The Heiress He Underestimated novel Chapter 85

Chapter 85 What Are We Now

Elera woke up the next morning to chaos. Pure, unfiltered chaos.

Her phone had died sometime during the night from the sheer volume of notifications. When she plugged it in and turned it back on, it immediately started buzzing like an angry hornet. Messages. Emails. Calls. Social media mentions. It was overwhelming.

She was in her own bed, in her own room. After their kiss in the entryway last night, after all those intense confessions, they’d sort of awkwardly separated. Drakonius had looked exhausted, the events of the evening finally catching up with him. She’d insisted he go rest. He’d insisted she do the same. They’d stood there for a minute, neither wanting to be the first to leave, before finally saying goodnight and going to their separate rooms like the cowards they apparently were.

Now, in the cold light of morning, Elera was questioning everything. Had that kiss been real? Had he meant those things he said? Or had it all been the adrenaline and emotion of the reveal talking?

She picked up her phone and started scrolling through the madness. The photos from last night were everywhere. Her walking up to the stage. Her holding the award. And the kiss. Oh gosh, the kiss. It was on every gossip site, every news outlet, every social media platform. “Raven Shadowmere Revealed As Drakonius Vex’s Wife” was trending worldwide.

The comments were a mixed bag. Some people were thrilled, calling it the most romantic thing they’d ever seen. Others were angry, feeling betrayed that she’d hidden her identity for so long. Some were making conspiracy theories about whether the marriage was real or just a publicity stunt. A few were being really nasty, calling her a gold digger who’d married a dying man for his money.

That one stung, even though she knew it wasn’t true.

There was a soft knock on her door. “Come in,” she called, expecting Simon or maybe one of the staff.

But it was Drakonius.

He was dressed casually in dark pants and a sweater, his hair still damp from a shower. He had a tray in his hands with coffee and pastries. He looked uncertain, which was so unlike him that it made her heart squeeze.

“Morning,” he said. “I thought you might need caffeine. And carbs. Definitely carbs.

Is it weird?” Elera asked. “I can’t tell if it’s weird or if I’m making it weird by thinking it’s weird.”

A small smile touched his lips. “It’s a little weird. But good weird. I think.”

They sat in awkward silence for a moment. This was ridiculous. They were adults. Married adults. Who’d tissed. Why was this so complicated?

Look,” Elera said, deciding to just be honest. “Last night was intense. Really intense. And I meant verything I said. About this not being fake anymore. About wanting it to be real. But I also don’t want you o feel pressured or like you have to pretend to have feelings you don’t have just because we’re married nd people expect it.”

Drakonius looked at her for a long moment. “Do you think I kissed you because I felt pressured?”