REBIRTH : Chasing The Limelight-Chapter 78: Remember that night..

Relanie sat quietly in front of the table, her eyes fixed on the board between them for a long moment before she finally reached out and moved one of the wooden pieces calmly.

Across from her, Reine did not rush either. She studied the board carefully, then moved her own piece without hesitation. A small pause followed before she spoke up. "You lost again."

Relanie let out a small sigh, though there was no real frustration on her face. She only leaned back against her chair and looked down at the board, her fingers brushing gently against one of the wooden figures as if she was thinking about something else entirely. After a moment, she lifted her gaze and looked at Reine.

"At times, I do wonder what he sees in her. She has obviously been involved with several men. I’ve seen her with so many. Can’t he see that too?" she said.

Reine did not answer at first. She adjusted one of the pieces on the board, then finally spoke in a calm voice. "Who knows if he’s only doing things with her. Because...I don’t think he likes her." She paused briefly, then added, "If he did, when he found out about the pool, why didn’t he do anything to you?"

Relanie looked at her for a second, then gave a small laugh, though it did not reach her eyes. "You think so?"

She lowered her gaze again, but deep down, she knew better than anyone. She had spent years watching Adrian, understanding him in ways others could not. She knew there was something there, even if he never said it.

Reine continued as if she had not noticed the shift in her expression. "But think about it. That Elara is truly shameless. She knows Adrian is your fiancé, yet she’s still getting involved with him." She gave a small snort and rearranged the figures on the board neatly.

Relanie’s eyes darkened a bit at those words. "Before, I thought she was just lucky," she said quietly. "But now I can see she’s truly shameless. Flirting with men just to rise in the industry." Her voice grew colder. "And now Adrian is one of her targets."

She fell silent after that, her gaze dropping back to the board, but she was no longer seeing the pieces. Her thoughts had already drifted far away.

She knew Adrian had never liked her the way she wanted. That truth had always been there, even if she had ignored it for years. It hurt, more than she would ever admit, but even so, she could not allow someone else to step in and take control of him so easily.

Elara could do whatever she wanted with other men, she did not care, but not him. That was the one thing she would never allow.

Reine’s voice broke through her thoughts again. "You know she’s going for a concert in few days, right?"

Relanie did not look up as she nodded simply, her expression calm again.

"I know," she said. "What do you think?"

–

Elara pushed the door open and stepped into the office calmly. She was not nervous, not even a little, though she could not help wondering why he had called her again. Still, she knew she could not refuse. Acting rashly would only make things worse, so she came.

The office was empty when she entered. Harris had told her that Adrian was inside, so she guessed he was probably in the restroom.

She stayed where she was, standing straight and waiting patiently. Her eyes moved around the room, stopping at the paintings on the wall.

She remembered the time she went to his house, how he had told her not to touch his things carelessly.

A cold snort slipped out of her before she could stop it.

Her gaze drifted again and stopped at an easel placed near the wall, inside what looked like a small lounge area. She had barely taken a proper look at it when a door suddenly opened behind her.

Elara immediately looked away, her eyes landing on Adrian as he stepped out with an expressionless look on his face.

She turned away from him at once and faced the desk instead. "I’m here," she said simply.

He did not reply immediately. The silence stretched for a long moment before he finally spoke. "Sit."

Elara let out a quiet breath and turned to look at him. "What is it?" she asked directly.

He gestured toward the chair again. "Sit. It’s about the concert," he said after a pause as he walked to his desk and sat down.

Elara watched him, her eyes following his movements with a faint sneer that she did not bother to hide.

She wondered what he was trying to do this time. First he brought her a phone, now he wanted her in his office.

Before she could speak again, the door opened and Harris walked in, holding a box carefully in both hands.

"Boss, the package has arrived," Harris said with a bright smile as he placed it gently on the table. "Those people that delivered it were talking too much, saying it’s a limited design and all this and all that. I didn’t really understand everything, but from the way they were talking, it sounded very expensive."

He then turned to Elara, squinting his eyes a bit as if trying to assess something important. Then he stood up straight and waved to her.

"Miss Elara, you don’t have to worry. I may not be a lady, but I have a younger sister, so I understand these things a little," he said with a small nod. "I can tell this will look very striking and fitting on you."

Elara only stared at him quietly, her expression calm but unreadable. Harris’s smile slowly turned awkward under her gaze. He cleared his throat, gave a quick bow, and hurried out of the office.

The moment the door closed, Elara spoke. "I don’t want it."

Adrian did not respond.

"I’m not taking this," she added calmly. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

She had already bought her own dress with her own money. It was not simple at all. This was her first concert, and even if she was not someone who liked flashy things, she would not go there looking plain. The dress she bought was from a high end brand, and it was far from cheap.

"I have mine," she said as an afterthought.

Adrian finally spoke. "You’re representing Voice, so you can’t just..."

Elara cut him off sharply. "I’m representing myself."

She did not care about respect anymore. Respect was for people who deserved it, not those who demanded it.

"I’ve always been representing myself," she added.

She had learned that the hard way. In both her past life and this one. Representing others meant carrying their weight. Representing yourself meant standing on your own two feet.

Adrian paused for a moment, then said, "Stop being difficult. You don’t understand how this works."

Elara let out a quiet scoff inside her mind. "May I leave?" she asked, her tone casual.

"Yes," Adrian said. "But you must take that box with you."

Elara almost laughed. Had it come to this? Forcing things on her that she did not want?

"You can’t control me however you like," she snapped. "You’re just my sponsor. I have my own freedom and my own decisions to make."

The office went silent.

Then Adrian slowly lifted his gaze. His eyes were cold, but Elara did not flinch. This was the real him. She wondered what had made him act differently these past days.

He opened his mouth. "You seem very comfortable accepting attention from every man around you... but suddenly you have pride now."

Elara went still, her mind trying to process what he had just said. "Say it properly," she said quietly. "What exactly are you trying to call me?"

He did not look away from her. His gaze stayed fixed on her face.

"I’m saying you should go on and represent yourself to the whole world," he said coldly. "Some women are made for that kind of attention, and clearly, you’re one of them."

Elara’s eyes widened, anger rising so fast she could barely hold it down. "What did you just say?" she asked, then forced herself to take a breath.

She could feel herself losing control, and she knew if she stayed any longer, she might say something she could not take back. So she turned around without another word and started walking toward the door.

"You dare," his cold, calm voice came from behind her.

Elara stopped.

Her body froze where she stood, as if his words had locked her in place for a second.

Before she could move again, he was already behind her.

His voice dropped low as he leaned close, his breath near her ear. "Remember that night."

Her hands clenched tightly at her sides.

"You belong to me," he whispered, "and there’s nothing you can do about it."

That was enough. She couldn’t take it anymore.

She shrugged him off immediately, pushed the door open, and walked out without looking back..