Elara's POV,
I'm lost in the chatter all around me, still thinking of the night a week ago. I was so drunk, I barely remember anything I said to him.
I do remember running to the balcony with a whole bottle of wine to escape the Virellis, having a minor anxiety attack and drinking like my life depended on it. I also remember peeking to see Lucien talking to my father, and then punching him in the nose.
I remember being impressed, promising myself that I wouldn't leave, and I remember him coming up to me.
After that, I draw a blank. I just hope I did nothing to embarrass myself in front of him. Like…kissing him.
I groan slightly, running my hands down my face. The thought even sends shivers up my spine.
After that night, it's like he just disappeared completely. I didn't see him at work, with Asher, or even looming about in the house after midnight when he came back from his operations.
It's like he vanished without a trace.
"...this or this one, ma'am."
I snap back to reality when I find two silver shoes thrust in my face. Ah, yes, tomorrow is my engagement party, and Celene thought it would be good to have a team of designers flood the house to get me prepared for the grand reveal.
Like the reveal at the gala wasn't enough already.
Although Lucien had ensured no photos taken there would be revealed, I was still sceptical. Anya went on social media like it was her life support, so if any wind of my face were even to show up…
I shake my head and point at any random shoe.
I've left that life. I'm safe.
"You look really lost, young lady." I turn to glare at Celene to mind her business, but she just sneers, still staring through her glasses.
"I'm so excited about my engagement, so I'm imagining." I snap, and she drops the newspaper she was reading.
"Bullshit," she hisses, "we both know this is a marriage of convenience."
"Good, then, leave me alone."
"Do you know Lucien was supposed to marry someone else?"
I roll my eyes. Seriously, though. When would she stop? "Seraphina is not his wife, get that into your old skull."
"Careful," she raises a brow. "We'll soon be calling ourselves mother and daughter."
"Can't wait."
"And I'm not talking about Seraphina."
I pause. Could she be talking about Anya?
"The Virelli heir." She said. "I'm sure you saw them at the gala, but I'm not talking about the dimwit blonde."
I roll my eyes. Now, she's crazy. "They only have one daughter."
"Ah, yes." She clicks her tongue. "Adrian Virelli had only one daughter. That's the one he was promised to."
I stiffen. I've read about my uncle, Adrian. He's basically the true heir to the Virelli Dynasty, but because of an "unfortunate" accident and the absence of a surviving heir, the throne passed to his younger brother, Matteo.
I heard he had two sons and a daughter who also died in the fire. But I call bullcrap. Matteo had probably just killed them.
To eliminate the threat.
"Unfortunately, she's dead. What's your point?"
"My point is, you won. You own Lucien. So, tomorrow, chin up." She flaps the magazine she's reading and gives me a look. "You've won."
~ ~
Today has to be the most tiring day ever since I came into the mansion. Camille and Noemi were also invited to help me with the decorations, so the day was a whirlwind.
They were each given their rooms, but stayed up to play with Asher and Lucy while my social battery had died.
As I go to my room, I stop at an open door. Lucien's study.
I gently pry it open, but stop when I hear his voice. He sounds…pressured, and hurried.
"The contract wasn't voided."
Another voice spoke, and I recognised it. Nikolai. One of Lucien's inner circle. "Yes, because she's dead."
"No, she isn't." I furrow my brows. Who could they be talking about? "I had Isolde look into it. The fire reports don't match. Her bones were never found. And when I dug deeper, she wasn't even in the house the day of the fire."
There's a shuffle of papers, and I want to leave. Thinking it's just another of their syndicates, when, "But it was confirmed, she died with the rest of them."
I have already started walking when, "I'm telling you, Adrian Virelli's daughter didn't die that night."
I pause and turn back. What? It was confirmed that she died that night. Everyone knew it.
"Even if she survived, where would she go?"
There's a pause. "She'd hide in plain sight."
"So, the girl you were promised to might still be alive."
"I'm still going to marry her, Nikolai," Lucien hisses. "As I said, she's mine to think about. Mine to deal with."
I leave before I can stop myself from barging in.
I have a cousin! I have a lead that the true heir of the Virelli Dynasty is alive!
I need to find her!
I barge into my room and immediately open my fastest computer. I'll make sure she returns and kicks those miserable shits off their iron throne.
My fingers fly furiously across the keyboard. I slip through hospital records, the birth of every Virelli child's database, and the archives until I come across a hidden file.
Tucked away in the zipped file, looking harmless.
I click on it, and it loads for a while before…
[Heir; In the Mansion—]
Then, it went blank. Not just the information. My entire computer.
It just went off. Then the screen flickered green, black, blue, and basically every colour I knew before going blank again.
A virus. A corrupted file.
So, Lucien is right. She might still be alive, and they want to cover it up.
Which means I may have to go to the Virelli mansion soon. Sneaking into it would be a better way to say it.
I dump my fastest computer into a trash bag and jump on my bed, putting out the light.
If I end up marrying Lucien, and the heir is really alive, I may cause a conflict. For some twisted reason, she could respectfully fuck off, but my revenge was greater than any feeling I was feeling right now.
"Tick Tock, Matteo Virelli…" I whisper, staring at nothing. "I hope you sleep well every night, you never know which one might be your last."
~ ~
MEANWHILE
After Elara dumps the laptop, her screen glitches one last time.
[ADRIAN VIRELLI – HEIR RECORD]
[Status: DECEASED Verification: INCOMPLETE]
The screen glitches again, and the text distorts.
[Recovered Subject: Identity altered]
[File Reassigned: Elara Virelli]
[Match…99%]
[Heir not dead.]
The laptop shuts down, then flickers on again.
[File Locked: Unauthorised access forever.]
[Self Destruct in 15 hrs, 35 mins, 10 secs]
[9 secs…]
[8 secs…]
[7 secs…]