A knock on the door distracted Elara. She who wanted to sleep immediately and welcome the morning was forced to rise to her feet with a tense expression as soon as she heard the servant's words. And now she was standing in front of a room she had never been to before.
She raised her hand and tapped on the door softly. While the other hand was gripping the hem of her pajamas.
"Come in."
Her thin legs set foot inside the room that was dominated by the light gray color. Elara looked around. The room that she had only glimpsed in her memories and never set foot in after possessing Elara's body, was Asher's room.
"What's wrong with calling me in the middle of the night?" asked Elara to the point. She didn't want to spend much time in this room. Her head kept screaming danger and telling her to run.
Asher got up from the end of the bed. Elara looked down as he walked toward her. Her heartbeat was racing.
"What are you doing?"
Elara straightened her eyes, she was confused for a while, and finally turned to look at Asher who had sat on the couch. Several kinds of food were served on the table. Elara silently cursed herself for thinking such indecent thoughts.
"Sit down. I heard you haven't eaten dinner yet." Asher's gaze followed Elara's every move, even until Elara had sat on the couch opposite.
"Eat."
Elara was still pensive. Her gaze was fixed on Asher who started cutting the steak. She was still guessing about Asher's purpose in calling her here and serving dinner not in the dining room, but in his room.
Elara hadn't seen Asher since her assault and attempted murder. Asher and his trusted bodyguards had simply disappeared.
Elara suspected that the attacker was either Asher's enemy or an enemy of the Winterbourne family. She concluded that because the status window didn't provide any information. And Asher and his subordinates were busy taking care of the bullies.
But the thought that stuck in Elara's heart was why did they attack her? There was no way they would send a bunch of assassins just to eliminate Asher's bodyguards, right? With one look, Elara was sure Asher's bodyguards numbered in the hundreds or maybe thousands. What she and the real Elara certainly didn't know was how complicated the real billionaire family's problems were.
They probably thought of me as a beloved wife, that's what Elara thought. In fact, with her dead, Asher would probably laugh with tears in his eyes at the loss of his toy.
"Why aren't you eating?"
Elara came back from her reverie. She downed a ruby-colored drink before finally rushing to cut the steak. She must not express what she was thinking at the moment. She didn't want someone to read the expression on her face.
Elara jumped in surprise as Asher suddenly sat beside her. Long, thick fingers touched Elara's chin and brought her closer. Elara's eyes rounded when she felt something rubbery touch her lips.
Elara closed her eyes as the long something managed to gain access to her small mouth. The sweet taste of the ruby-colored liquor mixed with a hint of bitterness easily melted Elara's body.
Asher's hand moved mischievously, going underneath her pajama top, giving it a sensual touch, and ending up holding Elara's round object. A small sigh escaped Elara's lips which further stimulated Asher to move on to the next stage.
Asher's face lowered, his kisses descending until they settled on the slender neck with porcelain-white skin. Elara's face flushed, her breathing heated up, and her body responded to every touch Asher gave her.
"What's wrong? Something is wrong with my body," Elara thought. Before she could think about it, Asher's strong grip and fingering under her bra made her sigh softly.
Elara's face turned to the side. She accidentally stared at the crimson-colored drink and an instant realization jolted her. Elara immediately rose to her feet which made Asher stop his game and look at Elara with a flat expression.
"T-tomorrow I have a morning class. I can't do it." After saying that, Elara ran out. Through the hallway that felt longer than before. Her steps were irregular and her breathing was getting hotter.
The door was closed with a bang by Elara. Her fingers moved quickly to lock the door. Every step she made, a piece of clothing fell to the floor.
Elara gripped her hair. "What did Asher put in that drink? My body is going crazy like this."
"I should take a cold shower."
***
A luxurious black car that entered the campus area quickly stole the attention of everyone in its path. The black daredevil stopped right in front of a building. The students around them hurriedly grabbed their cell phones and recorded the extraordinary event.
Two well-built men wrapped in black tuxedos got out of the car and stood right next to a car door. One of them opened the door and simultaneously bowed his head.
From there, Elara came out with a faint smile on her lips. Her radiant confidence and face which shone with the help of the sunlight, left everyone around her stunned. Even people passing by were made to stop and stare at Elara's beautiful face.
"Do you know who she is?"
"Her face looks familiar."
"Is she a transfer student?"
"Hey, our college doesn't accept transfer students."
"Ah, right."
"She's very pretty. Do you know her social media?"
"Who is she? With a beauty like that she should be popular on our campus."
Elara smiled proudly. Her pair of small ears widened to catch all the conversations that were going on. They were talking about her. Of course, it had to happen. Elara's beautiful face could even be compared to those of top actresses and models.
"I'm lucky enough to occupy Elara's body. I used to spend a lot of money to beautify myself, but Elara's natural beauty is already blinding even without much care. You should have told that to the real Elara so that she would have friends and not choose to commit suicide. Just because her body is stretched out, you can't recognize her true beauty."
In an instant, Elara's mood dropped to the core of the earth. She was proud, yet also felt guilty. This compliment belonged to the real Elara.
"Madam, please contact us if there is a change in the time of return. We will adjust it immediately."
Elara gave a glance at the two bodyguards that Asher had turned into drivers in an instant. Asher said that he wanted to protect Elara so that the previous incident would not happen again, and Elara reluctantly agreed.
Elara was sure it wasn't protection, but surveillance. Who was protecting her? The man who put something in her drink? Highly unlikely.
"Alright." After saying that, Elara immediately left without looking back. Passing by the people who continued to make her the center of attention.
A faint smile rose on her lips, and her gaze fell on a group of women who were passing not far from her.
"There they are, my first target."