Gratitude
1277 Words
Alexander's POV
The party ended the way these things always did,polite smiles, controlled laughter and exits.
I stood near the balcony doors, loosening my tie, watching the last of the guests disappear into the night. My grandmother had retired early, satisfied. Elara was nowhere in sight.
The way she looked in that dress.
The way she flinched when attention lingered too long.
The way she thanked me as if kindness were a debt.
“Alex.”
Sarah’s hand wrapped around my arm.
I looked down at her beautiful, familiar, curves. She smiled up at me, lips curved in a seductive manner.
“You’ve been distracted all night,” she said lightly.
“I’m tired,” I replied.
She laughed softly. “Then come upstairs with me.”
I didn’t answer fast enough.
Her fingers tightened, already pulling me toward the staircase. The house was quieter now, the echoes of the party fading into silence. Upstairs, the hallway lights were dim, the air warmer.
She turned to me suddenly, her expression softening.
“I want a bath,” she said. “Stay with me.”
I hesitated.
Then nodded.
The bathroom filled with steam as the tub ran. She slipped out of her dress effortlessly, like she’d done it a thousand times before. I turned away, unbuttoning my cuffs.
“You can give me your shirt,” she said over her shoulder.
I did.
She took it, smiling, and slipped it on my shirt hanging loosely on her frame. She stepped closer, fingers brushing my chest.
“You’ve been cold lately,” she murmured. “I miss you.”
Before I could respond, she rose onto her toes and kissed me.
I should have stopped it but I didn’t.
The kiss deepened,my hand went down to her breast and I massaged it which made her moan.
tension crashed over me at once, My hands came up automatically, pulling her closer.
"i miss your body" I said in an hoarse tone
For a moment, there was nothing else, just heat and memory and surrender.
The bathroom door closed softly behind us.
Elara’s POV
The house felt too quiet.
After the party, I lingered in my room, my heart restless. Gratitude weighed heavily on my chestntoward Grandma Evelyn, toward Alexander.
I needed to thank him.
I stepped into the hallway, barefoot, moving carefully through the dimly lit corridor. I followed the faint sound of voices upstairs, my heart quickening with each step.
I reached the corner
And stopped.
I heard moans then i saw Alex coming out while Sarah was wearing his shirt which hardly covered her thigh.
My breath caught painfully in my throat.
I couldn’t move.
I couldn’t think.
The world tilted as something inside me shattered,"but why am I heartbroken" I asked myself.
I had never belonged here.
I turned away before they could see me.
Before tears fell.
Before my heart betrayed me completely.
I walked back down the hallway slowly, each step heavier than the last. My chest ached in a way I didn’t know how to name. It wasn’t jealousy not exactly.
It was loss.
Back in my room, I closed the door gently and leaned against it, pressing my fist to my mouth to silence the sob that threatened to escape.
"do I love Alex or is it just gratitude" I kept asking myself before I slept off.
Serena's POV
I sat on the edge of my bed, scrolling aimlessly on my phone, but my mind wasn’t there. Ever since that girl left,ever since Alexander Kingsley showed up like some hero from a fairy tale,everything had begun to fall apart.
I hated her.
I hated that she was still relevant.her voice drifted in from the living room, low and tense. I slipped off the bed and moved closer, pressing myself against the doorframe, listening.
“…the bank won’t extend the deadline,” she said sharply. “They want repayment within thirty days.”
My stomach dropped.
Thirty days?
That was impossible.
I stepped fully into the living room. “What do you mean thirty days?”
shelooked up at me. Her face was pale, the lines around her mouth deeper than usual. The confident woman who always acted like she owned the world suddenly looked… scared.
“Our company,” she said slowly, “is on the verge of bankruptcy.”
The word hit me like a slap.
“No,” I said immediately. “That’s not funny.”
“I’m not joking, Serena.”
I felt my chest tighten. “But you said the investors”
“They pulled out,” she snapped. “Every last one of them. The last deal collapsed this morning.”
I sank onto the couch.
Bankrupt?
"what about my lifestyle,my shopping,my future?"I kept asking myself.
“No,” I whispered. “There has to be a way.”
she exhaled sharply, rubbing her head, “There is one.”
I looked up slowly. “What?”
She met my eyes.
“The Kingsley Group.”
My fingers curled into fists.
Of course,that name again.
“You mean Alexander’s family?” I asked.
“Yes. Madam Evelyn controls several subsidiary contracts. If we can secure just one just one major partnership it will stabilize the company.”
My heart pounded.
“And how exactly do you plan to do that?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
Her lips curved slightly.
“Elera.”
The name tasted bitter on my tongue.
I laughed sharply. “Are you serious?”
She ignored my tone. “She’s living under Madam Evelyn’s roof now. She has access. Influence.”
I stood up abruptly. “After what happened? After you slapped her? After Alex saw what happened”
“Lower your voice,” my aunt snapped.
I swallowed.
Then said quietly, “Are you sure she’ll help us after everything?”
For the first time, she smiled.
A slow, confident smile that made my skin crawl.
“I raised that girl,” she said. “Fed her. Housed her. Gave her a place to stay when she had nothing.”
“She should be grateful,” my mom cut in coldly. “Elera is soft. Weak. She doesn’t know how to hold grudges.”
“What if she refuses?” I asked.
“She won’t,” she said calmly. “She owes us.”
I bit my lip. “And if she doesn’t?”
Her eyes hardened.
“Then we remind her where she came from.”
“Tomorrow,” she continued, “we’ll visit Madam Evelyn.”my eyes widened. “Just like that?”
“Yes. With gifts. Humility. Tears if necessary.”
I picked up my handbag.
“And Elera?” Serena asked quietly.
I smiled.
“She’ll see us,” she said. “She always does.”
"we just have to be nice" she added
The company my late husband built was collapsing, slipping through my fingers like sand and i refused to let that happen.
Not after everything I sacrificed,not after everything I endured.
The Kingsleys were the only option now.
Madam Evelyn Kingsley was old but not foolish. She valued loyalty, humility, and charity.
And Elera fit that narrative perfectly.
The poor orphan.
The obedient little charity case.
I scoffed inwardly.
People like her were easy to control.
“She won’t betray us,” I said firmly to me.
“Elera doesn’t abandon people
I looked uncertain. “But… she’s changed. She’s living in luxury now.”
“That’s exactly why she’ll help us,” she replied. “She’ll want to prove she hasn’t forgotten her roots.”
she stood up, straightening her blouse”
- Writer
