Chapter 34 He Doesn't Keep Idle People Around
Elodie's POV
When I didn't respond, she tapped Vivian's profile on the screen with her fingertip. "Look at this—the hallway lighting is coming from overhead, but the light hitting her face is angled from the front. It's way too soft and even, like those softbox setups they use for studio portraits. And check out the boss's collar here—see how Vivian's fingers are supposedly resting on it? There's zero fabric distortion. No pulling, no wrinkles, nothing."
"But here's the real kicker," she said, pointing to where their lips met. "See this super fine pixel blur around the edges? That's classic feathering—old-school Photoshop technique to blend a pasted head onto a different body. Even bottom-tier photo shops stopped using this garbage years ago. This is amateur hour."
I stared at her blankly, my mind completely empty. Her explanation was clear and logical, calm and professional—nothing like what you'd expect from a simple housekeeper.
"You... how do you know all this?"
Graham withdrew her hand and placed the phone back on the table. "After being around the boss long enough, you have to learn things others don't know." She glanced at me, her eyes carrying a hint of pity. "Miss Elodie, you need to remember—there are no ordinary people around the boss."
Her words felt like a bucket of ice water dumped over my head.
Right. Rod was a bodyguard with exceptional skills, Graham was an expert hiding in plain sight, and Nelson himself was a family heir walking on a knife's edge.
Every single one of them moved effortlessly through this dark world.
Only me—like a lamb walking into a den of wolves, completely clueless, good for nothing except crying and throwing tantrums.
A strong sense of shame gripped me. I lowered my head, looking at the gorgeous dress I was wearing, finding it glaring.
I don't know how much time passed before the door was gently pushed open, and that familiar cold fragrance instantly filled the entire room.
Nelson was back.
I didn't look up, just sat on the carpet with my face buried in my knees.
He walked up to me, his tall figure casting a shadow that completely enveloped me.
"Get up."
I didn't move.
The air was quiet for a few seconds. I heard what sounded like a sigh, then he bent down and scooped me up from the floor, placing me directly on the bed.
I instinctively struggled a bit, but then my nose caught a whiff of sweet, cloying perfume that didn't belong to him.
I suddenly looked up, my gaze landing precisely on the collar of his black shirt.
There, a clear and suggestive lipstick mark.
Like a needle, it stabbed viciously into my just-soothed heart.
I said nothing, just reached out and lightly touched that mark with my fingertip.
Nelson followed my movement and glanced down, his brow immediately furrowing.
"I didn't notice. Elodie, I..."
"She kissed you?"
"I handed her over to my men to deal with. It probably got on me accidentally then. I swear, I never let her get close."
I still said nothing, just picked up my phone from the table, opened that photo, and held it in front of him.
"These are all fake." He gripped my wrist tightly, with force that felt like it could crush my bones. "Elodie, look at me. Things between her and me ended long ago. There's absolutely no way anything could happen again. Trust me."
He kept assuring me over and over, those unfathomably deep eyes full of anxiety and a trace of panic he himself hadn't even noticed.
The more anxious he became, the calmer I felt.
I looked at him quietly, watching this man who was always in control, whose emotions never showed on his face, now completely thrown off balance because he was afraid I wouldn't believe him.
The lingering bitterness and grievance in my heart suddenly vanished into thin air.
I couldn't help it—I laughed.
Nelson froze completely. He looked at me in disbelief, as if he couldn't understand why I could still laugh.
"I know the photo is fake. Graham already analyzed it for me."
He continued to stare at me in a daze.
"Vivian probably knew you wouldn't see her again, so she got desperate. She had someone photoshop the picture and send it to me, then calculated that you'd go find her, so she left this mark on you. Double insurance—all to make me completely misunderstand you and have a falling out with you."
My analysis gradually calmed the storm in his eyes.
"She went to such lengths to drive a wedge between us, probably not just because she still loves you. The person behind her wants to use me to disturb your peace of mind, to make you slip up at tonight's party. Since they want to watch a show so badly, let's put on a performance for them."
"We can turn the tables, set a trap, and use her to draw out whoever's behind this."
After speaking, I pulled back slightly, tilted my face up, and blinked at him. "I just don't know—when we use her as bait, will Mr. Nelson feel bad for her?"
Nelson's deep eyes narrowed dangerously. He stared at my face with its hint of smugness and provocation, the emotions in his eyes too complex for me to read.
"No."
The smile froze on my face.
He gripped my chin, forcing me to look up and meet his gaze. "Elodie, don't ever have this kind of idea again. You just need to stay by my side obediently. Everything else—it's not your place to worry about."
His words doused the fighting spirit I'd just kindled.
What did he mean "not my place to worry about"? In his eyes, would I forever be just a pet that needed to be protected, kept, unable to have thoughts of my own?