REBIRTH : Chasing The Limelight

Chapter 180: It’s Grandpa.

"Explain this... Elara. Then you can leave."

Elara had wondered what he meant by that.

How was that something meant for her to figure out? She should have been the angry one. He was the one constantly pulling stunts like this. It was his body, not hers. Why would she be the one explaining anything for him?

He had pressed too much closer then, and Elara wasn’t sure what he might have done if she hadn’t suddenly yelped from pain. The moment the sound left her lips, Adrian stepped back immediately. His hand left her waist at once and without another word, he turned and started walking away.

Not having much choice, Elara followed after him. After all he had brought her there. He would surely take her back.

He didn’t say a single word throughout the drive. His face remained calm, almost unreadable. Only the tight grip he kept on the steering wheel made her wonder what someone like him could possibly be holding back.

After parking in front of her apartment building, Elara immediately reached for the door but before she could open it, Adrian suddenly stretched out a hand and grabbed her shoulder.

She had expected him to lean closer and do a little thing a the other. Instead, he simply held out the phone bag toward her.

Ah. She had almost forgotten about it.

Already too used to accepting his strange acts of ’goodwill’, she took it from him and turned back toward the door. Just as she reached for the handle again, his hand suddenly shot out. Before she could react, he pulled her back until her side was trapped against his arm and the seat.

His eyes locked onto hers, then it lowered briefly to her lips. Before Elara could process what he was about to do, his fingers tightened a bit around her jaw and he lowered his head.

The kiss came without warning. His hand slid behind her head holding her still while the other grabbed firmly at her thigh.

Elara forgot to move. Or maybe she simply couldn’t. Maybe she was too shocked. Maybe pulling away felt far more difficult than it should have.

When he finally pulled back, his expression looked no different from before. "Leave," he said calmly, his gaze returning to the road ahead.

Elara stared at him for a long second before finally opening the door and stepping out. Just as she reached the pavement, his voice sounded again.

"The hall will still be there."

She paused in her steps, but she didn’t look back to take another glance at him.

"Whether you come back or not." He added in a final tone.

Strangely enough, after stepping out of that car, she never saw him again. Not for a very long time. And somehow, that became stranger than all the confusing attentions he had been giving her before.

That same day, while she was sitting in the living room helping Ziva work out a knot in her shoulder, she received a call from a man claiming to be the manager of Anvis Gunn.

Of course, Elara knew who Anvis Gunn was. Everyone did. He wasn’t simply another successful singer Aurelia had produced. He was one of the biggest names in the industry, a man who had spent years at the top and broken countless records along the way.

Naturally, she had been shocked and thrilled.

"Mr Gunn recently heard your release with Carris Riole," the manager had said. "He was very impressed and would like to discuss a collaboration with you."

Looking back now, it felt as though that collaboration had opened a door. Or perhaps the song with Carris had done it first. Either way, everything exploded at once.

The collaboration with Gunn performed beyond expectations. Just like Anemoia had.

One opportunity led to another. Endorsement offers arrived from every direction. Luxury brands reached out. Invitations began appearing constantly. At one point, she was even invited to attend a charity event in Burou, a city not too far from Crelou.

Maybe she could have visited him then. Maybe she should have. But how could she. No one had told her what was happening. She had foolishly believed everything was fine.

The day she finally learned the truth had started like any other. She had been sitting in a private lounge with Carris and Ziva after returning from an outing with Mira and her friends.

Even now, thinking about them made something warm settle in her chest. Those students were people she never felt she deserved. No matter how many scandals appeared and no matter how many ugly rumors spread online. They continued supporting and believing in her.

The food Carris had ordered hadn’t even arrived yet when her phone suddenly rang. It was an unknown number.

Recently, she had been getting far too many of those. Most of them belonged to reporters who had somehow managed to get hold of her contact information in one way or the other.

Seeing that she had no intention of answering, Carris stretched out a hand and picked up the phone first. "Congratulations. You’ve successfully reached the busiest celebrity in Aurelia." He said in a deep teasing voice as he glanced toward Elara with a grin. But the grin didn’t last long on his face.

A few seconds later, his expression changed. "This doesn’t sound like a reporter." He mouthed while extending the phone toward her.

Elara sighed and accepted it before bringing it to her ear. "Hello?" She said in a calm tone.

At first, there were no sound from the other end. Then a soft voice spoke up. "Elara."

Her brows immediately drew together in surprise.

"Mom... Auntie?" She exclaimed.

It was Zia’s mom. She rarely called her. In fact, Elara was sure the number of times the woman had called her could be counted on one hand.

She did have her number saved, but it wasn’t on this phone. It was on the old one she had used before Adrian bought her a new one. Elara had always been strange about things like that. Most of the contacts she saved stayed on her phone instead of being backed up anywhere else. When she changed devices, she usually forgot to transfer half of them.

A strange uneasiness slowly crept into her chest when Zia’s mother remained silent for several seconds. Immediately, her mind started running through possibilities. Her worst habits always appeared at times like this.

Overthinking.

"Did something happen to Zia?" she blurted out without thinking.

There was no reply. The silence on the other end only made her heart sink further.

Then finally, the woman spoke up. "It’s Grandpa."

Elara went quiet, her face becoming dangerously calm.

"You need to come to the hospital at Lorien." She continued. "The same one he went to when his illness first started."