Ela's heart pumping very hard which she can not contain any longer, pushed jack back but jack refused to let her go.
Ela: jack i~I have something to say to you
Jack: what is it about
Ela thoughts to make an excuse but she failed her heart pumping speed, not long after a while a skimming woman should saying why are you too together Ela asks "who let you in" she stayed quiet and said, your secretary will never allowed me a skimming woman to enter your room, and how dare you called me a skimming woman, besides this young man here is mine and not yours, we were childhood friends so our parent decided if we grow up we will get married, and how dare you get your hands on him I will make sure you pay for it. meanwhile the skimming woman didn't know that she is an S-Class ranked Alpha she thought she could get rid of her easily, but it's a tough way to do that, she called her guards in secrets and ask them when Ella gets out of a car on Monday you will have to attack her secretly without Jack knowing understood. [should Ela kill her or not]
Ela and Jack also have a plan to trick her, but they will go low. Rain falling.
The rain had eased by the time Ela and Jack arrived at the Grand Meridian Hotel. Its marble pillars and gold-lit lobby gave the illusion of safety, the kind of place where trouble couldn't reach you.
They both knew better.
Jack kept his hand lightly at the small of her back as they walked toward the elevator. "We'll keep it low-key tonight. Just dinner, rest, and figure out our next step in the morning."
Ela forced a small smile. "I'll hold you to that."
The elevator ride was silent, the hum of the motor filling the space between them. She stole a glance at him — the man who had once been her everything, now suddenly at her side again, protecting her from Gabrielle's shadow.
When they reached their suite on the top floor, Ela felt a flicker of relief. The room was spacious, scented faintly with roses from the vase on the coffee table. Through the window, the city glimmered under the night sky.
She took off her coat and sank into the armchair. Jack tossed his jacket onto the couch, rolling his shoulders.
Then came the knock.
Three sharp, impatient raps.
Jack glanced at the door. "That's strange. I didn't order anything."
The knock came again — louder this time.
Ela felt the air shift. "Jack… don't open it."
But the door slammed inward before he could answer.
Four men surged into the room, their footsteps heavy against the carpet. One grabbed Ela, yanking her from the chair, while another shoved Jack against the wall.
"Gabrielle says hello," the tallest one sneered.
Jack broke free with a hard elbow to the ribs, sending the man staggering. He kicked the coffee table into another attacker, then lunged for Ela, pulling her behind him.
"You picked the wrong room," Jack growled, his voice low and dangerous.
The fight was brutal — fists, knees, and the crash of breaking glass. Ela managed to slam a lamp into one man's head, buying Jack a moment to knock another unconscious.
They were almost clear when a figure appeared at the doorway.
A man in a tailored black coat, calm amid the chaos, watching them with a slow, cold smile.
Ela's breath caught. She knew that face.
It couldn't be.
"Daniel?" she whispered.
Her brother — the one she had buried in her heart years ago — stood before her.
Alive.
And standing with Gabrielle's men.
For a heartbeat, the world fell silent.
The chaos in the suite — the shattered lamp, the groaning men on the floor — seemed distant, drowned out by the single name echoing in Ela's mind.
Daniel.
Her brother. The boy who used to sneak her sweets when their parents weren't looking. The one who vanished without a trace when she was seventeen.
Now, he stood there like a ghost in a pressed black coat, eyes cold, jaw sharp with years she hadn't seen pass.
"Hello, Ela," he said, voice even. "It's been a while."
Jack moved instinctively in front of her, his stance tight. "You know him?"
Ela's throat felt dry. "He's my brother."
Jack's eyes narrowed — not in disbelief, but in calculation.
Daniel stepped into the room, unbothered by the unconscious men around him. "Gabrielle sends her regards. She's very interested in… the both of you." His gaze flicked to Jack. "Especially you."
Jack's voice was like steel. "If you came here to threaten her, you'll regret it."
Daniel smirked, a cruel echo of the boy Ela remembered. "No threats. Just an invitation."
He pulled an envelope from his coat and placed it on the desk. A black wax seal gleamed in the low light. "You have forty-eight hours to decide, Ela. Come willingly… or Gabrielle will come for you herself."
Ela took a step forward. "Daniel, why are you with her? Why are you—"
He cut her off with a look sharp enough to silence her. "I'm not the one you should be afraid of, little sister. Gabrielle's reach is longer than you think."
Then, without another word, he turned and walked out, his footsteps fading down the hall.
The door clicked shut, leaving a vacuum of tension in its wake.
Ela felt her knees weaken, but Jack caught her before she fell. His hands were steady, warm — a stark contrast to the cold twist in her chest.
"Ela," he murmured, tilting her chin so she'd meet his eyes, "we'll figure this out. But you have to tell me everything. No more secrets."
She swallowed hard, knowing this was the moment the past and present collided — and that the truth she'd buried was about to surface.
Jack didn't let go of her. His hands were firm on her shoulders, grounding her, but his eyes were searching — demanding answers.
Ela drew in a shaky breath, the air tasting faintly of smoke and fear. She turned away from him, walking toward the window, the city lights spilling across her face.
"I thought he was dead," she whispered.
Jack's voice was low but edged with frustration. "Then tell me why he's working for Gabrielle."
Ela gripped the curtain so tightly her knuckles whitened. Memories pressed in — blurred images of that night years ago: the fire, the screaming, her brother's hand slipping from hers in the chaos. She had run, thinking he was gone forever.
"He didn't just vanish," she said, her voice trembling. "Gabrielle found him first. She… she took him in. Twisted him."
Jack stepped closer. "Twisted him into what?"
Ela turned to face him, her eyes glistening. "Into someone who believes I abandoned him. Someone who thinks I chose my life over his."
The silence between them was thick, filled with the weight of unspoken things. Jack's jaw tightened, and for a moment Ela thought he might walk away. Instead, he closed the distance and cupped her face in his hands.
"You didn't choose," he said firmly. "You survived. And now we're going to get him back — whether he wants it or not."
Her breath hitched, the words hitting her deeper than she expected. "Jack… this isn't your fight."
"It became my fight the moment Gabrielle tried to take you from me again," he replied. His gaze softened. "I lost you once, Ela. I won't lose you again."
For a fleeting second, the tension cracked, replaced by the pull of something far older than their current danger — the warmth of what they used to be.
But before she could speak, Jack's phone buzzed sharply in his pocket.
He glanced at the screen, his expression darkening. "It's from my sources. Gabrielle's not waiting for forty-eight hours… she's already making her move."
Ela's pulse spiked. "What do you mean?"
Jack met her eyes, his voice like a warning bell.
"She's coming for you tonight."