The Heiress He Underestimated novel Chapter 111

Chapter 111 Safe For The Night

But despite her complaints, Clara was brilliant at her job. Within an hour, she had a comprehensive media strategy mapped out. They’d announce the Nethys Medical connection through a carefully coordinated release, an exclusive interview with a respected business journalist, a press conference at the company headquarters. Make it professional and powerful andmake it impossible to ignore or dismiss.

“The key is framing,” Clara explained. “We don’t apologize for the secrecy. We explain it. You built this company as a young woman in a male–dominated field. You knew if people knew you were Kieran Nethys’s daughter, they’d attribute all your success to him. So you created a separate identity to prove your work could stand on its own merit. It’s not deception, it’s just smart business. It’s feminist, actually. Women having to hide their identities to be taken seriously. That’s the story we push.

“I like it,” Drakonius said. “It puts her father on the defensive. Makes him the reason for the secrecy instead of making the secrecy itself the scandal.”

They worked late into the evening, refining the message, preparing for every possible question, war- gaming the response. By the time they finally stopped, it was past midnight and Elera’s brain felt like

mush.

“Go to bed,” Drakonius said, seeing her exhaustion. “We’ll pick this up tomorrow. You need rest.”

“So do you. You’ve been up just as long as I have.”

“Yes, but I’m not the one performing complex genetic therapy on a daily basis. I’m just the patient benefiting from it. Much casier job.”

Elera laughed softly. “Fine. But you’re resting too. Doctor’s orders.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

They walked upstairs together, and when they reached the hallway where their rooms diverged, they both hesitated. Last night they’d slept in the same bed, comfortable and safe together. Tonight felt different. More charged and more uncertain.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Elera said finally.

“Sleep well,” Drakonius replied.

But neither of them moved. They just stood there in the dim hallway, looking at each other, both wanting something neither was quite brave enough to ask for.

Finally, Drakonius broke the silence. “If you need anything, if you can’t sleep or you start spiraling about tomorrow, I’m right there. Just knock.”

“Same to you. Anytime.”

“Goodnight, Elera.”

“Goodnight, Drakonius.”

She went to her room and got ready for bed on autopilot, her mind still running through everything that

11:54 pm P P P P

Chapter 111 Safe For The Night

Finished

had happened. Her father on TV, her aunt’s warning, the trap message, the upcoming reveal of another identity. It was too much. Way too much.

She lay in bed and stared at the ceiling, knowing she wouldn’t sleep. Her brain wouldn’t shut off. It kept playing scenarios, imagining responses, preparing for attacks that might never come.

After an hour of this torture, she gave up. She got out of bed, pulled on a robe over her pajamas, and walked down the hall to Drakonius’s room. She knocked softly.

“Come in,” his voice called immediately. He’d been awake too.

She opened the door and found him sitting up in bed, reading glasses on, a book in his hands. He looked so normal and so human. He was not the cold billionaire the world saw, just a man trying to distract himself from his thoughts.

“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked.

“My brain won’t shut up. Keeps replaying everything, catastrophizing about tomorrow. The usual anxiety spiral.”

“Mine too.” He set the book aside. “I keep thinking about all the ways this could go wrong. All the attacks they could launch. All the damage they could do.”

“Not helping the anxiety.”

“Sorry.” He smiled slightly. “Want to watch something mindless? I have access to every streaming service known to mankind. Surely one of them has something that will make us forget about corporate warfare and family betrayal.”

“That sounds perfect.”

So they ended up sitting in his bed together, both fully clothed and on top of the covers, watching some ridiculous action movie where things exploded for no reason and the physics made no sense. It was exactly what they needed, stupid and loud and completely remove from their actual problems.

Somewhere around the third explosion, Elera’s head ended up on Drakonius’s shoulder. Somewhere around the fifth, his arm was around her waist. By the time the hero defeated the villain in an improbable fight scene, they were basically cuddling, tangled together in comfortable warmth.

The movie ended. The credits rolled. Neither of them moved.

“We should probably sleep,” Elera murmured.

“Probably,” Drakonius agreed. But he didn’t let go of her.

“I don’t want to go back to my room.”

“Then don’t. Stay here.”

So she did. They shifted down in the bed, still clothed, still on top of the covers, maintaining some decency. But they stayed close, needing the comfort of another person, the reminder that they weren’t fighting this war alone.

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