Chapter 6
Elara's POV
By the time I woke up, he was already gone.
The other side of the bed was empty, the sheets cold, as if he had left long before I even opened my eyes. For a moment, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, letting the silence sink in. It felt strange. Last night had been tense, confusing, overwhelming in ways I didn't understand, and now… he was just gone, like nothing had happened.
A small part of me felt relieved.
Another part didn't.
I pushed the thought away and reached for my phone, scrolling aimlessly, trying to distract myself. Minutes turned into an hour, and then more, but nothing held my attention for long. Everything felt dull, repetitive, empty.
I was bored and I was feeling useless
And more than anything, I hated feeling useless.
Back home, I was never like this. I liked doing things, keeping myself busy, helping around, being involved in something real. Cooking, cleaning, even gardening those small things used to bring me a strange kind of comfort.
Here… I had nothing to do
After another few minutes of doing absolutely nothing, I finally got up, changed, and decided to go downstairs. Maybe I wasn't supposed to, maybe there were rules I didn't know yet, but staying locked in that room all day felt worse.
As I reached the lower floor, the atmosphere immediately felt different. Staff moved around quietly, doing their work with practiced precision, but the moment they noticed me, their movements slowed slightly.
I could feel it. They are hesitant in front of me.
Before I could say anything, an older woman approached me with a gentle smile.
"Good morning, Mrs. Devereux," she said warmly.
Her voice was kind, and for the first time since I came here, it didn't feel forced.
"I'm Agnes," she introduced herself. "I've been working here for many years."
I nodded slightly, feeling a little more at ease around her.
"This is Rose," she added, gesturing to a younger girl standing a little behind her.
Rose gave a small nod, but her expression wasn't welcoming. Her eyes flickered over me quickly, and there was something cold in them. Not fear. Not respect.
She dislike me. And she looks like she even detest me I know why. I'm a Whitemore. Their rival family so I'm also the rival it's the exact reason why that man insulted me yesterday. Nobody in this family will never accept me.
But I didn't react to her hateful stares or ignorance I cannot afford another mess now
Instead, I turned back to Agnes. "Can I help with something?" I asked.
She blinked, clearly surprised. "Help?"
"In the kitchen, or anything," I added. "I don't like sitting idle."
Her expression immediately changed to worry.
"No, no," she said quickly, shaking her head. "If Sebastian sees this, my job will be in trouble."
"It's fine," I said softly, trying to reassure her. "He won't mind."
But even as I said it, I wasn't sure if it was true.
"Mrs. Devereux," she insisted, her voice more serious now. "Please understand"
"I'm really bored," I interrupted, giving her a small, almost helpless smile. "Please… just a little work."
She hesitated.
I could see it.
She didn't want to say yes, but she didn't want to refuse me either.
"I'll be careful," I added.
After a few seconds, she sighed lightly, giving in.
"Just something small," she said.
I smiled faintly and stepped into the kitchen, helping with simple things cutting vegetables, arranging plates, anything that made me feel like I wasn't just sitting around doing nothing. It wasn't much, but it helped. For a short while, I almost felt normal again.
But I didn't miss the way Rose watched me.
She was watching me carefully and I know internally she must be judging me
Like she was waiting for me to do something wrong.
---
By evening, the house had grown quieter again.
I returned to my room and called Lydia and Julian. The moment I heard their voices, something inside me relaxed. We talked about small things at first, random topics, anything but my situation. For a few minutes, I could pretend everything was normal again.
Julian tried to make me laugh.
Lydia kept asking if I was okay.
I didn't answer that honestly.
But still, talking to them helped. It made the heaviness in my chest feel a little lighter, even if it was temporary.
After the call ended, the silence returned.
But this time, it didn't last long.
A loud voice echoed from downstairs. It was a women. She was shouting and angry
My body tensed instantly.
For a second, I stayed still, unsure if I should ignore it. But the shouting continued, louder this time, filled with emotion I couldn't ignore.
Something was wrong.
Without thinking too much, I stepped out of the room and made my way downstairs, my heartbeat picking up with every step.
As I reached the hall, I stopped.
Sebastian stood there. He look pissed
Like always.
And in front of him
Her.
The same woman.
Her eyes were filled with tears, her expression desperate as she pressed her hand against his chest, as if trying to hold onto him, to stop him from walking away.
"You can't just do this," she said, her voice breaking. "You can't just throw me away like I meant nothing."
Sebastian didn't react. He just took away her hands and told his guards to send her out.