Chapter 6 Cracks In The Ice

• Weeks into her exile, Elara began digging.
• She spent long nights in the quiet study of her father’s mansion, surrounded by encrypted files and private investigators’ reports. The official conclusion — a tragic accident caused by wet roads and high speed — no longer satisfied her.
• Something was wrong.
• The brakes on Damien’s Aston Martin had been tampered with. Security footage from the coastal road showed a black SUV lingering near the accident site minutes before the crash. And the mysterious man from the funeral? He had been seen near Damien’s office the week before his death.
• Elara’s jaw tightened as she reviewed the evidence. The Ice Queen was no longer content to rule from afar. She wanted blood.
• Flashback – Seven Months Ago
• Damien had locked her in the penthouse again.
• “You were smiling at him,” he had growled, pacing like a caged animal. “No one else gets to see that smile. It’s mine.”
• She had tried to reason with him, but he pulled her into his arms instead, his touch shifting from possessive to desperate. “I’m sorry… I just love you too much. I can’t lose you, Elara. You’re the only thing keeping me sane.”
• Later that night, he had held her as if she were the most precious thing in the world, whispering promises of protection and forever. His love was a double-edged blade — sharp enough to cut, warm enough to burn.
• Back in the present, Elara closed the laptop, her fingers lingering on Damien’s ring. The contradictions tore at her. The man who had once locked her away to keep her safe was now gone — possibly murdered.
• A soft knock sounded at the study door.
• Kael stood in the doorway, holding two cups of coffee. His presence was calm, almost intrusive in its steadiness.
• “You’ve been in here for hours,” he said quietly. “Thought you might need this.”
• Elara’s walls slammed back up. “I didn’t ask for company.”
• “I know.” He set one cup on the desk anyway. “But you don’t have to do everything alone.”
• She stared at him, cold and unyielding. “I prefer it that way.”
• Kael didn’t push. He simply nodded and left the room as silently as he had entered.
• Elara looked back at the files, the cracks in her ice widening just a fraction.
• The truth was coming closer.
• And when she found it, nothing would stop her from making someone pay.