threads of deception

chapter three ~ the echo of past

[ FREETOWN CITY]~ELENA SUITE

The luxury, private dressing suite inside the elite designer house was thick with a suffocating, heavy heat.

For the first time in weeks, Elena had a rare day off from the runway, and her boyfriend of one year, Westley, had come to surprise her. As the heir to one of the country's most powerful conglomerates, Westley was used to consuming whatever he desired—and right now, his focus was entirely locked on her.

He pulled her onto the plush mattress with an urgent, possessive grip, his hands sliding tightly over her bare skin. It didn't take long for the quiet suite to dissolve into the raw, rhythmic friction of the encounter. The heavy, wet slap of skin against skin echoed sharply against the walls as Westley drove into her, demanding her complete submission to the moment. Elena arched her back, her fingers clawing into the silk sheets, her breaths coming in ragged, uneven gasps as the intense, physical pleasure coiled tighter and tighter inside her.

But as the pace grew frantic and the friction became overwhelming, Elena’s mental walls completely shattered. She was drowning in the sensation, her mind fracturing under the weight of the heat.

Through the heavy haze of a building climax, she let out a breathless, broken moan.

"Jaiden!!!"

Westley’s muscles locked instantly, a dark shadow crossing his face, but the momentum was too high to break.

He pushed harder, the furious, heavy slap of their bodies growing louder, faster, as if he could physically force the word out of her mind.

But Elena was entirely gone, completely consumed by the volatile peak crashing over her. Her head thrashed wildly against the pillows, her vision blurring as the friction drove her directly over the edge into a shattering, intense orgasm.

Incapable of holding it back, she threw her head back and screamed the name out loud, letting it ring violently through the quiet room.

"Jaiden!!"

The echo of the name hung like ice in the humid air.

The second it was over, Westley pulled away from her completely, his chest heaving as his face twisted into pure, unadulterated fury. Underneath the rage, a sharp, dangerous curiosity ignited. This was the third time in a row this had happened. The first had been two months ago during a wild celebration for a campaign win; the second had been just last week. Both times, she had scrambled to cover it up with frantic lies, and because he was madly in love with her, he had desperately chosen to believe them.

To Westley, Elena wasn't just his girlfriend, she was the ultimate trophy. He knew that if he married her, the country's most renowned model their union would cement them as the most powerful, untouchable couple in high society.

He couldn't let some faceless ghost ruin his plans for their future.

But today, there was no covering it up. He didn't know who this "Jaiden" was, but he was completely done being second best to a shadow.

"Again?!" Westley roared, throwing himself out of the bed and snatching his clothes up from the floor with shaking, violent hands. "Three damn times, Elena! You are laying here with me, and you scream his name?!"

"Westley, wait—please," Elena cried out, her voice trembling as she scrambled to pull the silk sheet over her bare, flushed skin.

"No! I am completely done!" Westley snapped, his glare burning with betrayal. "I am the son of the biggest tycoon in this city. I have given you everything for a year. And you are laying in my bed, shouting for some guy named Jaiden? Who the hell is he?!"

"It's a mistake! It's just subconscious, I swear!" she pleaded, tears finally blurring her vision.

It truly wasn't intentional, and that was what terrified her the most.

Lately, Jaiden had completely taken over her subconscious. Her concentration at work was totally shot, and she was drowning in a toxic wave of guilt over how she had left him and the brutal way their breakup had been handled. Just this morning, she had come across a viral business post detailing how Mrs. Lancaster and the Lancaster empire had grown even more phenomenally rich, building a brand-new global company in collaboration with the ultra-wealthy elite in this exact city. Seeing his mother's face had completely triggered the memories, bringing Jaiden rushing back to the front of her mind.

Westley pointed a harsh, rigid finger at her as he zipped his jacket. "I am giving you one final warning. Get his name out of your head, and get him out of your life. If I hear his name cross your lips one more time, I am walking out that door for good. We are done."

The heavy door slammed shut so hard the designer mirrors rattled on the walls.

The moment he stormed out of the suite, Westley pulled out his phone, his jaw clenched as he paced down the corridor. His fury was bubbling, but his calculating mind had already taken over. He dialed his private security chief.

"I need a complete, deep-dive background check on Elena," Westley ordered, his voice dropping into a menacing whisper. "Look into her entire past history. I want to know every single man she has ever been involved with. Find out who 'Jaiden' is. I want a name, a face, and a history on my desk immediately." He had no idea his investigation was about to lead him straight to the doorstep of the untouchable Lancaster empire.

Left completely alone in the wreckage of the room, Elena broke down into heavy, ragged sobs.

Trembling violently, she reached for her phone and dialed her closest friend.

"Please... please come," she wept into the receiver, barely able to breathe through the tight knot in her chest.

[The Ashford's mansion~ dinner time ]

The dining room of the Ashford mansion was a chaotic symphony of clinking silverware, loud laughter, and overlapping voices. While the Ashfords were incredibly wealthy and deeply respected in elite circles, their home lacked the cold, intimidating silence of the Lancaster empire. Instead, it was always bursting with life and relentless energy.

