The Heiress He Underestimated novel Chapter 177

Chapter 177 After The Applause

Finished

“Ignore him,” Drakonius said from his seat beside Elera. He had his eyes closed, but he was smiling. “He’s irrelevant.”

“He’s trying to hitch his wagon to her star again,” Clara said. “It’s pathetic. Oh, wait, this is good. The business analysts are calling the capital injection ‘a masterstroke.’ Nethys stock is already up eight percent in after–hours trading.”

“See?” Drakonius said, cracking one eye open to look at Elera. “Masterstroke. I like that. Very dramatic.”

“It’s just money,” Elera muttered, but she felt a flicker of satisfaction. It was working. The plan was actually working.

“Just money, she says. The woman who just used her fashion empire to save her medical empire. I can’t win with you.” Clara tossed the phone onto the seat. “Okay, new rule. No more business talk for the rest of the day. Doctor’s orders. Simon will have my head if I let you two keep working.”

“I’m not working,” Elera protested. “I’m just sitting here.”

“Your brain is working. I can hear it whirring from here. It sounds like a very expensive and very anxious computer.” Clara pointed a finger at her. “You. Rest. You,” she pointed at Drakonius, “definitely rest. I’m going to coordinate with Frost on security for the inevitable paparazzi swarm and then I’m going to bake something with a truly irresponsible amount of butter. It’s how I handle stress.”

When they got back to the house, Simon was waiting with a wheelchair, which Drakonius glared at but ultimately submitted to. The morning had taken more out of him than he wanted to admit.

“One hour of rest in the medical suite, then you can move to the library if your vitals are stable,” Simon said in a tone that brooked no argument.

“Yes, sir,” Drakonius said, sounding like a chastened schoolboy.

Elera walked with them as far as the lab, where Anya was monitoring the data from Drakonius’s earlier blood draw.

“How does it look?” Elera asked, peering at the screens.

“Really good,” Anya said, her face breaking into a smile. “The modified protocol is holding. Inflammatory markers are stable. Cellular regeneration is back in the positive. It’s like the rejection reaction never happened.”

The relief was so profound it felt like a physical weight lifting from Elera’s shoulders. She hadn’t realized how much tension she’d been carrying until it was gone.

“Thank you, Anya. For everything.”

“Just doing my job. Which is a lot more fun when the patient isn’t trying to die every five minutes.” Anya grinned. “Now go. Simon said you’re on mandatory chill duty too. I’ve got this.”

Elera didn’t need to be told twice. She went to her room, changed out of the severe black pantsuit and into soft leggings and an old sweater that had been a gift from Clara years ago. It was frayed at the cuffs and

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4:40 pm

ppp.

Chapter 177 After The Applause

had a small coffee stain on the hem, and it felt like heaven.

She found Clara in the kitchen, up to her elbows in flour.

“What are you making?”

Finished

“A pie. I don’t know what kind yet. The fruit selection was ambiguous. It might be an apple, it might be a pear, it might be a cry for help. We’ll find out when it’s done.” Clara gestured with a floury hand. “Sit, watch and be unproductive.”

Elera sat at the kitchen island, propping her chin in her hands. She watched Clara move around the kitchen with a kind of chaotic grace, dropping utensils, muttering to herself, but somehow creating order from the mess.

“You know,” Clara said after a while, “for someone who just pulled off the business reveal of the decade, you’re very quiet.”

“I’m tired.”

“You’re emotionally hungover. It happens after big moments. All the adrenaline drains away and you’re left with the blah.” Clara rolled out pie crust with more force than strictly necessary. “It’ll pass. Especially once you see the Vogue spread.”

“I’m not doing a Vogue spread.”

“You absolutely are. I already said yes. They’re shooting here next week. They want you in Celestine gowns, with your Raven Shadowmere books, maybe holding a test tube for the doctor angle. It’ll be iconic.”

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