After Death, Love Unveiled (Elara and Lysander)

Asher had always been a fiercely competitive person. In every aspect of life, he considered himself highly capable. But then there was Lysander.

Lysander was like his kryptonite. It had been this way since their school days, now, even in a casual tennis match. Asher had initially wanted to spar with Lysander. On some level, he genuinely wanted to outshine him. But now, Asher deeply regretted agreeing to this. While Asher was exhausted, Lysander was a different story entirely.

Lysander could easily have won three sets to zero without breaking a sweat. Yet every time he reached match point, he deliberately held back. This stretched the game so long that it felt endless.

Asher couldn't even walk away, though he desperately wanted to

Crispin stood beside Elara, watching the match. "Good thing it's not me Lysander's toying with. If I were Asher, I'd want to bang my head against the wall by now," Crispin said.

Leaving mid-game would be humiliating. But staying meant enduring Lysander's playful torment.

Elara glanced at Lysander standing there, his calm demeanor masking a childish streak. "If he dislikes Asher so much, why does he even bother playing with him?"

"I don't think he dislikes him that much," Crispin replied. "Honestly, I think he kind of likes Asher. Back in school, if Asher entered a competition, Lysander always joined too." Elara turned to Crispin, surprised. "You're kidding."

"Nope. It's true," Crispin said confidently. "He's always been like that. Don't tell me you never noticed?"

Lysander usually appeared indifferent to most things, yet when it came to Asher, he was strangely competitive.

Crispin used to find it puzzling. But when he realized Lysander liked Elara, everything suddenly made sense. Nearby, Adair was also watching the game.

At first, seeing the evenly matched back-and-forth, she had felt reassured. But as time went on, with Asher panting and exhausted while Lysander remained completely unfazed, she realized Lysander was just toying with him. He intentionally sent sharp, tricky shots to force Asher to run back and forth. Adair wanted to step in and tell Asher to just surrender already.

Finally, the game ended. Asher, drenched in sweat, threw his racket onto the ground in frustration and stormed off the

court.

Spotting Elara chatting with Crispin, Asher paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. Crispin greeted him cheer fully. "Mr Blackwood, great effort out there! Why don't you join us for lunch? We've got everything set up." "No, thanks," Asher replied curtly.

"What's wrong? Don't tell me you're a sore loser?" Crispin teased "Lysander rarely agrees to dine with anyone. If he's willing to eat with you, you should take the chance."

Asher pressed his lips together tightly, his gaze shifting to Elara. Knowing she had seen everything only made him feel more humiliated.

Asher had wanted to prove himself in front of Lysander, to salvage a little pride. Instead, Lysander had only made him

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After Asher left, Lysander approached, towel in hand as he wiped his face. He walked straight up to Elara. "You're awake?" he asked casually. Elara frowned. "What are you doing out here playing tennis? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I saw you were asleep and didn't want to disturb you," Lysander said. "I couldn't fall asleep anyway, so I figured I'd come out for a bit of fun."

"And how did you end up playing with Asher?" Elara asked, her curiosity piqued. Normally, they didn't interact much.

"It just so happened we ran into each other, and he agreed to play, so we did," Lysander explained.

Besides, Asher was doing business with Elara's father and about to marry Adair. Technically, they were all in the same circle now. If he was not avoiding him, why should Lysander avoid him?

Elara noticed Lysander's calm expression and couldn't help but laugh. "You're so naughty. Look how upset you've made him."

"He's just a sore loser. It's not like I did it on purpose," Lysander replied nonchalantly.

Asher had always hated losing. Back in the day, whenever he lost, his face would turn black with rage.

Years had passed without much interaction between them. Perhaps Asher had forgotten how things used to be, and Lysander figured it was a good time to remind him.

Crispin interrupted, "The restaurant's ready. Let's head over. I invited Asher earlier, but I'm not sure if he'll show up. Lysander nodded. "Alright." They headed to the restaurant. They didn't think Asher would actually come, but to their surprise, he showed up, bringing Adair along.

Crispin greeted him with a grin. "Mr. Blackwood, I didn't think you'd make it."

"Mr. Hawthorne invited me. How could I not come?" Asher replied, his gaze shifting to Lysander, who was sitting there casually.

Though the memory of Lysander toying with him on the court still annoyed him, Asher knew better than to dwell on it.

After all, having a chance to interact with Lysander was an opportunity in itself. He would jump at the chance to spend time with him.

Asher and Adair took their seats. Elara, seated beside Lysander, was busy piling food onto his plate. The sight instantly shattered Asher's fragile composure, which he had only just managed to regain.

Regret seeped in again. 'Why have I agreed to have this meal with them?' he wondered. From the start, all he'd seen was them flaunting their affection.

No wonder Lysander had been so gracious to invite him. It was just to rub it in.

Noticing Asher's darkening expression, Crispin chuckled. "Lysander and Elara are always like this. Whenever we eat together, we're basically just here to bear it. You'll get used to it, Mr. Blackwood." Forcing a smile, Asher replied stiffly, "It's only natural for him to have a good relationship with his wife. I'm perfectly fine with it."

After the meal, everyone went their separate ways. Asher left the restaurant with Adair trailing behind him. Seeing him walking so quickly, she called out, "Wait for me!" He slowed down.

Catching up, Adair said, "If it makes you this upset, why bother coming? They invite you, and you just walk into the lion's den. Aren't you bringing this on yourself?"

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"It's because you offended him," Asher said bluntly. "That's why he decided to mess with me."

"I..." Adair hesitated, feeling a twinge of guilt as she recalled the things she'd said to Elara earlier.

"I just wanted Lysander to teach her a lesson. How was I supposed to know he'd act so... irrationally?" Adair defended herself.

"Forget it. I'm not blaming you," Asher sighed. "At least he's gotten it out of his system. He probably won't come after me again." Taking the hit was better than letting the tension linger. Asher could endure it.

Back in their room, Elara emerged from the bathroom, her hair slightly damp. She found Lysander sitting on the sofa, flipping through one of the magazines provided by the hotel. He had showered first. Walking over, she sat down beside him. "What are you reading?"

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"Just browsing," Lysander said, looking at her. Fresh out of the shower, she seemed to glisten slightly, her skin dewy and soft.

Setting the magazine aside, he leaned in to kiss her and pulled her into his arms.

Elara gazed at him. "Shall we go to bed? Aren't you

tired?"

"Do I look tired?" he asked, his gaze deepening as his hand slid to her waist. The atmosphere instantly turned charge intimacy. Perhaps the meal with Asher had stirred up old memories, and tonight, Lysander was particularly unrestrained.

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By the middle of the night, Elara was utterly exhausted. Lysander held her close, his voice low as he murmured, "Elara..." "Hmm?" she responded drowsily.

"Say you love me." His words brought her back to full consciousness. She opened her eyes to look at him. "You're so childish" "So, you don't love me?" he teased.

Hearing his ridiculous question, Elara suddenly recalled what Crispin had mentioned earlier that Lysander used to be oddly competitive with Asher, joining every event Asher participated in back in school. Lysander always seemed so calm and composed, yet it turned out he cared about Asher's presence far more than Elara had ever imagined.