Chapter 51 Maybe I'm Worth Losing Everything For
Chapter 51 Maybe I'm Worth Losing Everything For
Lunch was arranged in a large white tent near the field for them to enjoy the scenery.
Silver trays with so much food were spread.
Victor never did anything without luxury anyway, not even construction site visits.
Elena sat quietly beside her father, barely touching her food.
Caspian tried to lighten the mood with small jokes, but her responses were short and distant.
At one point, Victor placed his hand on her shoulder and said with that heavy, false affection, “Cheer up, Princess. You’re making our guests think I mistreat you.”
She looked up at him, her voice low yet questionable. “Do you?”
The table went silent.
Even Victor froze for a split second before laughing awkwardly. “You have your mother’s wit,” he said quickly, diverting the tension.
But Caspian’s eyes darkened. There was pain there, and confusion, like a man realizing for the first time that the woman he thought he knew was trapped in a world he couldn’t imagine.
Was Elena really not happy with her father? Caspian thought to himself.
After lunch, as everyone went for a short walk around the site, Damien remained close to her.
Elena’s eyes met his briefly across the distance.
It was only for a second, but it was enough.
Enough to feel her heart steady, enough to make him clench his jaw and look away before he did something reckless.
Caspian noticed her distraction. “Who are you looking at?” he asked lightly.
Elena blinked. “No one,” she lied.
He smiled faintly but didn’t press.
As the day drew to an end, the sky turned golden with the setting sun.
Victor and Volkovs discussed future plans while the younger ones stood aside.
Caspian turned to her. “I know you didn’t want to come, but… thank you. For being here. This project means a lot to me and my parents.”
Elena gave him a polite nod. “You don’t need to thank me.”
He hesitated. “Still, I want to. You’ve always been strong, Elena. I admire that.”
She looked away, her throat tightening. “Strength isn’t always a choice, you know.”
Caspian frowned at her words, but before he could reply, Victor called him over. He decided to let it go for now.
As Caspian walked off, Elena’s composure cracked. The air felt heavy and suffocating. She needed to get away, just for a moment.
She slipped away from the crowd, walking toward the quiet end of the site, where the workers had already packed up. The wind was cooler there, and the noise distant.
And then she heard footsteps.
“Leaving without permission again, Miss Lancaster?” came a familiar low voice that made her heartbeat speed.
She turned sharply. “Damien…”
He stood there, hands in pockets, his eyes unreadable but burning with something deep and fierce.
“You shouldn’t be here,” she said quietly.
“Neither should you,” he replied.
For a moment, they just stared at each other, the tension between them more powerful than words.
Then she sighed. “I needed air.”
He stepped closer, just enough for her to feel the warmth of his presence. “You needed freedom,” he corrected softly.
Her lips trembled. “Do you ever get tired of saving me?”
He looked down at her, his eyes darkening. “Every day.”
“But you still do it.”
“Yes,” he said, his voice almost a whisper. “Because I can’t stand watching you break.”
Her chest tightened. “Then why do you keep pulling away?”
He clenched his fists at his sides. “Because if I don’t, I’ll lose everything.”
She took a step closer. “Maybe I’m worth losing everything for.”
His breath hitched, and for a second, the world stood still.
But before he could answer, Victor’s voice echoed in the distance, calling her name.
They both froze.
Elena looked at Damien, panic flickering in her eyes. He stepped back instantly, his mask sliding back into place.
“Go,” he whispered.
She hesitated, then nodded and hurried back toward the others, her heart pounding.
Damien stood there long after she left, staring at the fading light.
He whispered under his breath, almost like a confession,
“I already am.”