Elaine had followed Enzo's instructions and made her way to the VIP suite of the club. She had been here before it was his private room. When she knocked on the door, there was no response.
Surprisingly, the door was also unlocked. Inside, she found no one—no guards or anyone else. It had a lounge with a private room for its VIP customers.
Elaine entered looked around until she saw a blouse on the floor that made her squint her brows. She looked at the bedroom door with beating heart. The sight that next greeted her was shocking.
"I was shock when you said you will marry me. Even though it is for our baby. I am still happy."
Baby?
"I can't leave you like this… I have to take… responsibility." Enzo muttered to woman in his arms.
Elaine stood there shook at the realization that her boyfriend had made her step-sister pregnant!
She dashed out of the room and marched downstairs. She still couldn't believe what she saw and heard. Those giggles that she heard before she left the suite was echoing in her head nonstop.
"Ah!" Elaine gasped when she bumped someone on her way which almost cause her to fall. Fortunately, she felt strong arms around her, holding her in a tight grip.
She opened her wide eyes and was shocked to see a handsome man looking down at her with a furrow.
Dante Kim!
Alpha!
The very man she wanted to see right now.
She pushed herself away from him and bowed. "I'm sorry." She apologized before she started running away from there—or from him.
"…Boss?" A voice called him when he was looking at the girl's retreating figure.
"She came here to meet him?… she must be restless at the news." Dante hummed to himself in amusement.
"It looks like that… but boss why did you send her the article? Why did you even have to do that?"
With a dark gaze Dante looked at his assistant but said nothing as he started walking away from there.
He also didn't know why he had the urge to send her the link of the article he was behind the publication.
He just knew he was happy that she was saved from a bastard like his nephew.
Chapter 2
A week had passed since Elaine's last encounter with Dante in the hallway. Her mind was more occupied by the thought of her boyfriend who didn't try to text her or even tell her why he is engaged to a woman when he was still with her. He didn't even try to breakup with her least acknowledge her at the moment.
She also didn't try to call him again.
She had to move on from him but the reality was more difficult than any thought. He just didn't got engaged with any woman but her step sister. Who she will seeing more than before because of work.
"That bitch stole my man!" Elaine threw the glass she was holding on the floor in anger. "Not just that I can't mate him at all! All these years I thought my mate will wake up today, tomorrow… but why aren't we mates? If we were mates maybe Xylia's evil plans wouldn't have worked huhu.." Crying Elaine complained here and there.
"It's the curse we can't find our mate early. This generation is domed!" Udaya said.
"My mother and father mates at the age of 18. I am almost 25 still now mate beside me…" Elaine sipped from her glass.
"Elaine! What are you doing? Stop drinking so much…" Udaya said, with worried expression.
"Enzo… Udaya… he…" Tears fell from her eyes as she didn't even finished her sentence properly.
Udaya already understood what she wanted to say as she sat in front of her best friend and shook the girl to reality.
"If she stole him from you then you should know that a man who can be stolen by any woman isn't for you!"
Elaine flinched at the raised voice of her friend only to blink at her words. "You are right!"
Udaya blinked ever so tenderly and smiled that her friend had still a brain to use but then she saw Elaine crawling towards her table and wrote something down on the notebook.
Curious, she glanced at the notebook only to find Elaine writing the dialogue down what she just told her. "Elaine!" She held her head in disbelief. "How can you?"
Elaine smiled at the note and smiled before looking at her friend. "Keep saying more interesting sentences."
"You are unbelievable." Udaya could only say this words as she stared at her friend.
Elaine didn't mind her friend's words as she was thinking where she will use this dialogue in her novel when her phone buzzed, displaying the caller's name.
"Snake emoji?" Udaya frown when she saw user name saved on Elaine's phone.
"Xylia…." She explained only for later to laugh.
"Oh my god. Snake suits her so much hahahaha." Udaya laughed.
However, with an exaggerated eye roll, Elaine answered the call, her irritation palpable even through the phone.
"Hello?" Elaine's voice carried a hint of impatience.
"Big sister, where are you?" A voice, dripping with saccharine sweetness, chimed from the other end. It was her stepsister, the very person Elaine had been avoiding.
Elaine let out an internal sigh, her frustration mounting. She listened as her stepsister continued, her words coated in an almost unreal sweetness. "Today is our father's birthday; don't you want to come?"
Father's birthday?
The words seemed to bounce off Elaine's consciousness, stirring a mix of emotions within her.
Confusion, detachment, and even a touch of bitterness.
She hadn't truly felt a connection to him; she hadn't truly considered him her father at all.
Despite her thoughts about her father, Elaine found herself listening to the pleas of her stepsister.
The voice on the other end grew more insistent, a soft but persistent whine. "Please, big sister, it would mean so much to him if you come…."
Elaine's fingers tightened around the phone, and a frown etched onto her features. She had known this moment would come—the tug of war over her father's affection, a battle that seemed more about inheritance than genuine care.
The moment passed, and with a resigned exhale, Elaine cut off the call. The sound of her stepsister's complaint echoed briefly before fading into silence.
"Will you go?" Udaya already heard Xylia's screaming voice from speaker so she looked at Elaine with a worried gaze.
Left with her thoughts, Elaine weighed her options. She understood that her stepsister's manipulations were a means to an end—securing her father's wealth.
