Chapter 23 Defending His Queen
He leaned down, gazing at Elena’s face, which looked so peaceful in her sleep. Elijah knew that to possess Elena completely, he didn't just have to battle Morgan or the Vance family. he had to face a steel wall named Alaric Blackwood. His father was the type of man who would rather destroy his own son's happiness than see a stain on the family reputation.
Elijah tightened his embrace, his possessiveness burning in his chest once more. 'If Alaric cares so much about status, then I will ensure Elena rises to a level where even Alaric cannot touch her. I will make her the Queen of New York, not through the names Vance or Valdez, but by my own hand.
‘Anyone who looks down on you, Elena, even if it is my own father, they will realize that my principles are the only law I obey,’ Elijah whispered in his heart.
The bus stopped near Morgan’s mansion complex. Elijah woke Elena with a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"We’re here, Ángel," Elijah said, returning to his warm ordinary guy mask.
Elena blinked, rubbing her eyes in confusion. "Ah, did I fall asleep? I'm sorry, Elijah."
"It’s okay. Go on in. I’ll wait here until you’re inside," Elijah said, handing her the giant teddy bear. "Take this 'bodyguard' with you. Let him keep you company in that cold room."
Elena smiled, hugging the bear as she stepped toward the mansion gates. She had no idea that the moment she walked away, Elijah immediately pulled out his phone and dialed a number he usually avoided.
"Marcus, cancel all my appointments for tomorrow morning. I want to meet Alaric at the headquarters. If he wants to talk about the heir, then I’m going to give him terms he cannot refuse."
Elijah walked along the sidewalk toward The Azure Apartment, a high-end residential complex in a strategic Manhattan district. To Elena and most New Yorkers, The Azure was a top-tier building with a marble-clad lobby and twenty-four-hour doorman service. But to Elijah, who grew up in a private castle with lab-grade air filtration systems and servants at every corner, this apartment felt utterly mundane.
Elijah stared at the lobby ceiling, which wasn't even half the height of the grand hall in his Hamptons mansion. He stepped into the elevator, noticing his reflection in the walls which, to him, looked dull, even if they appeared polished to anyone else.
"Azure?" Elijah muttered, pressing the button for his floor. The corner of his lips curled into a mocking, derisive smirk.
He felt amused, almost wanting to laugh. Elena had rented this place for him with such pride, as if she were providing a palace for a poor gigolo. Elena didn't know that Elijah could buy the entire Azure building just to tear it down and turn it into a playground if he felt like it.
Once at his unit door, Elijah turned the key and stepped inside. The room was designed to be modern and elegant, but Elijah could sense a thin layer of dust that, by his hygienic standards, was extremely bothersome. He shed his denim jacket and tossed it onto a leather sofa that likely cost thousands of dollars—yet to Elijah, it felt as stiff as a wooden chair.
"Commoner standards," he whispered, looking at the city view from the large window.
The view from this floor was considered breathtaking by many, but to Elijah, who was accustomed to seeing the world from the heights of Blackwood Tower, it felt like sitting in a basement.
However, Elijah breathed in the air. There was a lingering scent of Elena’s perfume from when she helped him organize his things yesterday. Instantly, his disgust for this low-standard apartment evaporated. He didn't care how ordinary the place was—as long as it was a gift from Elena, he would guard it more strictly than his own gold vault.
He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled out his specially encrypted phone.
"Marcus," Elijah said coldly when the call connected. "Tomorrow morning, prep the helicopter for the headquarters. I don't want to waste an hour on the New York streets just to see Alaric. And make sure you bring the acquisition drafts for the property company that owns The Azure. I want to be the legal owner of this building by tomorrow afternoon."
Elijah switched off his phone. If Alaric Blackwood thought status was everything, then Elijah would prove he could create his own status, even in the most unexpected places.
On the other end, after hanging up, Marcus shook his head again.
"Truly incredible... the Young Master buys the whole apartment building like he’s buying a bag of peanuts."
Marcus set his tablet on the dashboard, exhaling a long breath as he stared at The Azure from a distance.
"One night with Elena Vance, and the Young Master's business logic flies right out the window. He doesn't just want to live there; he wants to own the very ground she walks on."
The next morning, the atmosphere at Blackwood Tower—the skyscraper dominating the Manhattan skyline—was even more tense than usual. The sound of helicopter blades slicing through the morning air signaled the arrival of the most unpredictable sole heir.
Elijah stepped out of the helicopter, no longer wearing a denim jacket or commoner clothes, but a three-piece charcoal gray suit custom-tailored from Savile Row. His aura was intimidating, cold, and untouchable. Staff bowed deeply as he strode through the executive lobby toward the top floor, where Alaric Blackwood’s throne resided.
The double doors of black oak swung open. Behind a massive desk facing Central Park, an old man with silver hair and a gaze as sharp as Elijah’s was waiting. Alaric Blackwood.
"So, you’ve finally decided to stop playing street dramas and return to where you belong?" Alaric’s voice was heavy and full of authority.
Elijah sat in the chair across from his father without being asked, crossing his legs in a defiant manner.
"I’m not here for a lecture on family responsibility, Alaric," Elijah countered, calling his father by name without the title 'Father'.
Alaric huffed, asking in an annoyed tone, "Then what for? Marcus said you requested a sudden acquisition of a mid-range property in Manhattan. Do you want to turn my business empire into a homeless shelter?"
"I want you to stop interfering in my business," Elijah replied coldly. "I will take over as CEO entirely next month, as you wish. But I have one condition."
Alaric leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "A condition?"
"There will be one woman standing beside me. She is the highest law in my life. If you or anyone in the Blackwood circle tries to touch or belittle her, I will not hesitate to pull all my investments and destroy Blackwood Tower from the inside."
Alaric fell silent, then a dry laugh escaped him. "A woman? You speak as if you are in love, Elijah. Who is she? From what family is this girl who can make you threaten your own father?"
Elijah raised an eyebrow. Apparently, his father hadn't heard anything from his two sisters yet? Or was the middle-aged man simply pretending not to know?
"Elena Vance," Elijah stated firmly.