Chapter 78 I'm Here
Chapter 78 I'm Here
Elena looked up, staring into Elijah's clear sapphire blue eyes, still clouded with mystery. She stroked her husband's firm jaw with her small, still slightly trembling fingers.
"Elijah, you don't understand," Elena whispered softly, looking at her husband with a gaze full of love and dependence that increasingly locked their fate together.
"The Wall Street client you work for won't be able to protect you forever if Morgan Valdez starts attacking you personally. You're just an IT technician, Elijah. If I can get legal protection directly from the main Blackwood clan through this tiara, then Morgan will never be able to touch us again. I'm doing this to protect you too."
Elijah froze where he stood. A very thin, irony-laden lopsided grin etched onto his marble-hard handsome face.
The highest cyber monster who held control over the entire Wall Street banking system suddenly felt his heart tremble violently at the innocence of the woman in his arms.
Elena was risking her career to protect the highest dragon whom she thought was just a casual man in a plaid flannel shirt.
Elijah tightened his embrace around Elena's slender waist, kissing the top of the woman's head with tenderness full of absolute ownership in the silence of their new studio.
"Alright, Ángel. If that's what you want, just enjoy your world for this one month. Because as long as you are in my embrace, I will not let any storm from outside ruin your happiness."
However, behind Elena's back, Elijah's right hand discreetly typed a short cyber encryption command on his smartwatch for Marcus.
\[Marcus, monitor every movement of Mother's pink diamond supply. If she tries to send a flawed stone or complicate Elena's draft, cut all access to her foundation's fund flow in Northern Europe tonight without a trace.\]
This grand charade was still six months in, and Elijah Blackwood would ensure that every second of the remaining thousand days would proceed under the absolute law he himself had written from behind the shadows of New York's luxury.
.....
That night, the atmosphere inside The Azure apartment felt so warm yet enveloped in silence heavy with high concentration. Elena sat leaning against the pillows on their king-sized bed, holding her digital sketch pad with a deeply furrowed brow.
Her slender fingers moved restlessly, sketching a few tiara silhouette lines, then erasing them in an instant. Frustration began to creep into her nerves; designing for the highest empress of the Blackwood clan turned out to carry a psychological pressure far more massive than she had imagined.
On the other side of the bed, Elijah leaned casually against the headboard, wearing a plain black t-shirt that clearly outlined the contours of his marble-solid chest.
On his lap, the thin laptop with a solid black logo was once again lit. His sapphire blue eyes moved, following the movements of Elena's sketch draft wirelessly connected to his personal cyber monitoring screen.
Seeing Elena ruffle her hair in frustration for the umpteenth time, Elijah gently closed his laptop. He crept forward, wrapping his strong arms around Elena's waist from behind, pulling the woman's slender body until she leaned completely against his broad chest.
"You erased another good draft, Ángel," Elijah whispered, his low, husky baritone voice vibrating right against the curve of Elena's neck, spreading warmth that instantly calmed his wife's nerves.
Elena let out a long sigh, dropping her head onto Elijah's solid shoulder.
"The lines are too rigid, Elijah. Victoria Blackwood isn't just a wealthy socialite. She's a woman with a very sharp, perfectionist ancient European taste. If I only make a modern geometric tiara like the ones in magazines, she'll throw this draft back in my face within seconds."
Elijah flashed his mysterious lopsided smile. His long fingers moved gently, taking over the digital pen from Elena's hand.
"Then why don't you try looking from their clan's historical perspective? My Wall Street client once mentioned that the Blackwood clan greatly admires medieval Gothic architecture and the symbolism of the 'Silver Dragon' representing absolute power."
Elena jolted, turning to look at Elijah with her brown eyes wide in astonishment.
"How could you know something that specific, Elijah? Your client really knows everything about the Blackwood clan!"
"A good IT technician always gathers the deepest data, dear," Elijah lied smoothly without batting an eye, while inwardly he chuckled at how easily his wife was guided by his manipulation.
"My client just sent a private archive link to your email. Consider it an additional reference from his digital library."
Elena quickly opened her digital device, and sure enough, an encrypted document containing blueprints of the Blackwood family's ancient jewelry from the 18th century was clearly displayed.
Elena's eyes sparkled perfectly, a deeper sense of awe and love instantly locking her gaze on the man beside her.
"Elijah, you're really my lucky charm. Thank you."
Elijah did not answer verbally. He immediately bent down, capturing Elena's full lips in a deep, demanding kiss full of absolute ownership, silencing all of the woman's remaining logic until they drowned in the warmth of the Manhattan night.
The next day, the snowstorm grew thicker, blanketing the SoHo district. Inside Elena Vance Atelier, Elena began to sink into her world, sketching the initial draft of a tiara that combined the elegance of pink diamonds with magnificent Gothic structure.
However, the comfort inside the studio was suddenly disturbed by a subtle vibration from Elijah's smartwatch as he was making coffee at the back bar counter. A private cyber notification from Marcus appeared on his screen.
\[Young Master, Uncle Silas just held a secret meeting with the Vance clan at a private restaurant on the Upper East Side. They are planning something to sabotage Miss Elena's studio opening.\]
Instantly, the remaining warmth on Elijah's handsome face vanished without a trace, replaced by a thick, icy cold murderous aura. He brought the coffee cup to Elena's work desk with a perfectly composed sexy smile, hiding the monster inside him flawlessly.
"I need to step out for a moment to check the backup server at my client's office, Ángel," Elijah said softly, kissing the top of Elena's head with possessive tenderness.
"Marcus will guard the front perimeter. Don't leave this building until I return."
"Don't overwork yourself, Elijah," Elena replied sincerely with a sweet smile, still thinking her husband was going off to work hard for his daily wages from the Wall Street billionaire.