The very thought of her mother's hard-earned properties ending up in her stepfamily's hands gnawed at Elaine's sense of justice.
If she didn't attend the party tonight, she knew her stepsister would exploit her absence to further her agenda. Elaine couldn't allow that to happen.
"I will…" She answered at which Udaya frown deepened.
"I know you don't want to go so why are you planning to go?" Udaya asked even when she knew why.
"I have to show up as his legitimate girl. Xylia considered I will not go but I have to make her plans ruin by my love for my… father."
She set her jaw and resolved to make her appearance at the party tonight.
.
Hours later, Elaine stood before her mirror, the reflection of a transformed woman staring back at her.
She wore her mother's party dress tonight. It might be old but it was one of the custom made by Dior even now it was never shown wearing for common person.
She reached the venue on time.
The birthday party was held in a hotel ballroom, filled with laughter and the sound of music.
The venue was a spectacle of lights and laughter, a facade for the deeper undercurrents at play. Conversations hummed, and Elaine passed the crowd, her discomfort masked by a practiced smile.
And there he was—her father, Alison Macron, surrounded by well-wishers and acquaintances. Elaine's gaze met his, and for a moment, an unspoken understanding passed between them.
As Elaine approached, her stepsister's presence was undeniable. The younger woman clung to their father's side, her possessiveness evident in every gesture. Yet Elaine refused to be overshadowed.
"Is it Elaine?"
"It is my first time watching her so close." Someone else had spoken, their voice laced with curiosity.
"Is it… is it Dior custom design of 2010? Omg!"
"I had seen custom made designs list from 2000 and yes that's must be Dior!" Another one answered truthfully. A few glared at the dress enviously as they could only imagine seeing branded dress in real life.
"Same here. She is the legitimate child, right?" The person asked loudly, which was enough for people near him to hear him.
Elaine only smirked at her step-sister and step-mother, who were now glaring at the man who dared to speak.
The room fell quiet for a moment, the tension palpable. Then, as if on cue, the facade of celebration resumed. Elaine's stepsister shot her a venomous glare, but Elaine held her ground, her convictions unwavering.
She stepped forward, her voice steady and clear, as she wished her father. "Happy birthday, Dad."
Her words echoed through the grand hall, momentarily silencing the murmurs and whispers that had filled the air.
"Elaine…" Her father's voice trailed off as he drew near and hugged her in front of everyone making her shock.
For other's it might be normal her for her and her step family.
It wasn't!
"I thought I saw Meera tonight..." he wiped his nonexistent tears and said. "Come with me I will introduce you to my friends."
"Why not, dad?" Elaine replied with a smile.
Elaine's eyes scanned the room, taking in the faces of the esteemed guests, some of whom she recognised from her father's business circles while others were unfamiliar to her. Despite the weight of their gazes on her, she held her head high, determined to make her presence known and her voice heard.
She followed him as he led her towards a group of well-dressed individuals, each one exuding an air of importance.
As her father began introducing her, Elaine took a deep breath, ready to make a lasting impression on these influential figures. She knew that this was her chance to prove herself and step confidently into her role in her father's business empire.
In that moment, Elaine realised she wasn't there for her father's affection or for the inheritance that dangled like a proverbial carrot.
She stood there as a testament to her mother's memory, a reminder that the past couldn't be easily erased.
"Mr Macron, your first daughter is so beautiful. She must be with her mother."
"Haha, indeed she has her mother's features. Elaine, meet Mr. Smith. He is one of our most valued business partners."
Elaine extended her hand, a mixture of nerves and determination coursing through her veins.
She knew that this encounter was not just about impressing Mr. Smith but also about proving to herself that she was capable of carrying on her mother's legacy and making a name for herself in the business world.
"So, are you going to give your company to her?" Mr. Smith, known as a wise man, asked him directly.
Alison's expression changed a little bit, but he immediately covered it with a smile and answered.
"We will decide based on their progress who can handle the business world better." He paused and said, "Although she is..."
Elaine understood what he was going to say, so she interrupted him.
"Mr. Smith, it's really nice to meet you. I am a novelist and used to write books as a hobby. If possible, I will surely like to work with you in the future." She cleverly handled the situation and brought her hand forward for a handshake.
Mr. Smith, impressed by her quick thinking and confident demeanour, reciprocated the gesture. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Elaine," he said, his initial hesitation fading away.
"Your background as a writer could bring a unique perspective to our team. Let's discuss further how we can collaborate and make a lasting impact in the business world." Elaine smiled widened as she realised her interruption had turned the tables in her favour.
She could feel glares behind her, but she ignored them, thinking they must be her stepmother.
She didn't think a lot about her stepsister because she knew that woman must be somewhere in the hall trying to please a rich man for her use.
Even though Xylia was secretly engaged to her ex-boyfriend. She couldn't stand a chance in business world alone.
Alison introduced her to many people tonight while she smiled politely at everyone, engaging in small talk with various individuals.
It was a delicate dance, one she had mastered over the years.
As the introductions continued, Elaine's heart skipped a beat when her father's hand gently guided her towards a tall, impeccably dressed man. "Elaine," her father began, his voice warm with pride, "allow me to introduce you to Alpha Dante Kim."