Chapter 18
The spicy, smoky aroma of grilled skewers and shrimp wafted through the air.
For the first time since her rebirth, Elijah felt her tightly wound nerves finally begin to relax.
The lively hum of the street stalls, the clatter of plates, and the smell of sizzling food all wrapped
around her like a warm blanket.
Even with Leon sitting across from her, she didn’t feel the guarded awkwardness she’d carried earlier. By the end of the evening, calling him simply “Leon” rolled off her tongue naturally.
Surprisingly, the “blind date” turned out far better than she had imagined; pleasant, lighthearted, and unexpectedly enjoyable.
It wasn’t until Leon drove her all the way back to the Morgan Estate that Elijah realized something
strange.
After the mess with Ivan, she thought she’d be traumatized by the idea of any other “set–up date.”
But sitting in Leon’s car, she didn’t feel the slightest resistance or discomfort.
In truth, Leon was nothing like Ivan.
Ivan had played at being witty, charming, and suave. Leon didn’t have to pretend. He was
effortlessly captivating.
Born the third child in the influential Howards family, Leon had never been groomed as an heir. But
instead of growing resentful, he carved his own path and thrived in it.
At sixteen, he left for Europe. Over the years, he collected passions the way other people collected
rare stamps, fine art, piano, extreme sports.
He had lived in Iceland and Norway, camped under the aurora, witnessed the Great Migration in
Kenya, and once captained a private boat to explore the Bermuda Triangle, only to be dragged back halfway by his furious sister and grounded for three days.
On the drive home, Leon entertained Elijah with wild, colorful stories about his travels and the
friends he’d made.
An Oxford–born aristocrat trained in diplomacy since childhood, a drifter who’d wandered through thirty–two countries, even a Cambodian witch who claimed she could curse the tides.
Elijah was completely drawn in, hanging on his every word. For the first time in days, she wasn’t
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thinking about Ivan or comparing anyone to him.
By the time she said goodbye at the Morgan Estate gate, her smile still hadn’t faded.
Across the property, however, Ethan was having one of his worst days.
He’d been restless since morning, distracted to the point that even Hannah’s sweet teasing failed to
stir him.
When Elijah finally returned, face glowing, laughter still lingering in her voice, Ethan’s mood sank straight through the floor.
And then he saw him.
The sleek black Aston Martin pulling away from the gates. The tall, sharp–featured man behind the
wheel. So Elijah had really let someone drive her home.
Worse yet, it wasn’t just anyone. It was Leon.
A small, ugly thought settled in Ethan’s chest. Elijah seemed to be seeing someone.
By all logic, he should have felt relieved. Wasn’t this what he wanted?
For years, Ethan had been steadfast about marrying Hannah. The only uncertainty between them
was Elijah, the shadow of their unspeakable three–year entanglement.
If Elijah had clung to him, things would’ve grown messy. But if she moved on… wasn’t that simpler?
Cleaner?
Yet the sight of her smiling like that, smiling for someone else, made Ethan’s chest tighten until he
could barely breathe.
Hannah noticed it, too.
She had watched Ethan closely all day, reading every flicker of his expression, every absentminded
pause. She wasn’t blind. She knew exactly who occupied his thoughts.
And yet, as his girlfriend, she couldn’t confront him, not without sounding paranoid.
All she could do was smile through the ache, keep her nails from digging into her palms, and pretend not to care.
She’d heard, of course, that Elijah had gone on a “blind date” arranged by Ethan’s mother.
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At first, Hannah had been amused. The “date” was with the youngest Howards son, Leon, the one the tabloids dismissed as a spoiled playboy who’d failed to inherit the family empire.
She’d assumed Leon wouldn’t be interested in Elijah at all. She had assumed wrong.
The man who stepped out of that car tonight was anything but a failure.
Tall, devastatingly handsome, with an effortless confidence Ethan couldn’t quite match.
Seeing Elijah return home with Leon, laughing, relaxed, radiant, made something dark coil in
Hannah’s stomach.
Why did men like Elijah so much?
Wasn’t stealing Ethan already enough for her?
And now Leon, too? Even Ivan, the fool she had sent to humiliate Elijah, had been bewitched by her!
The thought made Hannah’s jaw clench.
Ivan was supposed to flirt, tease, and embarrass Elijah, not fall for her. He was supposed to play a role, not actually sleep with her.
And yet, apparently, all it had taken was a little alcohol and a few sweet words.
Men. Pathetic, predictable men.
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