Chapter 5: Secrets Beneath The Skin
1261 Words
The silence after Vivian opened the bedroom door felt deadly.
Lena slowly stepped away from Elvis, her breathing uneven while Vivian stood frozen at the entrance like a woman witnessing betrayal for the first time in her life.
Her eyes burned with fury.
Not sadness.
Not heartbreak.
Fury.
“Elena…” Vivian’s voice trembled dangerously. “Get out.”
Lena crossed her arms stubbornly.
“No.”
Vivian laughed softly.
But there was nothing sane about the sound.
“You kiss him in my house?”
“Your house?” Lena snapped. “You mean the man you bought?”
Elvis immediately stepped forward.
“Enough.”
Both women looked at him instantly.
And for the first time since entering the Cole mansion, Elvis looked genuinely exhausted.
“I’m tired of this,” he admitted quietly.
Vivian’s expression softened slightly.
“Then make her leave.”
But Elvis shook his head.
“No.”
The single word changed everything.
Vivian stared at him in disbelief.
“You’re choosing her?”
“I’m choosing peace.”
Lena moved closer to Elvis instinctively, almost as if she feared Vivian might attack him.
And that small movement shattered the last bit of control Vivian had left.
“You ungrateful little liar!” Vivian exploded, pointing at Elvis. “After everything I gave you?”
“I never asked for any of this!”
“You accepted it!”
“Because you wouldn’t let me breathe!”
The room fell silent.
Vivian looked stunned.
Elvis rarely raised his voice.
But now years of buried frustration poured out of him.
“You think buying clothes, watches, and money means ownership?” he continued harshly. “You never cared what I wanted.”
Vivian’s breathing became shaky.
“I loved you.”
Elvis looked away briefly before finally saying the truth that destroyed her completely.
“No, Vivian.”
His voice lowered.
“You were obsessed with me.”
The words hit harder than a slap.
Vivian staggered backward slightly.
Lena watched silently.
Even she almost pitied her mother.
Almost.
“You never loved me either,” Vivian whispered bitterly. “You only stayed because of the money.”
Elvis said nothing.
Because she was right.
And the silence became answer enough.
Tears filled Vivian’s eyes instantly.
For a woman who spent years hiding weakness beneath elegance, the vulnerability looked terrifying.
“You used me…” she whispered.
“No,” Elvis replied quietly. “I survived you.”
Vivian stared at him for several seconds before suddenly turning toward Lena.
“And you.” Her voice cracked with hatred. “You’d destroy your own mother for a man?”
Lena’s expression hardened instantly.
“You destroyed this family long before Elvis arrived.”
Then she grabbed Elvis’ hand.
And walked out with him.
Leaving Vivian completely alone.
—
The next morning, the mansion felt colder than ever.
No one spoke during breakfast.
Marcus Cole had finally returned from his business trip.
And immediately sensed something was wrong.
His sharp eyes moved between Vivian’s tense silence, Lena’s cold expression, and Elvis’ obvious discomfort.
“What happened here?” Marcus asked calmly.
“No—”
“Ask your wife,” Lena interrupted sharply.
Vivian shot her a murderous glare.
Marcus frowned slightly.
“Vivian?”
“It’s family business.”
Marcus leaned back slowly.
“That usually means scandal.”
Nobody answered.
But Marcus Cole did not become a billionaire by ignoring tension.
And unfortunately for everyone involved, he had already begun investigating Elvis weeks ago.
—
Three days later, everything exploded.
Elvis woke up to endless phone notifications.
Messages.
Missed calls.
Social media tags.
Confused, he grabbed his phone and froze instantly.
A photo of him dancing shirtless at Velvet Room Club had gone viral online.
More pictures followed.
Videos.
Private club footage.
The headlines were brutal.
BILLIONAIRE’S WIFE LINKED TO MALE STRIPPER
COLE FAMILY SCANDAL ROCKS ELITE SOCIETY
SOCIALITE VIVIAN COLE’S SECRET TOY EXPOSED
Elvis felt sick immediately.
“Oh God…”
Another message appeared from Tasha.
TURN ON THE NEWS NOW.
His hands shook as he switched on the television.
Reporters stood outside the Cole mansion gates.
Journalists discussed the scandal excitedly like entertainment.
One woman on TV laughed openly.
“A stripper entering billionaire society? This story writes itself.”
Humiliation burned through Elvis instantly.
Everything he tried hiding from the world now belonged to everyone.
And it only got worse.
Because the internet was cruel.
People mocked him endlessly.
Gold digger.
Prostitute.
Toy boy.
Worthless stripper.
Elvis threw the phone onto the bed violently.
For the first time in years, shame completely consumed him.
—
Downstairs, chaos erupted inside the mansion.
Marcus slammed a newspaper onto the dining table furiously.
“You embarrassed this family over a stripper?!”
Vivian looked pale but remained silent.
Marcus turned toward Elvis with disgust.
“You.”
Elvis clenched his jaw.
“I didn’t leak anything.”
“I don’t care!” Marcus roared. “People are laughing at my family!”
Lena immediately stood.
“Maybe because this family deserves it.”
“Sit down, Elena.”
“No.”
Marcus stared at his daughter coldly.
“You defend him?”
“Yes.”
Vivian looked at her in disbelief.
Lena stepped closer to Elvis protectively.
“At least he’s honest about who he is.”
Marcus laughed harshly.
“Honest? He dances half naked for rich women.”
The insult hit hard.
But before Elvis could respond, Lena spoke first.
“And your rich friends cheat on their wives every weekend. Funny how society only judges poor people.”
Silence.
Even Marcus looked surprised.
Because she wasn’t wrong.
The hypocrisy of elite society suddenly stood exposed.
Marcus looked toward Elvis again.
“How much did Vivian pay you?”
Elvis stayed quiet.
“Answer me.”
Finally, Elvis spoke.
“At first… it was survival.”
Lena looked at him.
Vivian too.
And slowly, Elvis revealed the truth.
“I entered the arrangement because I needed money.”
Vivian closed her eyes painfully.
Marcus laughed in disgust.
“So you admit it.”
But Elvis’ expression darkened.
“You rich people think money gives you ownership over everyone.”
Marcus stepped forward angrily.
“You forget your place.”
“No,” Elvis replied coldly. “I finally remember it.”
—
That night, rain poured heavily outside while Elvis sat alone near the mansion balcony.
Everything was falling apart.
The scandal.
The humiliation.
The exposure.
His entire life felt ruined.
Soft footsteps approached behind him.
Lena.
Without speaking, she sat beside him quietly.
For several moments, only rain filled the silence.
Then Lena finally whispered:
“I don’t care what people say about you.”
Elvis laughed bitterly.
“You should.”
“I won’t.”
He looked at her carefully.
“Why?”
“Because I know who you really are.”
The sincerity in her eyes almost broke him.
“You shouldn’t love someone like me,” he admitted softly.
Lena’s breath caught slightly.
Because he said love.
And suddenly nothing else mattered.
“I do love you,” she confessed quietly.
The words froze him instantly.
No games.
No teasing.
Just honesty.
Raw and terrifying.
Elvis stared at her silently while emotions twisted painfully inside him.
Then suddenly—
A voice spoke from the darkness behind them.
“If I can’t have you…”
Vivian stepped slowly into the light, tears mixed with rage in her eyes.
Her gaze locked onto Elvis with terrifying obsession.
“…nobody will.”
- Writer
