Elian parked the car but didn't get out right away.
Thinking back to what Clarissa asked earlier, he smiled and said, "Why, huh... just pretend I felt like settling down, and it happened that we knew each other. Or maybe I saw you and fell head over heels right away."
As he joked, he started leaning in. The moment he finished, he reached over and unbuckled her seatbelt.
Clarissa glanced up at him, her tone half teasing, half sincere. "That almost sounded real. If I hadn't known you for so long, I might've fallen for it."
Can't really blame her-Elian's got that dangerously sincere face.
They were about to see her grandfather, and she was sure he'd ask something.
So she continued, "What're you planning to tell Grandpa about our marriage?"
Elian, both hands filled with bags, answered with a casual grin, "Let's go with this: we've known each other for years, and I've always liked you. You finally decided to give me a shot."
Clarissa stared at him-he was saying it so calmly, like he actually meant it. For a split second, she almost believed it herself.
But she had to admit, that line sounded convincing. Grandpa would probably buy it.
"Alright, let's go with that."
They reached the door. Clarissa punched in the code. Before she could even open it, the door swung wide.
Martha stood there.
She'd been looking after Grandpa for years.
"Oh, Miss Beckett! You're back! Come in!"
Martha's warmth instantly made Clarissa feel lighter, like she was a kid again coming home to a house full of smiles.
Noticing a tall man behind her-clearly not the same guy who used to show up-Martha asked curiously, "And this is...?"
As she asked, she took the gifts from Elian's hands.
Clarissa naturally slid her arm through Elian's, smiling. "My husband, Elian Langley."
Then she tilted her head up at him, her eyes soft with an almost playful glint, like asking, "That okay?"
Elian's ears turned a bit pink. He gave a faint smile and answered quietly.
"Nice to meet you, Martha."
Then he reached for Clarissa's hand, fingers lacing with hers.
Martha lit up, clapped with joy, then wiped her hands on her apron.
"Come in. I'll go let your grandpa know."
She hurried off, and Clarissa led Elian to the couch.
"Martha's been with Grandpa forever," she said gently as they sat. "Pretty much watched me grow up. She can be a bit... enthusiastic."
Elian nodded but didn't speak, his fingers still gently clasping hers.
Not long after, Martha wheeled in Grandpa.
His knees had been giving him trouble, so he mostly used a wheelchair these days.
Seeing him, Clarissa quickly stood and took over from Martha, beaming. "Grandpa!"
He coughed a couple of times but grinned warmly. He caught sight of Elian on the couch and looked mildly surprised, though his expression soon settled.
Elian stood and nodded slightly. "Grandpa."
The old man gave a small approving nod. "Good. Very good."
Clarissa frowned slightly. That's it? Just "very good" at first glance? Was Elian's face really that universally appealing?
Before she could ask, Grandpa gently took her hand and said, in his usual calm, thoughtful way, "You two already got the license?"
Head down, her voice lowered, she replied, "Yeah, we did."
After all, it was kind of a big deal, and they hadn't exactly run it by him ahead of time. She did feel a little guilty about that.
Interestingly, Grandpa didn't seem all that surprised-like he'd half expected this.
"Clarissa, go make some tea in the back garden. I'd like a proper chat with Langley."
Clarissa blinked. How'd Grandpa know his last name was Langley? She frowned slightly, puzzled, but figured maybe Martha mentioned it offhand. No point digging into it.
Since Grandpa had asked, she couldn't exactly hang around. She glanced at Elian, a little worried he might get grilled.
But he just smiled, gave her hand a reassuring pat, and said softly, "Go on."
Even while making tea, she couldn't shake the concern that Grandpa might make things hard for Elian. After all, this whole situation sort of spun out from her end, and her grandpa always had a high opinion of Sebastian. What if something awkward came up?
It was about twenty minutes later when Elian wheeled Grandpa back over.
They didn't look tense or anything. If anything, they both seemed in good spirits. Must've had a decent talk.
Clarissa handed a cup of tea to her grandpa, curiosity getting the better of her. "So, what did you guys talk about?"
Grandpa caught the nervous look on her face and chuckled softly. "Just some family stuff. You got so jumpy-barely married and already guarding him like a treasure."
Clarissa shook her head quickly. "It's not that-it's just... I'm curious, that's all."
She then threw a glance at Elian. He merely smiled and gave a slight shake of his head-no, she didn't need to worry.
Soon the conversation shifted to other things. Like whether the two had liked each other all along or something deeper.
Elian chuckled and said, "Back then, I had a crush on Clarissa. Always thought I wasn't good enough. Luckily, I've made some progress now... and since she hadn't married yet, I guess I got lucky."
He played it just right-enough to make Grandpa believe they only got together after things ended with Sebastian. And it subtly implied that Sebastian didn't really treasure her. Even Clarissa had to admit-she wanted to applaud that response.
After another couple rounds of tea, Grandpa said he felt a bit tired and asked Elian to help him upstairs.
Clarissa sat downstairs, tidying up the tea set. She picked up her phone and noticed a few texts from unfamiliar numbers.
Just one glance and she already had a good guess-Aria again.
Lately a bunch of shady numbers kept texting her, usually with pictures of Aria and Sebastian all lovey-dovey. Obvious who was behind it.
Aria probably thought sending increasingly explicit photos would grab attention. This time was the boldest-full-on bedroom shots.
The two of them half-naked on the bed, bite marks and everything on full display. But honestly, Clarissa felt nothing anymore.
She just frowned and exited out of it. Not gonna waste her screen time on that.
Back when Sebastian flew overseas to see her, Aria used to do this too, and back then it stung. But now? Just felt like spammy pop-ups.
Without flinching, she shut the notification.
Right when she'd finished cleaning up, Elian came downstairs. He was holding a document folder in one hand.
Before she could even ask, he said, "Ready to go? Grandpa's asleep now."
Clarissa gave a small nod. She'd wanted to say something but held it back-if he wanted to share, he would.
As they left, Elian still held her hand. Once in the car, Clarissa buckled up. Her fair skin almost glowed under the sunlight streaming through the window, her fingers light pink around the joints.
She parted her rosy lips and turned to look at him. He wasn't driving yet-just leaning back in his seat, a shadow over his expression.
"Elian..."Her soft voice called out gently.
