The Heiress He Underestimated novel Chapter 94

Chapter 94 Fault Lines

She made her way downstairs, following the familiar path to Drakonius’s study. The door was open and she could see him sitting at his desk, bathed in the early morning light streaming through the windows. He was working on his tablet, his reading glasses perched on his nose, looking every bit the powerful CEO except for the slight tremor in his hands that betrayed his illness.

He looked up when she entered, and for a moment their eyes met. The air between them was thick with everything unsaid, everything they’d both admitted and denied last night.

“Good morning,” Elera said, aiming for neutral and professional. They could do this. They were both adults. They could work together without making it weird.

“Morning,” Drakonius replied, his voice equally careful. “Did you sleep?”

“Yes and you?”

“Enough.”

They both knew he was lying.

An awkward silence fell. Elera cleared her throat. “Simon said the morning readings were good.”

“They were. Better than good, actually. The cellular regeneration is accelerating. The latest scans show the modified DNA is integrating at a rate thirty percent higher than your projections.” He gestured to his tablet. “I was just reviewing the data. It’s remarkable, Elera. You’re doing something no one else has ever done.”

Despite everything, despite the weirdness and the tension, Elera felt a flush of pride. “It’s still early. We can’t celebrate yet. But yes, the signs are encouraging.”

More than encouraging. At this rate, if the acceleration continues, we could be looking at a full remission within three months instead of six.”

“Even then. Especially then. Some of the best things in life are objectively stupid.” She leaned forward. “Look, I’m not asking you to declare your undying love or make grand romantic gestures. I’m just asking you to stop assuming you know what’s best for me. Stop trying to save me from myself. I’ve spent my whole life having men tell me what I should want, what I should feel, what I should do. I don’t need it from you too.”

Drakonius was quiet for a long moment. “You’re right,” he said finally. “I was being patronizing and hypocritical. I hate it when people try to make decisions for me based on my illness, and here I was doing the same thing to you.”

“So we agreed? No more martyr complex, no more pushing away for my own good?”

“Agreed. But Elera, I need you to understand something.” He stood up and came around the desk, leaning against it so he was closer to her. “I’m not good at this. At feelings and relationships and all the messy human stuff that normal people seem to navigate with ease. I’ve spent so long being alone, being isolated, that I don’t know how to let someone in. And the idea of letting you in, of letting you see all the broken, damaged parts of me, terrifies me.”