Chapter 245: Chapter 245 The Confrontation
Elara
Zack wanted to ride together. I shut that down hard.
"We drive separate," I said, keys already out. "Or I leave. Right now."
He didn’t push it. Just nodded and walked to his black sedan.
I followed him for twenty minutes through winding mountain roads. We ended up at this tiny coffee shop that looked like it hadn’t seen a customer since Obama was in office. Faded paint. Cracked window in the corner. A hand-painted sign that said "Open" hanging crooked on the door.
Perfect place for a conversation nobody was supposed to know about.
We sat at a table in the back. The place smelled like burnt coffee and old dust.
One waitress stood behind the counter, glued to her phone. She didn’t even look up when we walked in.
I leaned back and crossed my arms. "Talk. You’ve got thirty minutes."
Zack stared at me for a beat too long. His eyes looked hurt. Like I was the one who had done something wrong.
I almost laughed. Now he wanted to play the victim?
He slid a manila envelope across the table.
"Elara," he said quietly. "I’m not here to cause problems between you and Dominic. I’m not playing games. But he’s not who you think he is. And you need to know the truth."
I looked at the envelope. Didn’t touch it.
"If this is another one of your—"
"Just look at it," he said. "Please."
I sighed and pulled the envelope toward me. Flipped it open. Papers slid out onto the table.
Then a photo fell out.
I froze.
It was old. Yellowed around the edges. A group shot. Maybe a dozen people standing in a courtyard. I knew the background right away—Alpha Academy.
I was standing next to Zack. Smiling. A little shy. A little awkward.
But that’s not what made my stomach drop.
It was the guy standing in the back. Tall. Bronze hair. Amber eyes locked right on me.
Dominic.
My hand tightened around the photo.
Zack leaned forward. "You see it, don’t you? He’s been watching you for years. This wasn’t some random meeting, Elara. He’s been obsessed with you since three years ago."
I forced myself to breathe. "It’s a group photo. That doesn’t mean—"
"That photo was taken at Alpha Academy," Zack cut in. "After the ceremony, the headmaster said Dominic ordered every copy destroyed. But he kept one. For himself."
“So?” I set the photo back down on the table. My voice came out steadier than I expected. “He had a crush on me. I already knew that.”
Zack’s eyes narrowed. “You knew?”
“I knew he’d been into me for years. ” I leaned back in my chair and folded my hands. “You didn’t really think one photo was going to break me, did you?”
Zack stared at me for a few seconds. Then he smiled. It wasn’t a warm smile.
“Is that right?” he said quietly. “Then look at this.”
I looked down at the papers spread across the table.
Three personnel files.
The first file was for the old butler who used to work at the Vance estate. I recognized the name right away. He left suddenly when I was twenty-one. Said his son was sick and he needed to move back home.
The second file was a kitchen worker. Also from the Vance estate. She quit around the same time.
The third file made my blood run cold.
It was Zack’s old assistant. The one who worked for him for years. The one who quit three years ago, right around the time I started working as Zack’s secretary.
I looked up. "What is this?"
Zack tapped the table. "Listen."
He pulled out a small black recorder and pressed play.
The first voice was old. Tired. "Alpha Zack, I didn’t want to do it. But my son needed money for treatment. Alpha Dominic paid well. All he wanted were photos of Miss Elara. Nothing harmful. Just updates. I couldn’t say no."
The recording clicked off. Another one started.
A woman’s voice this time. Nervous. "I only passed along information about Miss Elara’s routine. That’s all. Alpha Zack, I swear I didn’t do anything bad."
Then the last recording played.
A younger man’s voice. Familiar. Zack’s assistant.
"I’m sorry, Alpha Zack. Alpha Dominic planted me. He told me to push you toward Selina. To encourage the relationship. To keep you distracted. That’s all I did. I never sabotaged Blackwood Corporation. You have to believe me."
The recording ended.
Silence.
I sat there, staring at the black recorder in the middle of the table. My hands were shaking. I pressed them flat against my thighs so Zack wouldn’t see.
He knew. Dominic knew my daily routine. He had people taking photos of me. He planted people in my house.
Before I even knew he existed, he was already watching.
"Shocked?" Zack’s voice was soft. Almost gentle. "What kind of man does this, Elara? What kind of man watches a girl for years? Plants people around her? Manipulates her life from the shadows?"
He leaned in closer. "What if he didn’t want you? What if he just wanted to destroy me? And you were the weapon he chose."
I let out a slow breath.
Then I looked up and met his eyes.
"Zack," I said quietly. "Do you really think someone else is the biggest problem between us?"
His face went blank.
"Do you think Dominic made you cheat on me?" I continued. "Do you think he’s the one who made you fly to Europe every holiday to see Selina? Who made you treat me like a dirty little secret while you paraded her around like a queen?"
"Elara—"
"The problem between us," I said, my voice hard now, "was you. You cheated. You lied. You played me and Selina both. You made me feel like I was crazy for wanting more. And now you want to blame Dominic for your mistakes?"
Zack’s jaw clenched. "I never meant to hurt you."
"But you did." I stood up. "And you kept doing it. Over and over. Until I finally had the guts to leave."
I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder.
"Thirty minutes are up."
I turned and walked toward the door.
Behind me, I heard a loud crash. Glass shattering. I didn’t look back.
Outside, the cold air hit my face. I unlocked my car and climbed in. My hands were still shaking as I gripped the steering wheel.
Damn it, Dominic. What the hell else are you hiding from me?
