Soren stood stiffly by the window, his hands clasped tightly behind his back.
The first light of the dawn had crept across the sky, chasing away the darkness.
He had not slept.
His eyes were red and puffy. A dark bruise covered his left cheekbone. His jaw still ached from last night’s fight. But he barely noticed the pain.
His mind kept returning to the same thought.
’Theron is Elowen’s boss.’
Rage clawed its way through him. Soren realized Theron had planned everything to get close to Elowen.
’That bastard.’ His eyes turned frighteningly dark. ’He thinks he can take Elowen away from me. In his dreams.’
The thought of Theron knowing Elowen before Soren had even met her made his jealousy burn hotter. He couldn’t stay calm.
’So what if he knew her before? She is my wife now. The mother of my children.’
The fury in his chest tangled with jealousy. ’She is mine. And he has no right to interfere.’
The door creaked open.
Soren turned his head slightly and saw Kael walking in.
Kael glanced at Elowen, who was sleeping in the bed. Then he strode toward Soren.
"Good morning, sir," he greeted him. His voice was low, careful not to disturb her in her sleep. "I checked into Mr. Knox. He has acquired Aurevia Design and Development lately. He has also secured a major project to develop the Eden District."
Soren’s expression emptied of emotion, leaving behind a chilling calm. He had made up his mind already.
’I can’t let Elowen work there. I won’t.’
In his past life, he had made the mistake of preventing Elowen from working at his company. But this time, he wanted to correct it.
If she wanted to build a career, he would give her the opportunity. He would give her everything she needed.
"Are the documents ready?"
Kael handed him a file. "Everything is ready."
Soren opened the file and skimmed his eyes over the documents.
The appointment letter was ready. As soon as Elowen signed it, she would become the chief designer of the Vale Corporation’s architecture and design division.
"Uh..." A faint whimper came from the bed, drawing his attention.
Soren’s head snapped around.
Elowen stirred. She was waking up.
"Leave."
Kael bowed a little before heading out the door.
Soren closed the file and rushed over to her side. "Elowen."
Elowen looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings in a daze. A moment later, she realized she was at the hospital.
Her heart sank. Her hand instinctively moved to her stomach.
"My baby," she whispered.
"The baby is fine," he rasped. "Don’t worry."
Elowen’s breath stalled for a moment. She had tried to hide her pregnancy from him. In the end, he had found out anyway.
"You..." Her eyes lifted toward him. "You know about the baby."
She searched his face.
’Is he mad because I kept it secret?’
She expected him to scold her and demand answers. Instead, he smiled.
A tremor ran through her.
’He smiled! He is not angry!’
Her heart fluttered erratically, caught somewhere between nervous anticipation and stunned disbelief.
’Yes. I knew. I was waiting for you to tell me.’ The words were on the tip of his tongue. But he pushed them down his throat.
"The doctor said you need rest. No emotional shock. No unnecessary stress."
He pulled the chair closer and sat beside her. "I failed to take care of you before. But from now on, you will be under my care."
Elowen stared at him with wide eyes. His words ignited hope in her heart. And it frightened her more than anything else.
She had trusted him and loved him before. And he had broken her heart. He might be only playing with her emotions.
She couldn’t lower her guard again. Yet something about his gaze told her that he was sincere.
"So, I have decided this." He held the file out to her. "You are joining the Vale Corporation as a chief designer."
What?
His words left her speechless. Unable to believe what he had said just now, she sat upright and took the file.
Inside was an appointment letter. Her eyes moved across the page.
’Vale Corporation... Chief designer,’ her mind screamed with disbelief.
She blinked several times. But the words didn’t change.
"You can work from home if you wish," he continued. "And if you choose to work from the office, I’ll make sure you get proper care, timely meals, and enough rest. And I’ll personally remind you to take the medicine and supplements."
Elowen slowly closed the file. She felt a quiet bitterness building inside her.
"Back then, I wanted to be a part of Vale Corporation. If you had offered me a job, I would have gladly accepted it. But I don’t want it anymore."
She handed him the file back. "I don’t need it. I’m happy with my current company."
His gaze locked onto her, his expression betraying his shock.
"You are rejecting my offer?"
"Yes," she replied.
There was not a trace of hesitation in her.
"Why?" His voice rose slightly, restless.
"Because I am doing great in my job. Right now, I have an opportunity to work on a major project. At this crucial juncture of my career, I won’t resign just because you are offering me a better position."
Soren couldn’t keep his composure. He stood.
"I can boost your career. Once you become the chief designer at the Vale Corporation, you will have opportunities your current company can’t give you. You will have access to major projects and influential connections. Your reputation will grow overnight."
He gestured wildly. "That small company can’t give you all this. Are you still choosing to stay there?"
His persuasion didn’t sway her.
"I was labeled as a gold digger once. I don’t want people whispering behind my back that I misused my relationship with you to get a position."
Her eyes steadied with determination. "I don’t need your charity. I came this far with my own abilities. If I rise higher, I want it to be because I earned it."
Soren had thought giving her what she had once wanted would make her happy. Instead, she had rejected it without a second thought.
He threw his arms up, feeling helpless and frustrated.
"I am doing this for you, for our unborn baby. I want to make sure you have a safe pregnancy."
He grabbed her shoulders desperately. "I want to keep you around me all the time."
Elowen almost wanted to laugh. The whole thing felt like a badly written joke.
She had once wanted a position at Vale Corporation because she wanted to stay close to him. Sadly, he had rejected her application, saying she wasn’t qualified.
"I graduated from a second-tier college, if you remember. Won’t the directors and executives question how I suddenly become the chief designer? I don’t want to become a topic of debate."
Suspicion curdled his heart. Elowen had always listened to him and obeyed him. She had never questioned him in the past seven years. And now, she was all defiant, standing up to him firmly.
More frighteningly, she didn’t seem afraid of losing him.
"Was it because of your new boss?" The question escaped his mouth before he could stop it.
"What?" She squinted at him.
"You have never been like this before. Has he become more important to you than I am?"
Irritation surged within her. "It has nothing to do with him. Why are you bringing him up?"
"I am not blind," he snapped. "I saw how worried you were about him last night. You checked whether he was injured. You apologized to him. Yet, you barely looked at me."
He pointed at his throbbing cheekbone. "I was hurt too."
When she looked at his bruised face, her heart knotted uncomfortably.
He yanked at her arm. "Tell me... is something going on between you two?"