Now You Want Me? Too Late

"I thought you were happy in your life," Elias continued. "So I stayed away and never bothered you. But the moment I saw you again on that rainy night, I felt like fate was giving me a second chance."

His thumb paused right at the corner of her lips. "I didn’t want to lose the chance. And I agreed to marry you immediately."

"Elias..."

"I know you don’t love me yet," he said, not allowing her to speak. "I know you haven’t recovered from the heartbreak. You are still healing from everything Noah put you through. But I want you to trust me and give me a chance. I swear I’ll do everything I can to be the husband you deserve."

Flutters filled her stomach. It was as though she had become a teenager again, falling in love for the very first time.

After her breakup with Noah, she had believed she would never be able to trust another man, let alone love one. But Elias had proven her wrong time and time again.

"You don’t have to prove anything," she said. "You already showed your sincerity several times. You have protected me, helped me, and stood by my side."

She reached up and placed a hand on his face, her gaze turning earnest. The pain of seeing her mother after twenty years faded into the background. There was no lingering resentment in her eyes.

At that moment, all she could see was him.

"The past means nothing to me anymore. From this moment onward, you are the most important person in my life. And I’ll give my whole heart to this marriage."

Elias smiled. Although she had not said that she loved him, he was still pleased.

Elena was finally willing to let him into her heart. That was enough for now. And he had the rest of their lives to make her fall completely in love with him.

He lowered his head and claimed her lips again.

This time, Elena didn’t hold back. She didn’t care where they were. She didn’t care if anyone was watching them. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she returned his kiss.

That was it.

Elias had been wanting this – not her reluctant acceptance, but her genuine response. He always desired her to reciprocate his feelings. And finally, she was kissing him back for the first time.

He drew her closer, pressing her firmly against his chest. Just as he deepened the kiss, someone interrupted them.

"Ahem, sir. Mr. Rowan..."

They pulled back instantly.

Elena’s face turned scarlet the moment she saw Owen standing nearby. She hurried away.

Meanwhile, Elias stared at Owen with a dark expression. The sudden interruption irritated him.

"This better be important," he said coldly. "Or I’ll make you regret interrupting me."

Owen swallowed nervously. "Actually, we tracked down the man who captured your photograph of you with Miss Evelyn at the hospital."

"What?" Elias’s eyebrows furrowed.

Owen turned his phone screen toward him and played a video. "The surveillance footage of the hospital."

Elias took the phone and checked the footage.

A man stood outside the room, secretly taking photographs through the glass panel.

His blood boiled.

"Who is he?"

"His name is Dante," replied Owen. "Quite close to Tessa Morgan. They are still in touch."

A sly smile danced on Elias’s lips. "Interesting."

"What is your order, sir? Should we nab him and bring him in?"

"Not yet." A calculated look entered Elias’s eyes. "Just scare him."

Owen frowned, confusion all over his face. "Sir?"

"When he gets scared enough, he’ll run to Tessa," Elias continued. "Then we will catch them together."

"And what about Tessa Morgan?" Owen questioned. "It was she who sent the photographs to Madam Elena. She had already broken her marriage once. Now she is trying to create a misunderstanding between you and your wife. She deserves punishment."

"Of course," Elias said, his tone calm. "I’ll give her what she deserves. But there is no need to rush. Let her spend some time in fear of being exposed."

Owen’s eyebrows drew even closer, still looked puzzled. "What are you planning to do?"

Elias handed him the phone back. A cruel glint flashed through his eyes. "We already have enough evidence against her, don’t we?"

Owen nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, we have her medical records, her phone records with those thugs who attacked Mr. Sinclair back then, proof of her affairs with Dante, and evidence of multiple manipulations. These are enough to expose her completely."

He fell silent.

Owen had gathered every single thing Tessa had done to hurt Elena and to manipulate Noah and his family. For her crime, she should have been thrown in jail a long time ago. But Elias had not made a move yet.

Owen never understood why.

"But I don’t want to expose her yet," Elias smirked. "I want to see how she destroys the Sinclair family and Noah first."

Owen finally realized the reason. "You want Noah to experience the consequences of his choices."

"Exactly."

Owen smiled knowingly. "She is certainly after the Sinclair family fortune. To get close to him, she staged that attack and pretended to save him. She is quite capable."

"She is just manipulative and deceitful," Elias said. "It’s Noah who is blind and foolish. He can’t see things. He chose to believe her in every turn and ignored every warning. It’s his blindness that made her so bold. He deserves to learn the truth the hard way."

Elias lifted his chin with smugness on his face. "I want to see his expression when he realizes the woman he trusted has been deceiving him all along. I want to see him fall hard."

"That will be interesting," Owen said with a chuckle.

"It certainly will.

"I know exactly what to do," Owen gushed excitedly. "I’ll make Tessa’s life miserable from now on. Every day, she will live in fear of losing everything. And this fear will make her make mistakes. She will expose herself on her own."

"And we will simply enjoy the show."