The Heiress He Underestimated novel Chapter 69

Chapter 69 His Wife

“I’m feeling much better, thank you Vivian,” Drakonius said, his voice perfectly polite and completely cold.

Vivian’s eyes slid to Elera, and the fake warmth disappeared. “And this must be the mysterious Mrs. Vex. We’ve all been so curious. You came out of nowhere, didn’t you dear?”

The condescension in that ‘dear‘ was like a slap. Elera had heard that tone a thousand times before, when people thought she was just a pretty, empty–headed decoration.

“I prefer to keep my private life private,” Elera said, matching her cool tone.

“How convenient,” the shorter woman said, and her smile was all teeth. “Especially with all that unfortunate business at the Valdris gala. That poor man. Left standing there like a fool. Your father was absolutely beside himself, wasn’t he? On television, crying like a child.”

“My father is very dramatic,” Elera said evenly.

“Well, you certainly are your father’s daughter,” Vivian said, and the meaning was clear. Spoiled. Flighty. User of men. “We all knew Kieran’s girl was pretty but we had no idea you had such… ambition. Catching a Vex when you couldn’t hold onto a Valdris. Impressive.”

Elera felt Drakonius go absolutely rigid beside her. His hand on her arm tightened, not painfully, but like he was holding himself back from something violent.

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding,” Drakonius said, and his voice was so cold it could have frozen the champagne in their glasses. “My wife didn’t catch anyone. I pursued her. I convinced her to take a chance on a dying man when she could have had anyone she wanted. So if there’s ambition in this marriage, it’s mine, not hers.”

Vivian’s smile cracked. The shorter woman actually took a step back.

“And as for her father,” Drakonius continued, not raising his voice but somehow making every word feel like a weapon, “whatever sins he may have committed, Elera is not responsible for them. She is brilliant, accomplished, and infinitely more impressive than either of you will ever comprehend. So I suggest you take your small–minded gossip somewhere else before I remember everyone you’ve ever borrowed money from and call in those favors.”

The two women went pale. Vivian opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again. “We didn’t mean…”

He looked at her then, really looked at her, and his eyes were fierce. “Always,” he said simply.

They stood there in their little alcove, a quiet island in the middle of the party. People glanced their way but nobody else tried to approach. The protective aura around Drakonius Vex was apparently very effective.

Elera used the moment to casually pull out her compact, the one that was actually a scanner. She made it look like she was checking her lipstick while the device swept the room. Cell phones, smart watches, a few wireless mics from the press. Nothing unusual. No concentrated signals that would indicate a coordinated threat.

But then she saw Clara.

Her editor was weaving through the crowd, heading straight for them, and she had that look on her face. That ‘I know something and I’m freaking out about it‘ look. Elera’s stomach dropped. She couldn’t let Clara blow her cover. Not here. Not with Drakonius standing right there.

“I see someone I know from university,” Elera said quickly. “Old friend. Can I go say hello? I’ll be right over there, you can see me the whole time.”