Chapter Two
Elowen’s POV
I walked over to him.
“Mr. Whitmore, what are you doing here? Are you here to laugh at me?”
“I came to see just how blind Preston really is.”
He stood, all six foot three of him towering over me, his warm breath brushing my forehead.
“Ellie, I told you before. He was never good enough for you.”
I suddenly smiled, grabbed his tie, and pulled him closer.
“Grayson, don’t you need a wife to keep your family off your back?” I tilted my head and gave him my sweetest smile. “Since Preston won’t marry me, why don’t you?”
Grayson caught my wrist, his voice low and rough.
“Ellie, do you realize who you’re talking to?”
“What’s wrong? Afraid you can’t handle it, Mr. Whitmore?”
I easily slipped out of his grasp, perched on the edge of the table behind him, and swung my legs.
Grayson took a deep breath, fighting to keep his voice steady.
“Ellie, marriage isn’t a game. Preston just dumped you. Are you using me to get back at him?”
“Get back at him? Over that piece of trash?” I laughed softly. “Mr. Whitmore, if I’m going to keep playing this game, I need someone powerful in my corner. You need a wife to get your family off your back, and I need protection. We both get what we want. Isn’t that a fair trade?”
Grayson stared at me.
After a long silence, he gave a cold laugh, gripped my chin, and tilted my face up toward his.
“Fine. I’ll marry you. But if you’re going to be Mrs. Whitmore, shouldn’t you do something about this face? I can’t have people laughing at my wife.”
He obviously cared, but he still had to pretend he didn’t.
This human man was more interesting than I had expected.
To explain how we had ended up here, I had to go back three months.
I had just arrived in the human world and didn’t even understand traffic lights yet when I found Grayson cornered by a group of men in a dark Brooklyn alley.
He was covered in blood and leaning against a wall. I had no intention of getting involved, but the men made the mistake of coming after me too.
Three minutes later, they were all lying on the ground.
The first thing Grayson said was, “I want to hire you as my bodyguard. Name your price.”
I needed a place to stay, so I agreed.
For the next three months, he complained that I ate too much, dressed badly, and had a face he couldn’t stand looking at. But every time I tried to quit, he would scowl and refuse.
Later, while handling a job for him, I happened to save his best friend, Preston.
Preston held my hand and told me that he didn’t care what I looked like. He said he would marry me and give me a home.
I believed a human’s promise, only for him to abandon me in front of everyone the moment his first love returned.
“As you wish.”
I raised my right hand and gently traced my fingertips across my cheek. A pale green light shimmered at my fingertips.
As the light moved across my face, the brown freckles vanished as if they had been washed away. My dull, rough complexion faded, revealing smooth, luminous skin.
My real features returned: clear, lively eyes, a straight, slightly upturned nose, and naturally red lips.
When the last trace of my disguise disappeared, I raised my eyes to Grayson.
His usually cold eyes were filled with shock. He stopped breathing for half a second, and his throat moved as he swallowed.
“You... You’re a witch?”
“Now isn’t the time to explain.” I blinked at him. “Let me introduce myself properly. My name is Elowen, but here in the human world, you can keep calling me Ellie. So, Mr. Whitmore, is this face presentable enough for you?”
Grayson came back to his senses, quickly pulled his hand away, and turned to straighten his tie.
“Barely acceptable.”
His voice was still cold, but I could hear his heart pounding clearly.
“Tomorrow morning at eight. Bring your ID and meet me outside the City Clerk’s Office. If you’re even one minute late, the deal is off.”
With that, he strode out of the lounge. From the way he hurried off, he almost looked like he was fleeing.
I couldn’t help laughing.
The next morning, I had just finished getting ready when the phone on my nightstand buzzed.
Preston’s name lit up the screen.
I raised an eyebrow and answered.
Preston spoke as soon as I answered.
“Ellie, Brielle feels terrible about what happened last night. She cried all night and insisted that I call you to apologize.”
