Chapter 137
“So, what made you lose control?” George asked Daniel once he saw Elara getting busy with Candice.
Daniel turned to look at him with furrowed brows.
“What is that supposed to mean?” He asked, his lazy gaze casually sweeping over him before it went to the apple of his eye.
George watched the man staring at his sister and cleared his throat.
“I know you are not here because you wanted to announce her as the brand ambassador of whatever funny ideas you have in mind about a beauty line,” George said.
Daniel hummed.
He stayed quiet for a long time before finally opening his mouth.
“I found a man linked to this Arnold guy and inquired of him where I could find this man my future wife was so afraid of,” Daniel said.
As soon as George heard his reason, to say he was surprised would be an understatement.
He sat alert, his pupils dilated, his expression urging the man to continue.
When Daniel didn’t continue, George pulled his chair closer to him.
“And? Did you find where this man is and if he is really sending out men to keep an eye on Elara?” George asked.
Daniel hummed.
“We are still looking into it. I’ll let you know if we find something credible or worth your attention,” he said before he stood, ready to walk to his woman, when George stopped him.
Daniel arched his brows at George’s hand, who immediately removed it.
“Thank you. It was the right decision to allow you to pursue her. I knew you could protect her.” George bobbed his head up and down.
His words made Daniel’s lips twitch as he looked at the man in amusement.
“The fact that you thought you had allowed me and could stop me from pursuing my wife is amusing, but okay,” Daniel shrugged before he walked away as if he didn’t just crush his ego, and George shook his head.
Right. Why did he even try? He sighed before looking at his phone, where he had a few emails to review.
Since the meeting was over and the deal was signed, he let everyone know he was leaving and exited the restaurant, not before warning Elara to go straight to her apartment.
“And don’t you dare follow any man here and there,” George had said, and Elara knew precisely who he was talking about, which earned him a chuckle from her, followed by an affirming nod.
Once George left, Daniel looked at Elara, who was chuckling with Candice as they were looking at the arcade in the map where they were planning to go.
Elara, aware of his gaze on her back and sensing his barely contained desire to take her away, felt her pulse quicken and turned to look at him.
“Yes, Mr. Macros. How can I help you?” She asked.
Candice looked up to the man, her gaze flickering between the two, and it wouldn’t be wrong to say she had never seen her friend acting so mischievous with anyone.
It only meant that the man knew how to keep her happy, and that was all she needed to be happy for her and to approve of him.
“Well, we have to sign the contract. But it’s okay if you are busy. I can always come to get your sign at your apartment, right?” Daniel asked.
Elara raised her brows; she was about to speak when Candice beat her to it.
“Would you like to come to the arcade zone with us? It would be fun, and you can enjoy more time with her.” Candice wriggled her brows.
“Hey! It was supposed to be our thing,” Elara immediately pouted.
Candice nodded.
“Well, it still is. But you can use this time to have some fun with your man too,” Candice said.
“You don’t need to worry about that. We have fun all the time when we are alone, and he—” Elara cleared her throat when she realized what she said.
“I mean, it was our girl thing,” Elara said, barely hiding her blush, and the man chuckled from behind her.
“Thank you for the offer, Miss Candice, but I have a meeting scheduled in an hour. Let me take you guys there and pay before I leave,” Daniel said.
He placed his hand behind Elara’s neck, brushing her skin with his knuckles, making her purse her lips as she fought to keep her expression neutral when she was melting there from his touch.
The next day p>
Elara stood on the first step of the mini staircase leading to the stage prepared for the conference, and Alen stood behind her.
“Nervous, Miss Elara?” Alen asked with a knowing smile.
Elara looked at him with a sheepish smile.
It has been so long since she faced a horde of reporters and paparazzi like this. She had never thought she would be facing one so soon, especially before her debut in the drama.
“I thought he was joking,” Elara chuckled nervously, pressing her lips into a thin line as she wiped the sweat from her palms.
“Our boss never jokes when it comes to you, lady boss. He had decided to create one subsidiary line when he saw you,” Alen said before he explained how everything took place.
Mrs. Jessica needed a dedicated model to become the face of the fashion brand, and he had thought of suggesting Elara, but Daniel wanted to be the first one to launch her as the brand ambassador.
“You know how possessive our boss can be,” Alen mused before telling her that the idea of the beauty line came into effect even before the contest started.
Elara looked at the man sitting behind the chair, with so many mics pointed at him.
Her heart skipped a beat at the thought.
“And what if I hadn’t won?” Elara asked no one in particular.
As if the man heard her, he turned to her, his gaze holding so much love and pride that it made her insides flutter.
“We all know you are the queen in his eyes, irrespective of whether you win or lose. In his eyes, there’s only one winner, and that’s you,” Alen said.
“Now I would like to present to you the face of our beauty line, our brand ambassador. You have already met and seen her recently, and many of you must already be fans of our pretty voice,” the manager of the beauty line said.
Alen nodded at Elara to walk on the stage, and he was about to extend his hand for her to take, since she was wearing an elegant, golden, shimmering gown that Daniel had picked for her especially for the occasion.
However, before Elara could even raise her hand and place it in Alen’s hand, another hand extended towards her.
Elara looked up at the man who was smiling at her, and she swallowed hard.
The man didn’t care that he was in front of so many people and how everyone would articulate this gesture.
Was this what unwavering care and love looked like?
Elara took a deep, shaky breath and placed her hand in his, making the man smirk.
He pulled her up gently, leading her to the center of the stage.
Elara faced the hundreds of reporters who had gathered to capture the exclusive news from the Macros’ company.
To say the reporters were shocked would be an understatement.
And why not? Rather than choosing the well-established actresses or models, they went ahead with a girl who had recently become famous for her singing in a contest and had yet to debut.
Was this what they called changing one’s fate overnight? Everyone wondered, thinking she was a stone that had been turned into a diamond overnight, without knowing the truth.
“Sir, can you please tell us why you chose Miss Elara as your ambassador?” one of the reporters asked.
Daniel took the mic and shrugged.
“Why not? She is talented, elegant, beautiful, and whatnot. I mean, just look at her. I think it’s our honor that we could grab this opportunity before she is flooded with deals from other companies,” Daniel said.
Elara smiled at the cameras as Daniel answered each question one by one.
“I am sorry it took so much time, Miss Elara. I forgot you had a prior appointment,” Daniel said, emphasizing how she was already busy and people just didn’t know about it.
Elara greeted the reporters, thanked Daniel for the fantastic opportunity, and said she was honored to be the face of the beauty line.
Elara then turned, the train of her golden gown moving on the floor along with her.
As she walked away, she looked nothing less than a prince, and Daniel smiled.
“Uhh, why does it look like the princess that brought glow and charm to the event left?” the manager said as if reading his thoughts, and the reporters chuckled at that, many writing the line in their notebooks to add to the article they would be posting.
Elara checked the time and rushed out of the venue when she realized she would be late for the registrar’s proceedings for her divorce.
Without changing her dress, she sat in the car and asked Antonio to rush to the venue immediately.