Chapter 42 You’re Acting Like A Jealouse Husband

Chapter 42 You’re Acting Like A Jealouse Husband

The garden was alive under the moonlight.

Caspian walked beside Alina, his pace calm, a reflection of his composed nature.

He had changed since the last time she saw him. No longer the mischievous boy who would tug her hair and run; he was a man now, collected, confident, and strangely unreadable.

And yet, when he looked at her, his gaze softened.

“You haven’t changed much,” Caspian said, breaking the silence between them. “You still have that look in your eyes when you’re lost in thought.”

Elena smiled faintly. “And you still talk like you’re trying to read people.”

He chuckled under his breath. “Maybe I am.”

They reached the old fountain near the center of the garden, the one she and Caspian had once made wishes in as children.

The water glimmered faintly in the moonlight, and Elena found herself staring at it with quiet nostalgia.

“I remember this place,” she murmured. “We used to come here every summer… You told me to throw coins and tell me yours would always come true.”

Caspian smiled. “That was because I believed in luck.”

“And now?” she asked, turning to him.

He held her gaze for a long moment. “Now I believe in effort and timing.”

Something in the way he said it sent a shiver down her spine. His voice was low, not the casual tone of an old friend but the controlled cadence of a man used to getting what he wanted.

Elena turned her gaze back to the fountain, trying to steady her thoughts.

A few meters away, Damian stood watching.

He had told himself a thousand times to stay back, to remain the detached professional, the bodyguard, the man with a mission. But his body refused to obey. Every step she took with Caspian felt like a strike to his chest.

The sight of Caspian leaning closer to her, his hand brushing hers as he handed her a rose, was almost unbearable.

He clenched his fists, his jaw set tight, every vein in his neck standing out.

He had endured bullets, blood, and betrayal. But nothing, nothing, tested his control like this woman and the sight of another man making her smile.

Elena accepted the rose Caspian offered, her fingertips brushing against his.

“Do you still make wishes?” he asked, his tone teasing.

She shook her head with a soft laugh. “No. I stopped believing in them a long time ago.”

“Then maybe,” he said, stepping closer, “you just need the right person to make one with.”

Elena’s breath caught. Caspian was close, too close.

Her heart began to pound, but not entirely from discomfort.

“I don’t need anyone to make wishes for me,” she replied, her voice calm.

Caspian tilted his head, studying her expression. “I didn’t say for you. I said with you.”

It was a subtle distinction, but the way he said it made her chest tighten.

For a moment, neither spoke. The silence between them wasn’t awkward, but it wasn't entirely comfortable either.

Then, behind them, a faint crunch of gravel broke the tension.

Elena turned instinctively, and her eyes immediately found Damien standing by the path, half in the shadows.

Her lips parted, surprise flickering in her eyes.

“Damien,” she said softly. She had completely forgotten about his presence.

Caspian turned as well, his calm expression darkening slightly at the sight of the bodyguard. “Mr. Cole,” he greeted evenly. “Still on duty, I see.”

Damian’s eyes shifted between them before landing on Elena. “Your father asked me to make sure you were safe, Miss Lancaster.”

Caspian smiled faintly, though there was no warmth in it. “It’s a garden, not a battlefield. I assure you, she’s perfectly safe.”

Damielan’s voice remained even, but his gaze was like ice. “Forgive me, Mr. Volkov, but that’s for me to decide.”

Elena felt the tension instantly.

Caspian’s posture stiffened, and Damian took a step closer, his stance protective, possessive.

Before either man could speak further, Elena interjected softly, “Both of you, please. This is supposed to be a peaceful evening for me.”

Her words carried enough authority to make both pause in their unseen battle.

Damielan bowed his head slightly, stepping back. “My apologies, Miss”

But his eyes never left Caspian.

Caspian, on the other hand, smirked faintly, not mockingly, but knowingly, as though he could see right through Damian’s restraint.

“Tell me something, Mr. Cole,” Caspian said, his tone mild but edged. “Do all bodyguards act like jealous husbands when their clients talk to someone else?”

Elena froze.

Damian’s expression didn’t change, but his jaw twitched a tiny, dangerous movement.

“I don't know what you are talking about,” he said curtly. “Just doing my job.”

“Of course,” Caspian replied with a faint smirk. “And you’re doing it… quite passionately.”

Elena stepped between them then, her voice stern. “Enough, both of you.”

The quiet command made them both still again.

“Damian,” she said more softly, turning to him. “I’m fine. You can give us a little space.”

His gaze met hers, a silent storm behind his calm mask. “As you wish, Miss Lancaster.”

But when he turned away, his eyes lingered on her a moment too long before disappearing into the shadows once again.

Elena regretted her words instantly. The look he gave her made her stomach churn.