Sparks and Scandals
821 Words
Elena had just gotten over the gala when another problem came up.
Three days later she was in the Shaw estate's living room surrounded by fancy vases and an uncomfortable silence. Adrian had asked her to come for a family “get-together.” But it was not a family thing. It was a trap.
The moment the doors opened, Elena's heart started racing.
A tall woman walked in like she owned the place. Her dark hair framed her face, and her dress fit her perfectly. Every step she took showed how confident and mean she was.
It was Clara Voss.
Adrian's old fiancée.
The woman he almost married before a scandal broke them up.
Clara looked around the room like a hunter, then her eyes landed on Elena. She gave a nasty smile. “So it's true. The rumors were not lying.”
Elena sat up straight, her muscles tense.
Clara's eyes went to Adrian. She looked at him like she knew him very well. “I leave for six months, and you replace me with… Her?”
Elena's face got hot.
“Clara,“ Adrian said, his voice calm but warning.
Clara ignored him. Looked at Elena. “Tell me, Elena, how does it feel to marry a man who wanted someone first? Do you sleep well knowing you were not his choice?”
People in the room laughed; even Victoria smiled at the mean comment.
Elena's throat got tight. She would rather not cry. She would rather not give Clara the satisfaction.
So she smiled, a sharp smile. “It's better to be someone's choice than no choice at all. At least I did not get thrown away.”
The room was silent.
Clara's face froze, her eyes flashing with anger.
Adrian's jaw got tight. For a moment his lips curled up like he was trying not to smile.
Elena's heart was racing. She had survived again. It was a small victory. Clara's angry look promised she would get revenge.
That evening Adrian took her to a charity event downtown, saying it was a chance to “change what people think.” Elena got ready for another round of whispers and camera flashes.
That's precisely what happened. When they arrived, reporters jumped on them.
“Elena, how does it feel to marry your fiancé's brother?”
“Did you trap Adrian with a scandal to save your family?”
“Are you in love, or is this just business?”
The questions hit her like bullets. Elena's hands shook; her throat closed up. For a second she thought she might pass out.
Then she remembered Adrian's words. Queens do not cry before they go into battle.
She took a breath, lifted her chin, and smiled.
“I married a man who knows what it means to be responsible,“ Elena said, her voice loud over the noise. “. Unlike Daniel, Adrian does not run away from it.”
The crowd erupted, some shocked, some impressed, all writing fast.
Adrian looked at her, his eyes burning into hers, sharp and difficult to read. She saw it. The flash of admiration he tried to hide.
Inside the gala, they walked side by side, tension sparking between them like electricity. Every time his arm touched hers, she felt heat rising on her skin. She hated herself for noticing, feeling, for wanting something from the man she said she hated.
The night ended with champagne, camera flashes, and many smiles that felt like knives. By the time the car drove into the city streets, Elena's mask was falling off.
She leaned back in her seat, exhausted, her chest tight. “Do you like watching me suffer?” she said quietly.
Adrian did not answer at first. He stared out the window, his jaw tight, his hands gripping the wheel. “You are stronger than you think.”
She turned her head, surprised. “Is that supposed to be a compliment?”
“Take it however you want,“ he said, his voice short. His eyes gave him away when he looked at her. Dark, difficult to read, but burning.
The silence was thick and charged.
Then for one crazy second their eyes locked too long. Too close. Too dangerous.
Elena's heart skipped a beat. She looked away, swallowing hard.
This was crazy. She hated him. She should not feel anything for him.
Back at the mansion, Elena walked upstairs, her mind a mess of confusion. She was halfway to her room when she saw something—a slip of an envelope under her door.
Frowning, she picked it up. Her name was scribbled on the front in handwriting she knew away.
Her breath caught.
Her hands shaking, she tore it open.
Inside, a page.
Elena, it should have been me at the altar. I'm coming back for you. D.
Her world spun around.
Daniel.
The groom who ran away.
He was back.
- Writer
