The sharp bridge of his nose, his chiseled jawline, the perfectly sculpted contour of his face – everything looked so perfect as if the craftsman had crafted him carefully. Even the black strands of hair falling over his forehead seemed unfairly attractive.

And those thin lips...

Her eyes lingered on them. Her throat suddenly felt dry. She swallowed.

A strange thought appeared in her mind at the time. She couldn’t help wondering what his lips would taste like.

"If you keep staring at me like this," he whispered, "I’ll think you have fallen for me."

At that, her trance broke.

She turned away so fast that her neck almost hurt. When she realized what she had just been thinking, embarrassment flooded her entire body. Heat bloomed on her face, turning her cheeks bright pink.

"It’s... I..." She struggled to form a sentence.

Elias smiled, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"I was just checking where else you were hurt," she finally managed. When she looked back at him, she masked her embarrassment beneath a curious look.

"By the way, you were not in the hall when the auction was going on. How do you know someone gave me an expensive necklace?"

She remembered everything. She had not forgotten what he had said to Noah earlier.

Her eyes narrowed slightly with suspicion. "Were you there? If you were, why didn’t you come to me?"

Elias stilled for a moment. He had not told her about his real identity. And saying it right now might make her furious.

He was afraid she would misunderstand him and hate him. He decided he would tell her properly when the time was right.

"I wasn’t there. But some friends attended the auction. They told me everything that happened."

"Oh?" Elena raised an eyebrow, still unconvinced. "But why would the heir to the Rowan family, the owner of Novacrest Global, give me the necklace?"

She stared deeply in his eyes, searching, assessing if there were any hidden secrets in them. But there was nothing. All she saw was warmth and affection.

"He was pleased with your work on the Zenith Core deal," Elias replied.

That part was true.

The moment he learned she had convinced Damien Knox to agree to a fifty-percent profit share from the AI project, he had decided she deserved something unforgettable.

"He wanted to reward you."

Elena’s expression was a mask of surprise. "What? He knew about it!"

Elias smiled even wider. "He is the boss. Of course, he knows everything."

Elena took out the velvet box from her bag and opened it. The necklace sparkled.

She ran her fingers over the green emerald gemstones. "This is beautiful," she mumbled. "The rarest kind."

A proud look crossed his eyes. At that moment, every penny he had spent felt worth it.

"But it’s too expensive." She looked up at him. "We should return to him."

"What?" Elias’s smile vanished. "You don’t like it?"

All his pride and excitement disappeared right away.

"I do... But it’s way too expensive. I can’t accept it."

"This is a gift, Elena," Elias pressed. "Returning it would be rude."

Elena fell silent.

Elias was right. A gift wasn’t meant to be returned. If she insisted, she knew he wouldn’t stop her. But it might upset the boss, and that was not good for him.

Elena would never let him fall into trouble.

"Stop overthinking." He reached over and closed the box. "If you don’t like it, don’t wear it. But keep it."

Elena put the box back into her bag. "I’ll definitely wear it on special occasions."

Her smile returned. But then, curiosity crossed her eyes again. "Where were you the whole time? I thought you’d be attending the auction. You missed the whole event."

There was a hint of disappointment in her voice. But she was more curious to know what kept him occupied.

Elias didn’t reply right away. Instead, he reached into his coat pocket and took out a rectangular, red velvet box. He then placed it in her palm.

"What is it?" Elena asked, her curiosity deepening.

"See for yourself." He smirked, eyes sparkling.

Elena opened the box, and her breath caught. Shock flashed across her face before melting into overwhelming emotion. Tears instantly gathered in her eyes, though a smile spread across her lips.

It was the pendant her father had given her.

"You fixed it," she breathed.

"I did," Elias replied. "The designer called me earlier. So I went to collect it."

Elena didn’t know how to thank him.

When Tessa had broken it, she had been devastated, thinking it was gone forever. But Elias had restored it perfectly.

There wasn’t even a trace of damage. It didn’t look like it had been broken.

Her heart swelled with gratitude. She leaned in and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thank you so much," she whispered.

Elias went rigid for a second. Then he relaxed and hugged her back. A wide smile spread across his face.

’To make you smile, I’ll do anything,’ he vowed silently.