His Return

His return

CHAPTER 4

Elsa swallowed hard as his gaze lingered on hers for a moment too long. And before she knew it, he was stalking toward her.

The crowd parted.

Every head turned. Every conversation died. She felt hundreds of eyes snap from him to her and back to her again, everyone knowing exactly who he was looking at.

She could not look away from him. Her knees felt weak, her grip on Damon's hand tightened.

Five years. Five whole years, and yet she still could not control herself.

Damon's gaze shifted to her. He was sure to notice how sweaty she was. What a joke she was to think she would make him pay when she could not even stop her own heart from racing.

William's gaze flickered between her and Damon. She felt the air tighten the second his eyes locked on her arm resting intimately on Damon's.

Damon shifted beside her, his shoulders tensing. She saw him subtly step in front of her, breaking William's line of sight.

"He's watching you," Damon whispered, his tone turning fiercely protective.

She had already known that, and it would be best not to drag innocent Damon into their mess.

"Do you want to leave?"

"No," she barked harder than she intended to. She saw Damon's eyes widen, taken aback by her sudden bluntness.

"It's not worth it," she said quickly, trying to lighten the mood. He would not do anything. Let him stare all he wanted. She looked away.

She was tired of all this. Sincerely, mentally exhausted by this crap. She just wanted to get out of this place, run through the streets and breathe.

"Don't mind him," she brushed it off, stepping back in front of Damon.

"Maybe he is mesmerized by my beauty," she tried to c***k a joke, but neither of them was buying it. It was useless, because she could suddenly smell his cologne. He was right in front of her. She turned to face him.

Her face hardened with rage. He was right in front of her table, the crowd still parted like the Red Sea.

The media went into a frenzy, lenses focusing on the impending collision.

"Miss Elsa," William's deep, baritone voice cut through the noise, dripping with a terrifying combination of formality and something she could not make out.

"I see you are enjoying the evening." She watched his eyes flick to Damon, filled with a dangerous, unspoken glare.

"Should she not?" Damon said. He stepped closer, his hands growing tighter on hers, as if she was going to disappear. She broke free from his grip.

"I hope you enjoy the night," she said, stepping between both of them.

"Mr. William," she said, making a curt nod.

His dark, icy eyes softened with warmth as he stared at her, but she returned it with a glare, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.

She could feel his gaze searching her face, looking for a c***k, a tear, any sign of the girl who used to look at him with unconditional love.

She made sure to disappoint him, returning his warmth with dead eyes. She made sure everything about her screamed hatred, pain and distaste for him. Hatred built from years of pain.

"You should be careful, Miss Elsa," William hissed, his voice low enough for only the three of them to hear. She knew that tone too well — him when he was jealous.

Instead of feeling warmth at his jealousy, rage built inside her.

"As the face of my company, your schedule belongs to me. Walking around with other men creates a bad image," he said, his eyes still fixed on Damon, who was still staring at her protectively.

"Tomorrow, your manager will receive a revised contract. I am restricting your public appearances."

"Mr. Lox," she cut him off with restraint, "I am an actor, not your prisoner or girlfriend." She raised her voice loud enough for the gossip to take note, adding the last part to anger him.

She knew him well. It worked quite well, as he stormed off in a fit of rage.

Just a glare from him, and she watched all the surrounding cameras rush to leave the scene, following William. He sat at the opposite end, and she could feel his gaze on her every now and then.

"Do you want to leave?" Damon shifted beside her. He could tell William was glancing at her every now and then.

"No. It's really not necessary," she said, glancing back, locking eyes with William before rolling her eyes at him. "Let's just enjoy the night."

Later, in the midst of the party, a man walked up to her while she sipped the red wine in her hands. He made a low bow before looking back at her.

"The CEO said the revised contract will be sent to you, so you look at it and act accordingly to avoid any unnecessary frenzy."

"Mmm." She chuckled, glancing over at William. He never knows when to stop.

"Then let your boss know that the contract has been signed with the terms I am comfortable with. If anything, let him understand that the contract is always his to take back," she said, her voice dangerously low, as a smirk crept to her lips.

She saw Damon look at her in surprise. She could not afford to let this contract slip from her hands, but the truth was, she knew he would never take it back.

If he can't get her to bend to his will, he would never sacrifice losing her.

"My personal life has never affected my artistry. Now, if you'll excuse us, my date and I were just about to share a dance." She didn't wait for his response.

She stood up, urging Damon to get onto the dance floor.

She let Damon wrap his arms around her tightly. She tugged at his suit, taking in his scent and allowing the music to take her, dancing in his arms, grinning every now and then.

It was a performance to get William off her back. She knew how jealous he could get. If he wanted to get her back, he should know that their past together would leave him with pain, just the way it shattered her world.

They exited the hall. She was just about to get into their limousine when he stepped out of the hall. She saw him glare at Damon's hold on her.

With a brief glance and his usual cold, stoned eyes ahead, a vanguard of security formed a line, all bowing deeply at his exit.

Their gazes locked, unyielding. She gave just a curt nod toward him. "Have a wonderful night, Mr. Lox."

Without sparing another glance at her and Damon, he walked past, entering his car and drove off with his entourage.

She felt all eyes fixate on her. The CEO had just ignored her.

Just past midnight, she saw the blogs were already on fire. The headline scr

eamed: FALL FROM GRACE: Top Actress Elsa Snubbed by New Lox CEO at Solstice Gala! Is Her Career Over?