"Who told you I was here?" Elara asked with a sheepish smile, remembering their last conversation on the call.
Her grandfather looked at her sternly, his eyes softening a little when he saw the blush on her face.
He has his subordinates find every single detail he missed about her life over the past eight years, and nothing he hears is good.
It was his fault too.
Eight years ago, when he heard his granddaughter had been training meticulously, without knowing the reason behind her reckless training, he proposed to his daughter, Gabriella, that she send Elara to the military and that Elara would have a bright future there.
However, Gabriella had outwardly denied it. Thomas only had Gabriella and Nate as his kids. Nate died in a tragic incident, and his wife was left with the kids. He was left with hopes only for Gabriella and her kids.
Thomas just wanted someone in the family to carry on his legacy. George was never so athletic, not the kind he deemed fit for the military. Besides, they needed an heir to carry on the Frost legacy, too.
Thus, he had earnestly hoped Elara would walk in his steps. The day he saw her training schedule and her meticulous hard work, he knew she was perfect to carry on the Hudstons’ legacy.
But he had never thought that his daughter wouldn’t agree to it.
Even Elara hadn’t shown much interest in the military despite having so much talent, and it hurt him. She wanted to be a singer and stay with her family.
That was why he had gone to the base, believing he had no family left who cared about his wishes and ideologies.
That was until he heard Elara was dead. He had attended her funeral himself and regretted ever leaving his family alone. After all, he only had Gabriella and her kids as his family, too.
He had come to the city for the weapons summit and had been casually scrolling through the news when he saw Elara’s recent involvement in the competition and her presence on the stage.
At first, he thought he was just seeing things, but when her name was announced, he knew he was seeing the truth, which left him with the mystery of why Gabriella orchestrated such an elaborate drama of Elara’s death.
What was the reason behind it?
"Your boyfriend," Thomas finally replied in his gruff voice, and Elara raised her brows, finding it strange.
Hadn’t he said her grandfather was one person who firmly believed they shouldn’t be together? Then how come they were in such strong communication with each other?
"No matter what mafia boss he becomes, he is still a rank lower than me when it comes to professionalism. If he had stayed in the army, maybe he would have turned into a general, but it looks like he has other things to attend to," Thomas said, his gaze shifting to Elara, who blushed again.
Why did she feel like Daniel’s leaving the army was also being blamed on her?
"Why did the Turner corner you?" Thomas asked after a drawn-out silence.
Elara’s smile stiffened. She had yet to inform her family, especially her mother, about what had happened. If she told her grandfather, he would definitely inquire about her mother, and that was the last thing she wanted to happen when she had other things in mind.
"I’ll tell you only if you promise me to keep it a secret," Elara said, knowing she won’t be able to hide it from him for long anyway.
When Thomas nodded, she sighed and told him everything one by one.
At the same time, Beatrice, who was waiting for the happy news, walked into her room when she saw the incoming call from the familiar number.
"Hello, Uncle Turner. How did it go?" She asked, keeping her voice low.
The man on the other side stayed silent for a few seconds, and it was more than enough of an answer for her.
"What happened?" She asked.
Sean Turner’s father sighed before pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I did as you said. I even think Elara has something to do with my son’s death. The way she acts so proud, no way she was a victim. There’s something that everyone is missing regarding her. The police called her in for interrogation, but General Thomas showed up. Everything went haywire from then on. That girl dared to pull a gun towards me—" The man started explaining everything that happened.
Beatrice lost track of it the moment General Thomas showed up. She was really hoping Elara would be made to sit in the prison for the entire night in the name of interrogation, and then in the morning, she would have someone click a few pictures of her coming out of the police station, which would describe her as a convict.
Surely, the rumors would die soon, and they might even clear out, but once a rumor is spread, an initial image would be formed of her. A murder suspect. A criminal.
But who would’ve thought someone would chime in to save her again?
Was Sophia right about Elara having a prominent background then? If that were the case, it would become a hindrance for her.
Earlier, Sophia didn’t want or like Elara, but if she found out about her background, she might actually persuade Andrew to bring her back, and the way Andrew has been leaning towards that bitch these days would affect her plans all along.
Beatrice ended the call by saying she would see what she could do to get the information out.
Once the call ended, she called her partner in crime at Andrew’s company.
"Have you done what I asked you for? I want daily news of where Andrew is investing and with which major projects," Beatrice said.
"What major projects?" Andrew’s sudden voice made Beatrice nearly scream, and she turned immediately.
She looked at Andrew’s face to assess how much he heard.
"Sorry?" She asked.
"What major projects are you talking about?" Andrew asked.
Beatrice pressed her lips into a thin line.
"Oh, it’s just that I saw that Elara was now the brand ambassador of Macros’ beauty line. I asked my manager if there were any other big projects we could assign to Elara. After all, she needs all the money after this divorce," Beatrice said.
Andrew looked at her for a few seconds before smiling.
"I don’t understand you girls. Anyway, I am glad that you are looking out for her. I don’t know why Elara always thinks she needs to compete with you, even when I don’t have any involvement with you," Andrew said.
Beatrice’s smile stiffened a little before she smiled wider to maintain her composure.
"It’s my duty to look after her. I don’t want people to come after you for her issues later," Beatrice said.
"Mmm... anyway, I had come to tell you to get ready earlier for the shoot tomorrow. I’ll drop you on my way to the company. Father is returning tomorrow evening, so I have a lot of work and won’t be able to accompany you and Carla on her first shoot," Andrew said.
"It’s okay. You are already trying your best to be available for everyone," Beatrice said, running her fingers up and down his arm, making him nod before he turned and left.
Beatrice looked at the back of the leaving man before smiling.
Right. How could she forget? Tomorrow, the official shoot would start, and she would have thousands of ways to humiliate and torment Elara, making this shoot a living hell for her.