Tonight, the grand table was covered in a lavish spread, and the atmosphere was completely electric as Hailey sat alongside her mother, her older brother Kai, and her sister, Devana.

Hailey’s mother, an elegant Italian woman with a sharp eye for style and a passionate, animated way of speaking, leaned forward with an excited gleam in her eyes, directing her attention straight to Kai. "So, Kai! Have you and Shantel actually decided on the vibe yet? Tell us everything, are we doing a massive local affair, or are we jetting off for a destination wedding?"

Kai laughed, raising his hands defensively as he swallowed a bite of dinner. "Ma, breathe! I can't make that call alone. I have to discuss it with Shantel first. It's her dream wedding too, you know."

"Well, while you two are negotiating the map, we need to talk logistics,"

Devana chimed in loudly, gesturing with her fork. "Everyone literally " "everyone" is talking about that famous celebrity wedding planner right now.

We have to lock her down before she gets booked up.

And the wedding dress? It absolutely has to go to my friend, the new fashion designer. She is completely taking over the industry!"

Their Italian mother immediately scoffed, letting out a dramatic, hand-gesturing gasp. As a powerhouse in the industry herself, she wasn't about to take that sitting down.

"Excuse me?

Your friend? What about me? What am I here for, Devana?

Am I just chopped liver?"

"Oh, Mom, come on!" Devana teased, rolling her eyes with a massive grin.

"You don't know the latest street-glam trends. You're a classicist. Your style is practically ancient compared to what’s hitting the runway this month!"

It was pure, lively teasing. In reality, their mother was fiercely proud of her work, easily ranking as one of the top two or three most renowned fashion designers in the country.

Laughing, their mother immediately turned to the other side of the table for backup, hoping to win the playful argument. "Hailey, sweetie, help me out here! Tell your sister that my designs are timeless and she has no taste."

But Hailey didn't offer a quick, witty comeback.

She was sitting entirely still, her fork resting idly against her plate. She was looking right at them, a faint smile plastered on her face, but her mind was completely checked out. She was still stuck on that campus courtyard bench, rewriting the image of Jaiden smashing his phone and wondering how a person could change so fast.

[ Elena suite ~20 mins later ].

Within twenty minute the doors opened hurriedly and her friend rushed into the suite. Seeing the country’s top model curled into a tight ball on the bed, entirely shattered, her friend climbed onto the mattress and pulled her into a fierce, protective embrace.

"Shh, I've got you. Just breathe," her friend whispered softly, rocking her back and forth as Elena let the tears fall freely, completely haunted by the man she had walked away from.

"Go take a warm shower," her friend murmured gently, brushing a damp strand of hair from Elena's flushed cheek. "I'll be downstairs waiting for you."

That friend was Amy. She wasn't just Elena’s closest confidante, she was also her manager, the one who handled the chaotic logistics of her modeling career and protected her from the ruthless industry. Amy knew Elena better than anyone else.

As Elena quietly disappeared into the bathroom, Amy headed downstairs to the kitchen. Wanting to give Elena something comforting, she moved efficiently around the sleek space, preparing two mugs of hot chocolate and assembling fresh, thick sandwiches.

By the time Amy was putting the finishing touches on the food, the soft patter of footsteps signaled Elena’s arrival. Dressed in oversized, comfortable loungewear with her hair wrapped in a towel, Elena looked fragile, a complete contrast to the fierce supermodel the world knew.

She stood quietly by the counter, waiting for Amy to finish dishing out the food, before silently stepping in to help carry the plates and mugs over to the spacious sitting room.

Setting everything down on the low coffee table, the two girls bypassed the expensive couches and sat directly on the plush rug on the floor. For a few minutes, a heavy but necessary silence filled the room as they began to eat, the warm food slowly easing the cold tension in Elena's posture.

Once the initial hunger was satisfied, Amy set her mug down with a soft click, her expression turning serious but gentle.

"So," Amy asked, leaning forward. "When exactly did this start up again?"

Elena stared down at the dark swirling liquid in her mug, a wave of vulnerability washing over her. She began to explain the timeline—confessing how she had been losing her focus at work for weeks, and the intense guilt that had been quietly eating away at her.

"It's been building up, Amy," Elena admitted, her voice cracking slightly. "But this morning... this morning completely broke me. I was scrolling through a business portal and came across a viral post about the Lancaster empire. His mother just launched a massive new global company, collaborating with the top billionaires right here in this city. Seeing her face... seeing how successful and untouchable they are... it triggered everything. It brought it all rushing back."

Amy nodded slowly, her expression heavy with understanding. Amy didn't need a history lesson; she knew all about the Lancasters. She had been there since the very beginning when Elena and Jaiden first started dating. She had witnessed the heights of their romance, and more importantly, she knew the dark, complicated past and the brutal, heartbreaking reasons why they had ultimately broken up.

"Amy... I think I need to go back".