---- 8 Elias's POV The next second, Mireille's expression shifted. She acted as if she might cry. "No, you don't," she whispered, her eyes wide with false innocence. "You love me. Why else would you take me the other day and leave Sera behind? Why would you buy mea ring?" Icouldn't believe that my simple decision had caused Mireille to fantasize about me loving her. My throat tightened as I cleared it, speaking calmly but firmly, " I don't love you. I never did. The other day, I took you, instead of Sera, because I trusted her with the casino business. She can handle it better than anyone. If you stayed, you would've caused nothing but trouble. And that ring? Mireille, did I actually buy it for you, or did you pick it out yourself and I just paid for it?" I let the words hang in the air, watching her face drain of color. "No, that's not it," she stammered, but I didn't let her off the hook. "That's fucking it!" I shouted, the tension finally ---- breaking. "Now, before I call Evelyn, you'd better get the hell out of here." "No, I won't leave!" Mireille's voice cracked with feigned desperation. "You're just saying this because you feel sorry for Sera. But honestly, I'm so much better for you than she ever was. All she did was scold you, and... she wasn't a good wife to you!" With that, she lunged at me again, grabbing my hands and guiding them to her neck and waist, her breath hot against my skin. "Come on, feel me. You love me, don't you? Why are you holding back?" "That's enough!" My hands shoved her away with all the force I could muster, sending her stumbling backward. She fell to the floor, her tears starting to flow. The shouting, the crying-it was impossible to ignore in the stillness of the night. And of course, it didn't take long before Evelyn and Michael rushed to the guest house. They burst in just as Mireille sat on the floor, sobbing, while I stood across the room, shirtless and tense. Anyone who saw the scene would draw their own conclusions, and of course, because Mireille was ---- crying, they'd assume I had done something I couldn't undo. That I'd forced myself on her, or worse. Evelyn's eyes met mine, her voice sharp with accusation. "No wonder you wanted to sleep here in the guest room. You weren't doing this for Sera. You just wanted to be closer to Mireille. How could you?" "Please, Mother, don't blame him," Mireille whimpered, her voice sugar-sweet and deceptively innocent. Was this the same trick she'd pulled on Seraphina? Was this why Seraphina never felt welcome in her own family? Astab of hurt hit me. What had Seraphina been through all these years? How many times had she lived through this kind of manipulation? Mireille wiped her tears, casting a glance at me as she spoke softly, "Elias... he was just so upset that he couldn't find Sera. And my company was a comfort to him." She didn't say it directly, but her words twisted the knife, making me look like the kind of man who would force himself on his own sister-in-law. That was it. Enough. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!