SWNOVELS Chapter Unveiled 212
Chapter 212
Crispin stood to the side and said to Adair. "Oh, go ahead and pretend. Everyone knows you competed abroad."
"You know about that?" Adair replied, smirking. "Keeping tabs on me, huh, my dear ex-fiancé?"
"Please," Crispin said with a chuckle. "I'm a single guy. I don't need you tarnishing my reputation by dragging me into your mess."
"You..." Adair glanced at Elara, then turned back to Crispin. "Go ahead and keep running your mouth. Let's see if you're still so smug when she loses." Clearly, Crispin had pushed her buttons, and Adair was genuinely annoyed now. She turned to Elara. "If you admit defeat now, I might let you off easy." Elara smiled lightly. "Admit defeat before we even start? It's just a game. Losing doesn't bother me."
"Alright, let's see how tough you talk after this," Adair said as she stepped up to take her shot.
With a smooth motion, she made an impressive play. The ball sank perfectly into the pocket. She let out an excited squeal and immediately turned to Asher. "Well? How was that? Impressive, right?" But Asher wasn't even looking at Adair. His eyes were fixed on Elara. When he finally heard Adair's question, he gave her a distracted glance and muttered, "Yeah. Impressive."
Adair noticed his wandering gaze and felt frustrated. She was someone who hated losing. The harder it was to win someone over, the more determined she became.
The more Asher focused on Elara, the more Adair wanted to make him fall head over heels for her so completely that he couldn't possibly resist.
When it was Elara's turn, she stepped up and took her shot. Her form was graceful, and the ball went in cleanly. Adair frowned. "Have you practiced?"
After all, Adair was a professional. Though she hadn't played as much in the past two years, her skills hadn't diminished that much.
Elara smiled and replied, "I only know a little. My husband taught me."
"Lysander?" Adair asked.
"Yeah." Elara nodded.
Standing nearby, Asher noticed the happiness in Elara's eyes the moment she mentioned Lysander.
Whenever Elara looked at Asher, she was cold and indifferent. But the second she brought up Lysander, her gaze was full of warmth and affection. That realization left Asher feeling irritated. "Forget it. You guys keep playing. I'm going out for a smoke," Asher said abruptly, then walked away.
Adair watched him leave. With Asher gone, there was no one she was supposed to impress. She handed her cue stick to a ball -boy. "I'm done too."
"Wow, can't handle losing?" Crispin quipped, finding her retreat amusing.
Elara noticed how Crispin's every word seemed aimed at provoking Adair. Smiling, she asked, "Do you dislike her that much?"
1/3
Chapter 212
"Absolutely," Crispin replied with a shrug. "She had the audacity to reject me. How could I not resent her? I'm a pretty vengeful person, you know."
It had nothing to do with feelings. It was a matter of pride.
Elara chuckled. "I didn't expect her to be your fiancée.
"She wasn't," Crispin corrected her. "It was just my dad's idea. Bu looking at it now, it's not worth it. There's no way I'd want to marry her."
"Let's head back. I'm feeling a little hungry," Elara said. Together with Crispin and Juan, Elara left to grab something to eat. After their meal, Crispin escorted Juan back to her room.
As Elara was heading to her own room, she bumped into Asher in the lobby. Asher looked at her and said, "You and Crispin seem pretty close. Does Lysander know about that?" Elara raised an eyebrow, surprised by his question. "What does that have to do with you?"
"Lysander comes from a better family than I do, and now you've married him. I get that you think he's important, but what about Crispin? What's he even worth?
"Just some second-generation rich kid tagging along with Lysander, waiting to live off his family. You treat him better than me," he said.
Elara was taken aback by Asher suddenly confronting her again. After a brief pause, she replied, "Is your mind so tangled up with work that you've lost your sense? "Asher, since when did you start managing my affairs? Do you even think you're in a position to?"
"I'm looking out for you on Mr. Kensington's behalf," said Asher.
"What are you even worth?" Elara couldn't help but laugh at his words.
Asher pressed his lips together, frustration flashing across his face. His pride made him want to snap at her, but deep down, he realized that the more he ignored her, the farther she seemed to slip away from him. "You've got your place in Lysander's life, and I've accepted that," he said, his tone more serious now. "But I won't accept that Crispin is even more important than me."
"We're not close, and you have no right to manage my business. Elara found the situation almost amusing.
She'd made it clear where she stood with Asher before, but now here he was, acting as if things were different.
Elara remembered when she used to want someone to knock him out every time she saw him, and now, he was still haunting her. He was indeed despicable.
She turned to leave, and Asher blocked her way. "Move." Her voice was cold.
Just then, Adair approached. "Elara, you're tempting Asher again? Don't you have any shame? Don't you have enough men at home that you're going after mine?"
Elara shot back, "It's your boyfriend you didn't leash properly. He came to me, not the other way around."
Asher's face stiffened, and he looked at Adair. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Adair snorted, her gaze sharp. "Asher, you've already introduced me to your parents, and now you're over here pining after her. Who are you doing this for? You like her, but does she like you?"
Asher didn't agree with her assessment, but seeing an opportunity to clarify his position with Elara, he added, "Your family
45
2/3
10:48 Sat, Nov 30 WB
Chapter 212
didn't approve of us being together. Your engagement partner is still on. Don't forget about that."
45
Adair's eyes narrowed, her frustration growing. "You've seen how I've treated him. I fought with my family for you. You keep stringing me along, agreeing to marry me but not willing to be lose. Isn't your attitude à little too much?" Asher did not take the initiative or reject Adair directly. He agreed to marry her, but he was unwilling to be intimate with her. Although Adair was angry every time, she convinced herself that he still liked her.
But now, Asher was coaxing Elara like this, making Adair feel very comfortable. She had a hot temper and couldn't accept it at all.
Asher said, "That's my attitude. You see it."
His cold indifference felt like a knife twisting in her heart. Because of him, she had quarreled with her parents. That was why she asked Asher to accompany her out to relax. Yet now, he was cold to her for Elara. Adair was naturally very unhappy. Her gaze turned furious as she looked at Elara. "It's all your fault, Elara. You're nothing but a bitch. You're married, and you still can't stay in your lane."
With that, Adair lunged at Elara, shoving her with force, then charging at her to slap her. Just as she was about to strike, a man appeared in front of her and grabbed her arm.
Elara looked up to see Magnus standing there, holding Adair back. Before anyone could say anything else, Lysander stepped into the scene, his presence like an imposing force. "What's going on here?" Elara's eyes shifted toward him. "You're here already?"
Lysander stood by her side, his stature straight and commanding like a towering tree. His gaze locked onto Adair. "Are you hitting my wife?"
Adair, who had been trying to shake off Magnus's grip, froze at Lysander's words. Her eyes quickly turned red. "She's seducing my boyfriend!
"Lysander, you have to stop her. Your wife is outrageous. You're from the Hawthorne family after all. How could you marry someone like her? Aren't you afraid she'll betray you when you're not around?" Lysander's cold gaze shifted to Asher, who stood off to the side. "Elara is seducing you?"