"You two were horrible in the restaurant!"
The photographs in Edward's hand shifted slightly as he held them up, just enough for them to see glimpses… angles caught from a distance, moments frozen out of context.
Alaric saw in one of the photographs, Elena standing still near the entrance with no expression.
His eyes almost popped out seeing he was caught with Helena in the photograph too. No wonder why he is so mad at me!
He noticed the space between them and how they had a lack of connection.
Nothing intimate… Nothing convincing.
Edward pointed at the photos, his expression hardening.
"Do you have any idea how many eyes were on you today?" He asked, his tone controlled, but the disappointment was unmistakably evident on his face. "Do you think people won't talk? Won't question what they saw?"
Alaric's jaw tightened slightly, but he didn't interrupt.
Edward's gaze shifted to Elena now, sharper.
"And you," he said, his voice dropping just enough to carry weight, "I expected better. You, of all people, should understand what's at stake here."
Elena didn't lower her gaze.
Didn't defend herself either.
She simply stood there, composed, as if the words were landing somewhere far away from her but that raised a question within Alaric.
Why was his grandfather directly questioning Elena? Do they often speak with each other personally?
A brief silence followed before Edward as he exhaled slowly, as though reining in his irritation.
"This act of love is not optional," he said firmly. "If this arrangement is to proceed, then it needs to be believable. Not adequate. Not passable."
His eyes flicked briefly between the two of them.
"It has to be convincing."
The word lingered in the room.
"From this moment on," he continued, his tone leaving no room for argument, "you will not step outside without being seen together. You will speak, behave and present yourselves as a couple in every sense of the word."
He sighed in frustration.
"Because whether you like it or not," he added, his voice quieter now but far more decisive, "this is no longer just about the two of you."
The room fell silent again and this time.. it didn't feel like something either of them could ignore.
Edward let the silence stretch after his statement, long enough for it to settle into their bones, before he spoke again, his voice returning to that controlled, measured tone that carried more authority than any outburst.
"You'll be leaving for Miami tonight," he said, turning slightly toward the window again, as if the decision had already been made long before they stepped into the room. "There's a deal that cannot be delayed."
Alaric's shoulders eased… just a fraction.
Work. Finally something real. Something to give his valuable time for things that matter.
For the first time since morning, his mind found something it could hold onto without resistance.
"It was meant for your father," Edward continued, his gaze shifting back to him, "but given the circumstances… you'll go instead in his place."
Alaric nodded without hesitation. That, at least, felt right.
But the moment didn't last.
"Elena will accompany you."
The words landed without warning.
And just like that… the ease vanished.
"No." The refusal came instantly, sharp, instinctive.
Edward didn't react.
Alaric stepped forward instead, frustration rising before he could contain it. "No way," he repeated, louder now, his control slipping. "I can't take her with me to work meetings. You have no idea how exhausting she is."
The room seemed to tighten around his words.
Elena's fingers curled slightly at her side, the reaction subtle, almost invisible but the sudden force in his voice had caught her off guard.
For a brief second, her composure wavered before settling again, her face returning to that quiet, unreadable calm.
Edward's gaze moved to Alaric slowly.
Not in anger.
Not even in surprise.
"Enough." The word wasn't loud but it didn't need to be.
It stopped him.
Not completely… but enough. The silence that followed felt sharper than before.
Edward didn't argue with him. Didn't explain himself.
He simply chose to move on.
His attention shifted to Elena and the change in tone was immediate.
"My driver will be waiting for you downstairs," he said, calm again, as if nothing had just happened. "He'll take you home."
Elena nodded.
There was no hesitation. No question. Just acceptance as always.
"My assistant will reach out to you with further details," he added. His expression softened just slightly, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "You may leave."
He sighed.
"And… I apologize for my grandson's behavior. He isn't usually this difficult to be around."
Elena looked at him for a brief moment, then gave a small nod.
Nothing more.
She turned and walked toward the door, her steps steady, her back straight, her face composed in that same practiced stillness.
She didn't look at Alaric. Not even once. As if his words hadn't reached her at all.
But they had.
The moment the door closed behind her, the voices inside the room rose… lowered at first, then sharper, harder to contain.
She could hear it.
Every word wasn't clear but the tension was.
The disagreement.
The resistance from him.
But… She kept walking.
Each step taken is measured… Each breath is controlled.
Her chest felt tight. Not from what was happening inside the room but from something else.
Exhausting.
The word lingered longer than it should have. Not because it was new but because of how easily he had said it.
Elena reached the end of the corridor without slowing down, her expression settling back into place before anyone else could see otherwise.
Because compared to everything else… This was still manageable.
And that… was enough.
__________________________
The door hadn't even fully closed behind Elena when Alaric turned back, the restraint he had been holding onto slipping just enough to show.
"You expect me to take her with me?" He said, his voice no longer raised, but tight, controlled in a way that made it sharper. "Do you have any idea what she's like to talk to?"
Edward didn't respond immediately. He simply watched him.
"She just repeats things," Alaric continued, frustration building now that there was no reason to hold it back. "Always calm, always measured, like she's reading from a script. It's like talking to a doll with a key wound into her back. There's nothing real there."
The words hung in the air.
"And you want me to marry that?" He added, a bitter edge creeping in. "You're asking me to tie my life to someone I can barely tolerate."
Edward's expression didn't change, but something in his gaze hardened. "Why can't you look past that one flaw?" He asked.
Alaric let out a humorless breath, shaking his head as he looked at him. "One flaw?" His eyes sharpened. "Can you look past what her father did to my mother? He fucking raped my mother."
That landed hard on their wound.
Edward didn't deflect it. "No," he said plainly. "I can't."
A brief moment of silence followed before he continued, quieter this time, but far more deliberate. "But Elena is not her father."
Alaric didn't respond.
"She didn't choose him," Edward went on. "She didn't choose the kind of man he is, or the things he's done." His gaze held Alaric's. "Have you ever considered that she might be a victim of him too?"
Alaric's jaw tightened.
The thought had crossed his mind but he didn't want to hold onto it.
"Well," he said, the words coming out faster than he intended, harsher, "maybe she deserves it."
The moment the sentence left his mouth… He regretted it.
Edward's expression shifted, not in anger, but in something closer to… Disappointment.
"No one deserves a man like Victor Vaughn in their life," he said quietly. "No one." His gaze didn't waver. "I thought you were raised better than that, Alaric."
Silence fell between them.
Alaric exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair, the tension in his shoulders finally showing. "I…" He stopped, then tried again, quieter this time. "I didn't mean it like that."
Edward didn't respond immediately.
"I apologize," Alaric added, more controlled now. "That wasn't… what I meant."
The room stayed still for a moment longer before Edward spoke again, his tone no longer as sharp, but no less firm.
"I'm not asking you to be a good husband to her," he said. "Not right now." A brief pause. "I'm just asking you to be civil. At least try to work with her."
Alaric let out a quiet, frustrated breath, his gaze dropping for a second before lifting again. "And how long is this supposed to last?" He asked. "How long do I keep pretending?"
Edward held his gaze. "I can't give you a timeline."
Alaric frowned. "So there isn't one?"
Edward didn't look away.
"There might not be."