ELARA POV
"No, you don't," I exclaimed, pushing him away. I couldn't believe it. At first, I was almost ready to believe his words, to think he was telling me nothing but the sincere truth. But then I reminded myself of what he was. I stepped back immediately. "Don't play jokes like that on me, or it won't be funny. Do you understand what I would do?" I said.
"I'm serious," he said, folding his arms and looking at me. "I can't believe I just confessed to you and you pushed me away. That is the reason why I don't like humans. You always think everything is a joke. I don't know what is wrong with me, okay? I should be the one telling you I don't want to love you, because nothing can ever benefit me from any of this. I am just telling you how I feel so you would know that that is the reason why I am making that connection to you, giving you links to my heart," he said as I went completely quiet, not knowing what to say.
I couldn't even push him away anymore. All I could do was go back to my seat and pretend like I was going through the files, even though I wasn't. His words kept repeating themselves in my mind. I shouldn't have acted so coldly, but I knew it was the only way to make it seem as though we were not close, since the camera was monitoring everything.
He continued to stare at me.
"Won't you come and chain me up? Or else, I might get angry and attack you," he said as I scoffed so loudly that he looked at me in surprise.
"You can't harm me. Do you know why? You can't attack someone you love. It's a fact. That is one of the things you simply cannot do. And now everyone knows your weakness. You just have to be careful and stop letting the camera capture these moments," I said to him without even looking straight into his eyes.
"If you want me to tell you everything, unchain me now," he said.
I was slightly drawn to his offer. I knew I badly needed that information. The promotion I would receive, the new position I would be elevated to, and if it all worked out, maybe I could finally exit this experiment instead of running myself into the ground over it. All of that was so enticing, but I immediately stopped myself from going down that road.
"Stop playing around with me, please, Kael," I said, feeling frustrated.
I brought out my phone instantly and tried to distract myself, scrolling through recent uploads. When I saw a picture of me and Marcus, we looked so happy. I looked so vulnerable and soft, ready to do anything for him. I remembered how just a few months ago I was ready to leave everything behind, all my studies, just to be with him, to be a housewife for him. I had even gone as far as thinking that if I got pregnant for him, I would have him for life. I was so naive.
I tapped the delete icon immediately, but just as I was about to confirm it for good, I hesitated, unable to go through with it. But then I remembered Raya's words, Mr. George's words, everything. If I wanted to be successful in life, I had to embrace the turns it took. Yes, there were consequences to every kind of success, and someone had to face those consequences and overcome them.
I deleted the picture out of sheer determination.
Right. Now I was going to take that opportunity. I was going to do what Mr. George had told me to do: use the feelings Kael had for me.
I dropped my phone and looked at him. He was still staring at me, standing there, both legs chained, looking so vulnerable, yet so devastatingly handsome. A man endowed with such beauty was simply unstoppable. But he had to be a beast.
I stood up, unable to take a step forward. But I knew I had to.
If I wanted him to trust me, I had to let him feel free. I picked up my phone again and pressed the call icon, calling Raya directly. She picked up instantly. I could tell she was already watching the footage between me and Kael as I muttered, "I am going to release him."
She gasped at first, like she wasn't expecting those words from me, but then she calmed down.
"Are you sure about what you want to do? We will secure the outer perimeter. He won't be able to escape. But can you assure me he won't harm you?" she said as I paused briefly.
I don't fully trust Kael, but I know he would not dare harm me. Mostly now that he has confessed how much he cares for me. He won't harm me, I stated, though anyone listening closely could still hear the ounce of hesitation in my voice. But I had to do it. I had to make her believe I was fierce enough.
"Can I unlock his chains?" I muttered as I heard her whispering in the background, clearly deliberating with the board members.
"Fine. It's all up to you. Stay safe," she said and then ended the call immediately.
Now I was standing in front of Kael. He had a smirk on his face; I could tell he had already heard every word I had just said. I slowly walked closer and closer to him. Then I reached the mechanism. Holding it tightly, I released it instantly, making Kael a free man at that moment.
"What are you doing?" he asked, surprised that I had actually gone through with it.