After Death, Love Unveiled (Elara and Lysander)

Asher couldn't stop thinking about Elara's biting words from earlier, saying Daphne didn't care about him anymore.

Noticing the tension in his face, Daphne quickly jumped in, trying to lighten the mood. "Asher, come on, it's just a fake breakup! You'll always be my number one.

"We're just playing our parts for now, but once we graduate, we're both off to Queensun University. Trust me, Elara doesn't stand a chance of getting in! Can't you see how much I care about you?" Asher looked at Daphne, who was willing to go this far for him, and a whirlwind of emotions hit him all at once. "Daphne, you really don't have to go through all this for me."

The fact that she stood up to Elara, all for his sake-that wasn't something just anyone would do.

Tm good with it, seriously! Just go for it!" Daphne shot him a look full of determination and encouragement.

Meanwhile, in the classroom, Elara was hunched over her desk, scribbling away like mad, when Asher picked the worst possible moment to show up.

His tall figure blocked the sunlight streaming in from the window, and Elara, irritated, glanced up. "What now? she asked. her tone sharp.

Why the hell are you bullying Daphne?" Asher demanded, no trace of warmth in his voice.

Elara blinked, caught completely off guard. "Me? Bullying her? You've gotta be kidding."

Asher didn't back down. His tone was hard, like he was accusing her of something serious. "Elara, just because you grew up with a silver spoon in your mouth doesn't mean you can treat the rest of us like crap. "Do you really think you can stomp all over people just because you've had it easier? Daphne busts her ass every day and she's never done a damn thing to you."

Elara's patience snapped. "I haven't bullied her she fired back.

"Then why are you calling her manipulative?"

"So, just because I said she's manipulative, that makes me a bully now? Seriously?"

Elara could barely believe what she was hearing. She'd half-expected Daphne to have spun some bullshit story, but this was ridiculous

A bitter, ugly feeling twisted in her chest. She knew all about the rumors that followed her around campus-Daphne had even spread the one about her being some rich guy's sugar baby

And Asher, of all people, knew the truth. But he'd never once defended her. And now, just because she called Daphne out on her shady behavior, she was the villain.

The difference between love and indifference hit her like a punch to the gut. Harsh. Brutal.

Asher locked eyes with Elara and admitted, "Yeah, I know I've treated you unfairly. But if you're pissed, take it out on me, not Daphne. She's done nothing wrong"

Elara waved him off, clearly irritated "Fine! I'll apologize, okay? She's not manipulative; she's a freaking saint, right? It's all my fault, happy now?" 18:23 Wed, Nov 6 GE

Asher shot her a hard look-Knock off the sarcasm.

Elara rolled her eyes. "You better keep protecting her-wouldn't want your precious, fragile girlfriend to blow over with a strong breeze."

Asher held her gaze, unfazed by her jab.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

Elara scoffed and continued, "Oh, she really loves you, doesn't she? Came begging me for a job for you, of all things! But looking at you now, it seems like you've got everything handled. So, whatever, I'll drop it since you're clearly doing just fine without my help." After class, Elara stormed off. Daphine walked over to Asher, who was still focused on his work. "Aren't you

Without looking up. Asher replied, "Nah, I'm sticking around a bir

heading out?"

He got a day off, no need to rush to the store. Honestly, he wasnt in a hurry to go home either-going home meant dealing with Jefferson's nonstop complaints.

Daphne, a little worried, asked, "So, how did it go with Elara?"

Asher finally looked up, his voice steady. "Daphne, I'm not asking her for anything. No chance. I'm not spending her money. Ill figure it out on my own. My boss offered me a gig tutoring his kid-300 dollars a session."

His boss was generous, and with Asher's top-notch grades, tutoring paid way better than his retail job.

Daphne had assumed Asher had already smoothed things over with Elara, but it turned out he hadn't even made an effort

YEL

Feeling a bit frustrated, Daphne muttered, "I only went to see Elara for you. If you're not interested, then whatever. I shouldn't have bothered sticking my nose where it doesn't belong With that, she spun around and walked off. Meanwhile, Elara made her way straight to the Regal Crest Hotel The moment she stepped into the lobby, Hadden greeted her with a friendly smile. "Hey, Elara. You here by yourself?"

Ever since she'd done him a favor last time, Hadden had been extra nice.

Elara gave a slight nod, "Yeah, I am."

Hadden glanced around, a bit curious. "Mr. Hawthorne's not with you today?"

"Nah, he's got some personal stuff to deal with," Elara said, a little disappointed. She had texted him earlier while in the car, but he hadn't bothered to reply.

Noticing the shift in her mood, Hadden quickly steered the conversation in another direction. "So, what are you in the mood to eat? I can have the kitchen whip up whatever you like.

"Whatever, I'm not picky." Elara said, brushing it off. Then, switching gears, she added, "Actually, I'm here to talk business"

Hadden raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Business? What kind of business?"

"I want to talk about buying some land, Elara said, getting straight to the point.

Hadden blinked, clearly caught off guard. "Buying land? Elara, come on. Why dive into that mess? Wouldn't it be better to spend your money on something fun, like clothes or jewelry? What's got you suddenly interested in real estate?" 18:23 Wed, Nov 6

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Elara hesitated, mulling it over. She knew Tadden had been trying to get rid of a few properties for what felt like forever, but no one was interested. It was eating him up, and he was desperate to dump them.

From what she remembered, those same properties eventually ended up in Asher's hands, and he turned them into a goldmine.

As much of a pain in the ass as Asher could be, the guy had a knack for spotting money-makers. Ever since Elara handed the company over to him, he'd thrown himself into real estate and be booming internet scene-both industries primed to blow up in the future. Seeing Hadden's reluctance, Elara just smiled. "I just want to dip my toes in and see what happens."

The plots she had her eye on were the very ones Hadden was eager to sell. He hesitated, clearly surprised by her interest, and then started weighing her family connections and past favors.

Tell you what, Hadden said after a beat. Tll run it by your dad. If he's cool with it, I'll sell you the land. How does that

"sound?"

Elara nodded, satisfied. "Sounds good to me. She'd come to gauge his reaction, and things were playing out exactly as she'd expected.

After finishing her meal and stepping out of the restaurant, Elara unexpectedly bumped into Crispin.

He flashed her a wide grin, "Well, well, if it isn't my favorite one!

Elara wasn't exactly his biggest fan, but he seemed cheerful enough, so she decided to play along. "Lucky me, running into you, she shot back with a hint of sarcasm.

Crispin, not entirely amused, raised an eyebrow. "Ouch, no need to be salty, Elara. Where's Lysander? Didn't he come with you?

Elara thought for a moment, then asked, 'Doesn't he have class today?"

"Nah" Crispin shook his head.

"He doesn't?" Elara asked, surprised, raising an eyebrow.

Crispin shrugged. "Yeah, he skips all the time. But his grades are killer, so the teachers don't really care."

Even though Lysander wasn't much of a classgoer, he was still on top of everything. The teachers were too impressed with him to push back-half the time, he outsmarted them anyway. On top of that, he was usually busy helping his uncle with the family business. After leaving the hotel, Elara told the driver to take her to Lysander's place-a location she'd only found with a little help from Barrett.

When she arrived at the gate of the Hawthorne estate, the security guard approached to check her out. But as soon as he heard her name, he waved her right through without a second thought.

As the car pulled up, the butler hurried over, practically beaming "Miss Kensington! So glad you're here!"

Elara wasted no time. "Is Lysander home?"

"He is, but he's not feeling too well the butler said, his face full of concern.

"Not feeling well Elara blinked, caught off guard. "What's wrong with him?"