After Death, Love Unveiled (Elara and Lysander)

Elara was thrown for a second but quickly brushed it off. "You're put of your mind! I'd rather drop dead than be into you!" she fired back, storming off.

Jefferson watched her go and shouted after her, "Relax, Elaral get Asher to come around in a few days! That stubborn idiot-1 knock some sense into him when I get home!" He was about to follow her when Asher stepped in front of him

Seething, Jefferson glared at him. "What's your deal, Asher? If youre not gonna step up, why stop me? We finally see her, and you screw it up! Do you ever get anything right?" By now, Elara had already slid into her car, watching the drama unfold. Asher blocked Jefferson, looking irritated, and said, "Could you stop showing up at my school? Seriously?"

"I'll show up whenever the hell I want!" Jefferson shot back. "You got any money? You're always out with that girl and never thinking about making any cash..."

"I'm broke!" Asher snapped, frustrated. "You took everything last time! That was my college savings, man!"

"What the hell have you been up to lately? Still wasting your time with that girlfriend of yours?" Jefferson was losing his

temper.

Back when Asher had Elara in the palm of his hand, Jefferson didn't care how much time he wasted with Daphne. But now, it was a whole different ball game.

Jefferson was convinced Elara was freezing Asher out because of Daphne, and he wasn't gonna stand by and watch it happen Time to step in.

Impatient, Asher snapped, "That's none of your damn business just get the hell out of here-I gotta get to work!"

"Work, work," Jefferson sneered. "That's all you ever go on about How much can you even make in a month? You'd be better off trying to win Elara over! Look at her, she's pissed as helll" Asher scoffed. "She's not my type. Now back off!"

Jefferson almost lost it but caught himself, remembering they were at the school. He swallowed his anger and said through gritted teeth, "We'll settle this at home. But for now, hand over the money. If you don't, I'll go straight to Elara."

Asher shot him a cold glare, pulled a few hundred bucks from his pocket, and practically threw it at him. That's all I've got," he said, his voice flat.

Jefferson frowned at the cash and muttered, "This ain't enough. You better find a way to get more, or do you really want to see them cut off my hand? You're just like your mother-heartless!"

Asher's gaze turned hard. "Your problems are not my responsibility. If you know gambling might get your hand chopped off. maybe you should stop fucking gambling." Without another word, he hopped on the bus that had just pulled up, not even looking back. Jefferson watched him leave, jaw clenched in frustration. He glanced down at the pathetic wad of cash in his hand and shook his head. That kid's getting out of control, he muttered to himself.

Daphne had come out of school with Asher but had been keeping her distance, watching the whole exchange from the sidelines. She didn't step forward until both of them were long gone.

She'd always known Jefferson as just a driver, never realizing he was Asher's dad. And now, seeing him tome begging for money from his own son, even though Asher clearly didn't have much, left her stunned. 18:22 Wed, Nov 60W

The whole thing seemed outrageous to her.

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Not wanting to get involved in such an awkward situation, Daphine had waited until the coast was clear before making her

move.

Elara slouched in the backseat of her car, watching the argument unfold outside before she gave the driver a nod to get going.

The idea of Asher being so arrogant almost made her laugh. She didn't even like the guy. Why the hell would he think I'd marry him? Just because his dad tossed a few compliments my way?' she thought, shaking her head. When she got home, Ursa greeted her with her usual bright smile. "Miss Kensington, you're back!"

Elara gave a half-hearted nod. "Yeah."

Ursa picked up on her bad mood instantly. "Who pissed you off she asked.

Elara paused before answering, her tone icy. "Nobody worth mentioning, just ran into a jerk. When Lysander shows up, tell him I'll be in the study."

Lately, Lysander had been coming home later than usual, and Elara couldn't figure out what was keeping him so busy.

Not long after she went upstairs, Lysander finally showed up. Ursa, ever the informant, filled him in. "Miss Kensington's in a mood today"

Lysander frowned, concerned, "What happened?"

"She didn't say much, but I think it's got something to do with Asher, Ursa replied knowingly. It seemed like only Asher had the ability to get under Elara's skin like that.

Lysander made his way upstairs and gently pushed open the door to the study.

Elara was completely lost in whatever was on her laptop, watching the latest hit talk show, her face lit up

with amusement.

He slid into the seat next to her, trying not to disturb her, but she noticed and gave him a soft smile. "Oh, hey, you're here."

Lysander nodded. "Yeah, got held up with some stuff."

"Been busy lately?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

He used to show up every day without fail, usually even beating her home from school. But now, he always seemed tied up with something.

"Yeah, a bit," he admitted. But then, looking at her warmly, he added, "Don't worry though. We'll still get our tutoring sessions in. You've been killing it lately."

Elara studied his face for a moment before asking gently, "Are you planning on going to college in Starfield City!"

Lysander paused, a little taken aback. In truth, his family had been pushing him to leave, but he hadn't said anything about

1. it.

He raised an eyebrow. "How'd you hear about that?"

Elara just smiled, knowing more than she was letting on. Those old memories had a funny way of surfacing, even after the SATS.

Back then, leaving Brookfield hadn't even crossed her mind. Asher had chosen to stay local, and she'd just naturally followed suit, sticking around.

The truth was, before everything went sideways, Asher's grades had been good enough for a top-tier university, but for some reason, he'd stubbornly decided to stay put in Brookfield. That had always confused her. Maybe he was just attached to the place, or maybe it was because of Daphne.

She'd always been open with him, sharing everything, but Asher had kept things from her, always holding back. And her father passing around that time hadn't helped either.

Lysander snapped her out of her thoughts, saying, "Tll probably go, but not until after the exams."

Elara glanced at him, a bit hesitant. "Do you think I can get into school in Starfield City with my grades?"

He met her gaze and gave a slow nod. "Yeah, if that's what you want, you can totally pull it off."

She closed her laptop with a satisfied stretch and let out a sigh. Alright, then. Let's bust our asses and make it happen!"

"I gotta say, I'm kinda surprised," Lysander remarked, raising an eyebrow. "You're really thinking about going to Starfield City?"

Elara nodded, determination in her eyes. "Yeah, I'm just gonna go for it!"

With this second chance life had thrown her, she realized her dreams should be even bigger. If she didn't have the guts to chase them, no miracle was gonna just land in her lap.

Noticing her newfound confidence, Lysander asked, "Feeling better now?"

"I'm still pissed as hell about Asher!" Elara ranted, remembering the scene at the school gate. "Can you believe it? I never said I wanted to marry him, but he acts like I'm some clingy psycho! And the nerve of him-so damn rude! Just because he's into Daphne now, he assumes I'd be lost without him. Ugh, it's my fault for being so stupid before and giving him the wrong idea.

Lysander shot her a warm smile. "You're incredible, Elara. He doesn't know what he's missing."

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