After Death, Love Unveiled (Elara and Lysander)

Chapter 4

Asher's lace froze when he heard Elara's words. He wasn't about to a

argue anymore.

"If that's how you feel, fine. Walk your ass home," he said, completely unfazed, not a shred of guilt in his voice. Then he turned to his father. "Drive"

Jefferson glanced at Elara, then at Asher, remembering how Elara usually was with his son. No matter how ugly it gets, they'll make up in a couple of days. She's always easygoing, he figured.

With that in mind, Jefferson shrugged off Elara's dramatic reaction, started the car, and drove away.

Elara stood there, stunned by Asher's nerve. "Fucking assholes! she fumed inwardly.

People nearby snickered at the scene. "Serves her right. She was acting like a total bitch, they whispered, amused by her

situation.

To everyone's surprise, Elara laughed too-though it was a bitter, angry laugh. She fished out a phone-Asher's ancient, clunky Nokia. She'd actually traded her brand-new Apple 3, a birthday gift, for this piece of junk, all to spare his damn pride. The thought felt absurd now.

Still, she used the phone to call her father. A few minutes later, the same Maybach that had just left rolled back to the entrance. Jefferson stepped out, his face stormy. It was clear he'd been chewed out. "Miss Kensington," he said, his voice stiff, forced.

Elara didn't miss a beat. "You really screwed up this time, didn't you?" she said coldly

Jefferson threw a quick glance toward the car, where Asher was helping Daphne out.

Daphne, looking totally caught off guard, glanced nervously at Elara. "Elara, I know you don't like me, but there's no need to take it out on Asher. He's always been good to you," she said, trying to sound reasonable but clearly rattled.

Asher cut her off sharply. "Don't. Say. A word to her, he snapped, making it clear that Elara had gone too far for his liking.

Elara didn't bother responding to either of them. Instead, she slid into the back seat, rolling down the window just before they drove off. She looked at Asher one last time, her smile calm, but full of finality. "Goodbye."

As they pulled away from the school, Jefferson stole a glance at Elara through the rearview mirror

Her icy calm caught him off guard, and he felt compelled to say something. "Miss Kensington, couples fight all the time. Don't take it to heart. Asher will apologize later. But without a ride, that poor guy might have to take the bus. Who knows how long he'll be stuck out there."

Elara's gaze turned icy, her voice sharp. If everyone else can take the bus, why the hell can't he? Or did you forget who signs your paycheck? If you've got a problem with me, feel free to quit instead of lecturing me

Her thoughts churned in anger, Just because he's Asher's dad, he thinks he can talk to me like this? If I hadn't called my dad. they would've just fucking left me here.

Jefferson quickly fell silent, realizing he had overstepped.

When Elara walked in, the maid, Ursa Fowler stared at her, shocked. "Miss Kensington, why are you back alone? Where's Mr. Blackwood?"

Elara's tone was ice-cold. "There's Mr. Blackwood in this house anymore."

Ursa froze, completely caught off guard. When the hell did Miss Kensington get this sharp? she wondered.

For years, Elara had bent over backward for Asher, practically worshiping the ground he walked on. Even Asher and Jefferson had started acting like they oward her

Ursa had bitten her tongue, knowing any complaints would only piss Elara off. But hearing her say this now, Ursa didn't know

Chapter

раголиця

Elara glanced at her. She knew Ursa was the most loyal, kind-hearted of the staff. Still, because Ursa had always been caught up in Asher's drama, Elara had felt nothing but resentment toward her. Then, when Asher took over the family business, Ursa had been the first to get tired.

As all these memories came flooding back, and seeing Ursa standing here now, Elara's eyes stung with unshed tears.

Quietly, she said. T'm going upstairs for a bit."

Ursa nodded. "Alright. Oh, and Mr. Hawthorne stopped by earlier. I'll let him know you're not seeing visitors."

Lysander had always been around, but that was her father's doing. Elara had always been head over heels for Asher, so she couldn't stand Lysander and made sure he knew it

Every time he visited, she'd refuse to meet him, having someone else send him away. The two of them had barely exchanged words over the years.

But now, thinking back, it was Lysander's men who had rushed her to the hospital. And even after everything that happened, he still considered her his fiancée. That thought alone stirred up emotions she wasn't prepared for Before Ursa could leave. Elara called out, "Wait. Where is he? I want to see him"

"He's in the backyard, playing with Cotton Ursa replied.

Elara wasted no time heading out back. When she got there, she saw Lysander kneeling, hand-feeding Cotton-the dog she had wanted for so long but kept her distance from because Asher hated pets. Watching Lysander now, so at ease with the dog, a wave of surprise and comfort washed over her.

He was in his usual navy school uniform, nothing special, But on him, it looked good. Elara couldn't help but wonder how he managed to make even something so simple look this impressive.

She thought about the rumors she'd heard before her death-how someone as successful as Lysander had stayed single all these years. The idea hit her hard, and before she knew it, her eyes were filling with tears.

After finishing up with Cotton, Lysander finally noticed her standing there. He looked like he wanted to come over but hesitated, probably remembering how cold she had been to him before.

Instead, he just greeted her softly, "Miss Kensington."

Lysander was undeniably handsome, but it wasn't just his looks. It was his calm. grounded presence that really stood out. He was the same age as her, yet carried himself with a maturity that made him seem years older.

By the time she had died," Lysander had already risen to the rank of four-star general. His success was practically legendary. and it had always been a thorn in Asher's side. Asher had spent years resenting Lysander, always overshadowed by his accomplishments.

Asher always talked shit about how Lysander's success was just because of his silver-spoon upbringing and all those fancy schools. He was sure that if he'd had the same advantages, he'd be just as good-hell, probably better.

So, every time Asher saw Lysander hitting new highs, it pissed him off for no real reason, and before long. Elara found herself looking at Lysander as some kind of rival, too.

But if she really thought about it, she had no beef with him-Lysander had never done a thing to her.

Now, with Lysander standing right in front of her, Elara swallowed her emotions and asked, trying to sound chill. "What do

you want?"

Lysander gave her a small smile. Just wanted to see how you're doing

When Elara didn't respond, he added quickly. "Look, I know you don't wanna see me. I'll leave you alone"

In truth, he hadn't expected to run into her. He was just there to visit Cotton, and the fact that she'd even let him inside was already more than he'd hoped for

255 PM c c.

Chapter 4

As Lysander turned to leave, Elara suddenly called out, "You wanna stay for dinner?"

He paused, caught off guard, and turned to look at her. "Wait, really?"

The evening sun was casting a soft glow on her, making her look a little more approachable than usual. She gave him a small smile and nodded. "Yeah, sure. Why not?"

Meanwhile, Asher was still out, driving Daphne home, nowhere close to being back yet. Normally, Elara would've waited for him to have dumer, but today, she'd already asked Ursa to start prepping early.

Ursa gave her a puzzled look. "Not waiting for Asher?"

Elara's voice was cool, almost dismissive. "Why the hell should I?"

The staff were used to her bending over backward to cater to Asher, so her sudden change in attitude left them a little stunned.

Ursa didn't push the matter, though. "Alright, I'll get things ready.

"Oh, and one more thing. Elara said, stopping her again. "Tell Jefferson he doesn't need to come tomorrow."

Ursa blinked, a bit taken aback, but she quickly got the message and didn't press further. "Got it."

After sending Jefferson packing, Elara finally sat down in the dining room.

Lysander, who had been sneaking glances at her the whole time, suddenly felt awkward and quickly averted his eyes when she took her seat.

Elara found it funny. Who would've thought Lysander could look so damn innocent right now?" she thought.