The Heiress He Underestimated novel Chapter 95

Chapter 95 Chosen

“I’ve already seen those parts,” Elera said softly. “I’ve literally held your life in my hands while you were dying in an ice bath. I’ve seen you at your absolute worst and I’m still here. What else is there to be afraid of?”

“That you’ll see everything and realize you can do better. That you’ll wake up one day and wonder what the hell you were thinking, marrying a dying man when you could have had anyone.” He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. “I know it’s not rational. I know it doesn’t make sense. But fear rarely does.”

Elera stood up, closing the distance between them until they were just inches apart. “I’m not going anywhere. Can we just agree to be honest with each other? No more games, no more pretending, no more pushing away. Just two people trying to figure out this weird situation we’ve gotten ourselves into.”

“I can do honest,” Drakonius said. “Honesty is easier than whatever the hell we were doing before.”

“Good.” Elera held out her hand. “Partners?”

He looked at her outstretched hand, then at her face, and something softened in his expression. Instead of shaking her hand, he pulled her into a hug. It was unexpected and awkward at first, but then Elera relaxed into it, wrapping her arms around him and resting her cheek against his chest. She could hear his heartbeat, steady and strong despite everything his body was fighting.

They stood like that for a long moment, just holding each other. It wasn’t romantic exactly. It was something deeper. A recognition of two people who’d been fighting their battles alone for too long and were finally admitting they didn’t have to.

“We should probably deal with the media situation,” Drakonius said eventually, though he didn’t let go of her.

“Probably,” Elera agreed, also not moving.

“And the fact that everyone is going to figure out your other identities within the week or days ahead

“That too.”

“And that Xan and Sarah are definitely planning something horrible.”

“Yep"

“Decoys. Or imitators. Or both. The point is, people are trying to capitalize on your reveal. Impersonating you for attention, for money, possibly for more nefarious purposes.” Frost’s expression was grave. “We need to be very careful about public appearances from now on. Any time you leave this compound, you’ll have a full security detail. No exceptions.”

Drakonius was studying the photos with a frown. “Have you identified any of these women?”

Three so far. Two are just opportunistic fans looking for social media attention. The third is more concerning. She’s connected to a tabloid that’s been running hit pieces on both of you since the engagement fell through with Valdris. We think she might be trying to create situations where she can pretend to be Elera and fabricate scandals.”

“That’s insane,” Elera said.

“That’s fame, Drakonius corrected. “Welcome to the world of being a public figure, It only gets worse from here.

Frost continued his briefing, outlining new security measures, modified travel protocols, and a comprehensive media strategy. By the time he was finished, Elera’s head was spinning.

And then Simon came in with the medical update that changed everything.