Chapter 26
1332 Words
Mara's POV
The night air on the terrace was cool, but my skin felt hot.
My pulse thudded painfully in my ears as I stepped closer.
Camille stood with her arms crossed, her posture rigid, her gaze sharp enough to cut through stone. Elias sat beside her, lean and composed, legs crossed, expression icy and unreadable. He didn’t look at me. Not once. It was as if my presence wasn’t even registered.
I swallowed hard and forced myself into the seat opposite them, gripping the armrests until my knuckles whitened.
Camille’s voice broke the tense silence. “You’ve seen what’s online, I assume.”
I nodded quietly. “Yes.”
Just saying it aloud made it worse. Not just the scandal itself, but the weight of this conversation. Here. With him. Across from me. And he didn’t even glance in my direction.
Camille exhaled sharply.
“This scandal is becoming a disaster. Andrea has been hysterical. She believes you’ve been sneaking around with her fiancé. Mara, what exactly is going on between you and David?”
My fingers curled tightly in my lap. My eyes flicked toward Elias.
Nothing.
Not a blink. Not a shift. He may as well have been carved from marble.
I forced my attention back to Camille. “There’s nothing,” I said slowly. “I promise, nothing is going on between us.”
Her eyes narrowed, sharp and unyielding. “Then why does that picture look the way it does? And why did Andrea say you’ve been hiding things from her?”
I hesitated. Not because I wanted to lie, but because he was right there, and I didn’t want him to hear the next thing I was about to admit.
I drew in a shaky breath. “David and I… dated years ago. Before I married Philip.”
I kept my gaze low, avoiding their eyes entirely. The embarrassment was suffocating.
“And why didn’t you say this earlier?”
“Because it didn’t matter,” I whispered.
Her tone dropped, more scathing now. “It matters now, Mara, because my daughter is being dragged across the internet, her wedding being scrutinized, her reputation threatened. Do you understand what you’ve done?”
“I… I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen,” I said quickly, but she cut me off.
“Do you understand the kind of humiliation Andrea has endured? You are associated with this family. Everything you do reflects on us. Every friendship, every whisper, every face you stand too close to.”
Her gaze hardened, and a shiver ran down my spine.
“And you—of all people—should know this by now.”
My throat tightened.
She wasn’t done.
“The Lawsons are not new to media attention.”
She leaned back, voice lower.
“But clearly, you still don’t understand who we are. You married Philip, yet you know nothing about this family.”
A chill crawled across my skin.
Her tone sharpened further.
“So let me educate you now.”
Elias shifted slightly, as if aware of the warning in her voice, but he remained silent.
“We survive on reputation. On public trust. On perception. That is our currency. And every time your name trends, Mara… it is never for anything good.”
I flinched internally.
“Do you think we need more trouble? After Philip’s death? After the anniversary rumors?”
I inhaled sharply.
Elias didn’t look up.
Camille continued.
“A scandal with your ex-boyfriend—who happens to be engaged to my daughter—is the kind of thing that destroys families. And do you know who they blame?”
Her eyes burned into mine.
“Me—for allowing such a thing to happen. This family cannot afford another misstep. And this,” she waved a hand toward the city skyline, “is now another stain attached to the Lawson name.”
“It won’t shake the company,” Elias finally said.
I looked up at him, his eyes still fixed somewhere else.
“The company cannot crumble because of her scandal,” he added, coldly. “I’ve already arranged for the picture to be taken down.”
A sharp, hot pain stabbed through my chest. He had seen it.
He must hate me.
He must think I’m exactly what everyone else thinks.
He stood, straightening his sleeves, jaw tight.
“And one more thing,” Elias said, voice colder than the night around us. “I’ll decide later if she continues working in the company.”
My breath caught in my throat.
“For now,” he continued without glancing at me, “keep your distance from anything public. I don’t need more complications.”
The words hit like ice against my chest.
I felt my knees weaken, a hollow pit forming in my stomach.
He turned and walked away, leaving me alone with Camille, who smoothed her blouse and gave a sharp nod before exiting as well.
The terrace fell silent. The air felt heavier than before, the city lights below muted by the weight pressing down on me.
I walked through the lobby the next morning, whispers following me like shadows. Every pair of eyes seemed to measure me, dissect me, remind me of the scandal. I kept walking, head high, forcing a steady breath.
But then—
I stopped.
Because Elias was standing at the far end of the lobby…
Beside a woman.
Beautiful.
Tall.
Elegant.
Poised in an expensive, modest dress.
Her hair wrapped perfectly.
Her smiles soft, refined.
Her presence calm but striking.
She didn’t look like a New Yorker.
And the way Elias leaned slightly toward her as he explained something…
The way she laughed lightly…
My stomach tightened.
Their closeness, even if professional, felt so wrong to me.
A few staff members whispered nearby. “She’s beautiful.” “Elias has good taste.” “Look at them, perfect pairing.”
I turned quickly and walked away, refusing to watch any more.
Inside my office, I sank into my chair, exhaling shakily.
Who was she?
Why was she beside Elias?
Why today of all days?
Before I could think further—
My phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
I answered, cautiously.
“Hello?”
A familiar voice came through.
David.
“Hi, Mara. We need to talk—”
I hung up immediately.
My heart raced with confusion.
How did he get my number?
It rang again.
I declined.
Again.
Declined.
Again.
Declined.
The tenth call came.
I snatched the phone angrily and snapped,
“David, leave me alone—”
But the voice that answered…
Wasn’t his.
It was deep, calm, cold.
“It’s Elias.”
I froze completely.
“Come downstairs,” he said. “Meeting room three.”
He hung up.
My heart stuttered.
Why does he want me there
I exhaled shakily, gathering myself, and made my way down.
When I entered, he was seated.
Next to her.
The same woman from the lobby.
He didn’t look at me.
I sat opposite them, hands trembling slightly.
“This is Amira Al-Farouq,” Elias said professionally. “She’s the Dubai representative for the investment project. She’ll be handling the integration process on their side.”
Amira smiled politely. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Ms. Lawson. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
I forced a small smile. “Nice to meet you too.”
Elias continued. “We need your signature on these documents. You’ll be assisting in the internal coordination.”
Does it mean I'll still stay in the company?
I lifted the pen, my hand still shaking, and signed without reading.
Just then, my phone vibrated again.
A message. From David.
>If you don’t pick up, I’ll announce publicly that I’m canceling my wedding with Andrea because of you. Don’t test me. I mean it.
My blood ran cold. My fingers froze around the table. My breath hitched.
And then, his call came in.
- Writer
