"Can I ask you something?" George asked as they walked outside the hospital, where Williams was admitted, because he suffered from angina pectoris.
It wasn’t a heart attack, but because of his old age, the doctor suggested he stay for a couple of days to get other tests done.
Since he was still unconscious, Elara wanted to wait outside, out of respect.
"Mm. What is it?" Elara asked her brother.
George looked at her briefly before looking at the flower shop.
He started walking in that direction, and Elara followed, confused.
"Since you already said so much, ensured the agreement was void, and will divorce him for real, why didn’t you reveal your identity? It will make things much easier," George said as he asked the shop owner to make a bouquet.
Elara smiled. She knew he would ask her this question again, and this time she was ready and sure about her answer.
"Because I don’t just want to reveal my identity. I want to reclaim it," Elara said with a smile before grabbing a black rose from the collection.
It was so beautiful with water droplets on it that she wondered if she had a dress like this, she would’ve definitely wanted it.
"When that man made my life a living hell, so torturous that even sleeping felt like a task, I had to hide my identity to save myself. I was so famous, and then I turned into nothing, even dead. I just don’t want to come back; I want to reclaim it. Don’t worry, Mom and Dad will find out soon," Elara said, thinking about what she heard from Noah.
"Do you... I mean... Do you still get nightmares because of him?" George asked cautiously, watching as the smile on Elara’s lips faltered.
"Occasionally," she said.
She was about to tell him about her following plans when Carla, who had come out for a walk, walked up to her.
"I can’t believe this. My grandpa is just a little sick and not dead. How can you think of cursing him with a black rose? He loved you so much, and this is what you want to give him?" Carla raised her voice.
The shop owner nearly cut his finger on the slip caused by the shock of the loud noise he wasn’t used to.
Elara looked at the middle-aged man and sighed.
"I am sorry," she said to him, and the man waved his hand to tell her it was fine.
George’s brows furrowed.
"Miss Carla, I have met you 3 times, and every time it becomes a little hard to understand you. Were you born a fool, or have your misconceptions clouded your ability to think straight? This bouquet here is for your grandfather. This flower, this is my gift for her," George explained.
Carla’s cheeks turned red at George’s words, knowing all too well he wasn’t someone she could outrightly insult.
"Why would you give her a black rose, Mr. George? Don’t you know it’s a bad omen? Until you wish her—"
"It’s also a symbol of change and rebirth," George cut her off before smiling.
"Though with Miss Carla’s IQ, I hardly believe she would’ve known," he added.
Elara bit the insides of her cheeks to control her chuckle from escaping. How had she forgotten how savage her brother was when it came to insults?
"You—why are you taking her side? You didn’t answer it back then either. What is going on?" Carla started.
"It’s not choosing her. It’s picking one side. The options before me are clear. Pick a fool who has a low IQ or pick a person who has a good intellect. I am a businessman. Obviously, I’ll choose an intelligent person," George said.
Carla gritted her teeth, feeling cornered by the two. However, a smile appeared on her face as soon as she saw Andrew walking over.
"Brother, it’s good you are here. These two—" She couldn’t complete her sentence when Andrew looked at Elara.
"How are you?" He asked.
Elara arched her brows at his concern that almost looked fake.
"How is Beatrice?" She asked.
Andrew smiled softly before nodding.
"I deserve it after hurting you so many times. Since you have declared the divorce to the family, I guess you have made up your mind for real," Andrew said.
Elara nodded.
"I told you this earlier. This is my final decision. You just found it hard to digest," Elara said.
Since Andrew clearly wasn’t there to take her side, Carla stomped her foot on the ground before leaving.
Andrew looked at the back of his sister before sighing, his gaze falling on the black rose.
He remembered he had brought a bouquet home. It was given to him by another company’s vice chairman when he had signed a deal with the company.
At that time, Elara had said how fond she was of black roses and how she thought they were the most beautiful.
And he never got the time to get even one for her. The thought made him disappointed in himself before he retook a deep breath.
"What are you really here for?" Elara asked as she walked toward a cafe, with George walking behind her on a call.
"I came to apologize. I had no idea my grandpa made you sign an agreement like that. It... I always thought you were persistent alone," Andrew said.
Elara smiled. She didn’t blame him for this one. But it didn’t mean she forgave him for other things.
"You don’t know about many things." She shrugged her shoulders before entering the cafe.
"You never told me," Andrew immediately countered.
Elara paused and looked at him.
"Never told you?" She asked.
Andrew was immediately filled with guilt. He agreed that he never gave her any time at home; just dinners probably didn’t count, and whenever she used to talk over dinner, he used to ask her to stay silent because he wanted to eat in silence, but...
"There’s no but. Just admit you were a poor example as a husband. Let’s have this divorce and then never bother each other. That’s the best solution," Elara said.
Andrew clenched his fists.
He also knew what Elara wanted, and he also agreed that it was the best solution because he always thought he didn’t like Elara, or that was what he told himself.
The only reason he had gotten married to her was because his grandpa had insisted he wouldn’t give him any share in the business if he didn’t, and though he had failed his promise to treat her right after marriage, the thought of letting her go...
Why was it so hard to let her go when he never loved her?
"Here,"
Andrew observed how George, even on a call with an important client, actually paid for Elara’s order he was about to pay for and even stuffed a candy in her mouth, as if she was more important than the business call worth millions, and a deep ache spread in his chest.
Was this how he was supposed to treat her, but never did?
"How are your wounds?" He asked, just wanting to keep the conversation flowing.
"Okayish," she said, looking like she wanted to leave already.
"Why is George Frost so caring towards you?" Andrew asked.
Elara munched on the candy bar before looking at her brother, who was standing behind the counter, looking for the things she would like to eat, and smiling.
"He is like my brother," Elara smiled in his direction, the kind of smile Elara stopped giving Andrew.
Just seeing her smile at another man made him jealous, even though she said he was like her brother, and Andrew pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Be careful. Just because you think he is like your brother doesn’t mean he might think the same. The world is full of evil people," Andrew said.
Elara smiled. She shook her head before looking at Andrew.
"You don’t need to tell me that, Mr. Lloyd. I have experienced that evilness." She said, and then walked to one of the empty booths.
Andrew wanted to approach her, but something inside him held him back. Was it guilt, remorse, sadness, or madness? He didn’t know.
All he knew was that he probably wasn’t ready for this divorce.