007: The Woman He Couldn't Forget
622 Words
Elena returned to Damian's mansion later that evening.
Her head was full of questions.
The pregnancy.
The test Adrian found.
The phone call from the Vale family.
Everything was becoming complicated.
As soon as she entered her room, she locked the door and sat on the bed.
For years, she had dreamed of having a family with Adrian.
She had imagined telling him she was pregnant.
She had imagined his happiness.
His excitement.
Now she wasn't even sure he deserved to know.
A soft knock sounded on the door.
"Come in."
Damian stepped inside.
He looked like he had just returned from work.
His tie was loosened, and his sleeves were rolled up.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Damian placed a small paper bag on the table.
"What's that?" Elena asked.
"Medicine."
She frowned.
"I'm not sick."
"The doctor said you've barely been eating."
Elena stared at the bag.
Nobody had paid attention to things like that in a very long time.
Not even Adrian.
Especially not Adrian.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
Damian nodded and left without another word.
Elena watched the door close.
The man was confusing.
One moment he seemed cold and distant.
The next, he was taking care of her.
At the Sterling Mansion, Vanessa was furious.
She threw a magazine onto the couch.
"Why are you so quiet?"
Adrian looked up from his laptop.
"What?"
"You've been acting strange since Elena left."
Adrian frowned.
"I'm working."
"No, you're thinking about her."
Adrian's expression hardened immediately.
"Don't start."
Vanessa crossed her arms.
"You wanted her gone. She's gone. So what's the problem?"
There wasn't a problem.
At least that's what Adrian kept telling himself.
Yet every time he entered a room, he expected to see Elena.
Every morning, he looked toward the kitchen out of habit.
Every night, he noticed the empty side of the bed.
It was irritating.
Because he shouldn't care.
Vanessa sat beside him.
"You don't miss her."
"I don't."
"Then prove it."
Adrian looked at her.
"What does that mean?"
"Call Damian. Tell him the deal is complete."
For some reason, the suggestion annoyed him.
He closed his laptop.
"I'm tired."
Vanessa's eyes narrowed.
That wasn't an answer.
The next morning, Elena woke up earlier than usual.
The nausea wasn't as bad today.
She decided to go downstairs for breakfast.
As she entered the dining room, she stopped.
A newspaper was sitting on the table.
The front page immediately caught her attention.
BLACKWOOD GROUP TO ANNOUNCE MAJOR PARTNERSHIP
Below the headline was a picture of Damian.
Elena picked up the paper.
A second photo sat beside the article.
This time, it wasn't Damian.
It was her.
Her eyes widened.
The photo had been taken yesterday outside the hospital.
The headline beneath it made her stomach drop.
WHO IS THE MYSTERY WOMAN BESIDE DAMIAN BLACKWOOD?
Elena quickly put the newspaper down.
This was bad.
Very bad.
People were already paying attention.
A few moments later, Damian entered the room.
He noticed the newspaper immediately.
His expression darkened.
"Don't read it."
"A little late for that."
Damian picked up the paper and tossed it aside.
"The reporters won't stop."
Elena suddenly remembered something.
"If they keep following me..."
Her voice trailed off.
Damian looked at her.
"If they keep following you, what?"
Elena hesitated.
Then she shook her head.
"Nothing."
But it wasn't nothing.
If reporters started digging into her past, they might discover who she really was.
And if that happened, Adrian would learn the truth.
The truth that Elena Sterling wasn't a poor woman he rescued.
She was Elena Vale.
The missing granddaughter of one of the wealthiest families in the country.
And when that secret came out, everything would change.
- Writer
