Phoenix 209

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Chapter 209: She isn’t sincerely staying by his side.

Chapter 209: She isn’t sincerely staying by his side

(Elena Blackwood’s POV)

Points

When I swiped into the suite with the spare room card, the living room light was off. The darkness enveloped me like a familiar embrace after the long day at the research institute.

I gently closed the door behind me, careful not to make any noise. The last thing I wanted was to wake Marcus if he was finally getting some rest.

I was about to return to my chamber when the light behind the bar’s glass wine cabinet suddenly turned on. The unexpected illumination made me freeze in place.

Mooked up to see Marcus Blackwood walking out from behind the bar. He was wearing a dark silk bathrobe that hung loosely on his frame, and he held a crystal wine glass in his hand.

“You’re not asleep?” I asked, surprised to find him awake at this late hour.

“I can’t sleep.” Marcus placed his wine glass on the gray marble countertop with a soft clink.

His golden eyes found mine across the dimly lit room. “You’re back so late?”

I shifted my weight, suddenly feeling the exhaustion from the long day settling into my bones. “I had been working overtime.”

My gaze swept over the wine glass in his hand, noting the amber liquid swirling inside. Without thinking, the words slipped out.

“With your physical condition, you should drink less alcohol.”

Marcus paused, and I caught a trace of something flickering in his secluded eyes. It disappeared in an instant, leaving his expression calm and unruffled.

“Don’t worry, I won’t die,” he said, his voice carrying a bitter edge. “You won’t become a widowed Luna anytime soon, much to your disappointment.”

I felt a familiar wave of frustration wash over me. His constant need to twist my words into something cruel was exhausting.

I was too lazy to argue with him tonight. The day had been long enough without adding another pointless confrontation to it.

Just as I was about to enter my chamber, Marcus’s voice stopped me.

“Elena”

I turned back, my hand already on the door handle. “What is it now?”

(Marcus Blackwood’s POV)

I gazed at her face, taking in the tired lines around her green eyes and the way her shoulders sagged with exhaustion. There were so many things I wanted to say to her.

I wanted to ask about her day, about the research that kept her so late. I wanted to apologize for my harsh words, for the constant tension between us.

< Chapter 209. She isn’t sincerely staying by his side

+ Points >

But the words stopped at my lips, trapped by pride and the growing chasm that seemed to widen between us

every day.

In the end, I only squeezed out, “Get some rest early.”

Elena didn’t say anything more. She simply nodded and disappeared into her chamber, the door closing with

a soft click behind her.

I watched her back until she vanished from sight. The hand holding the wine glass involuntarily tightened, my knuckles standing out clearly against my skin.

Isabella’s words from our phone call earlier that day flashed through my mind like a knife twisting in an old

wound.

“Cousin, do you think Elena is sincerely staying by your side? I personally heard what Young Master Whitmore

said. She’s willing to stay with you because your mother promised her that once you recover, she’ll let you

sever the mate bond. It’s not because of you!”

I sank onto the bar stool, covering my forehead with my thumb and four fingers spread apart. My heart ached

so much that I could barely breathe.

The wine glass trembled in my other hand as the truth of Isabella’s words settled deeper into my chest like

poison.

Elena wasn’t here because she wanted to be. She was here because she had been promised an escape.

(God’s POV)

The next day, in the Blackwood Ancestral Manor in the Northern Territory, Isabella Blackwood stood before

Margaret Blackwood with tears streaming down her face.

“Grandmother, I don’t want to go to Europe!” she pleaded, her voice breaking with desperation.

Margaret sat rigidly in her high–backed chair, her expression stern and unyielding. The morning light strearning through the tall windows cast harsh shadows across her weathered features.

Isabella continued, her words tumbling out in a rush of resentment and accusation. “It’s not fair that Marcus

is sending me to Europe for supposedly instigating conflict! He’s the one who neglected Elena in the first

place!”

Her voice rose with each word, filled with the entitled fury of someone who had never been denied anything

she wanted.

“I’m a member of the Blackwood family too! I’m your granddaughter! I should have listened to my mother and competed with my cousin for the inheritancel”

Margaret Blackwood, who had already been suffering from a headache due to Isabella’s incessant noise, caught the last sentence with sharp clarity.

“Compete for what?” Margaret’s voice cut through the air like a blade.

Isabella froze, her face going pale as she realized what she had just blurted out in her haste. The words hung

in the air between them like a confession.

She tried to backtrack, her hands fluttering nervously. “I… I didn’t mean…”

But Margaret pressed on, her eyes narrowing with dangerous intensity. “Did Diana Blackwood suggest you

< Chapter 209. She isn’t sincerely staying by his side

compete with Marcus for inheritance rights?”

48 Points >

Isabella desperately tried to explain, her voice becoming higher and more frantic. “Grandmother, please, I was just upset. I didn’t mean anything by it!”

Margaret was shocked by the revelation. The idea that her own family members were plotting against

Marcus filled her with a cold fury.

She suspected Isabella’s motives now, seeing clearly how Diana had been poisoning her daughter’s mind with

ambitious schemes.

“Sending you to Europe for further studies is the best course of action,” Margaret decided firmly. “It will

prevent you from being further influenced by your mother’s dangerous ideas.”

Despite Isabella’s continued protests and tears, Margaret remained unmoved. Her decision was final.

“Grace Burton,” she called to the head housekeeper who stood quietly by the door.

Grace stepped forward with a respectful bow. “Yes, Madam?”

“Make arrangements for Isabella to be sent to Europe in the coming days,” Margaret instructed coldly.

Grace Burton glanced at Isabella’s tear–streaked face before asking carefully, “Should I consult with Alpha

Marcus about this decision?”

Margaret waved her hand dismissively. “I will personally talk to Sebastian Blackwood about it. Marcus has

enough to worry about without dealing with his cousin’s dramatics.”

Amber Stone, who had been standing outside the door handling some paperwork, overheard everything through the slightly open doorway. She quietly gathered her documents and left.

Once she was far enough away from the manor’s main hall, Amber pulled out her phone and dialed Marcus’s

number.

“Alpha,” she said when he answered. “I wanted to inform you that Elder Margaret has decided to send Isabella

to Europe for extended studies.”

Marcus’s voice came through the phone, sounding listless and distracted. “Hmm.”

Amber waited for more of a response, but when none came, she asked, “Is there anything else you need me to handle regarding this situation?”

“No, Marcus replied shortly. Then, after a pause, he asked, “Is there anything else?”

Amber hesitated for a moment before delivering the second piece of information she had gathered. “Fred Xavier’s son has returned.”

This news made Marcus fall silent on the other end of the line. She could practically hear him thinking. processing this new development. /

At the same time, in the research institute, Sophia Rivers made her way to the laboratory to check the numerical results from the latest experiments. The hallway was mostly empty, with only a few researchers working late into the evening.

She approached the computer terminal where the data was displayed, her heart racing with nervous anticipation. This was her chance to photograph the information Felix had demanded.