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Home / Romance / Claimed By My Ex’s Rival / Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

All Chapters of Claimed By My Ex’s Rival: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

93 Chapters

Chapter 31

ELYRA.The last few weeks had passed like a blur. Every morning, I woke up before the sun fully rose, my head already filled with designs, colors, fabrics, and measurements. I barely had time to breathe, but I didn’t mind. For the first time in a long while, I felt like I was moving forward.Right now, the mini display was just two days away.I stood in the middle of my small studio and slowly turned around, taking in everything. The mannequins were dressed in my latest pieces. The soft gold drapes I had ordered hung neatly against the wall. The printed banners with my brand name were stacked at the corner, waiting to be mounted.I let out a small breath, my lips curving into a smile.Over twenty-five people had placed orders in the past month. Twenty-five. It might not sound like much to some people, but to me, it was everything. It meant growth. It meant progress. It meant I wasn’t wasting my time.And the promotional video…I picked up my phone from the table and opened my social m

Chapter 32

RADIEL. I had only planned to stop by for a few minutes.I had an event to attend in less than two hours—a charity dinner filled with men who walked the corridorsof affluence. I had planned on attending alone, but then I changed my mind. I needed Elyra to come with me. She had the poise for it, the quiet elegance that made people curious without trying too hard. So I thought I would pick her up myself.That was it.But the moment I stepped into the studio and saw the scene unfolding right in front of me, every plan I had vanished.Another woman had just slapped her while she stood still, shock in her eyes.For a second, I froze. Then something inside me snapped.“What the hell…” I muttered, already striding forward.By the time she raised her hand to deliver a second slap, I gripped her arm mid-air. Everyone froze.“How dare you?” I demanded, my voice low but shaking with fury.The woman turned slowly to look at me, her lips curling.“And who are you?” she asked, as if I were a minor

Chapter 33

Elyra’s POVI could still feel the sting on my cheek. It wasn’t just the slap. It was the shock of it. The disbelief.She had actually slapped me.For a few seconds after it happened, I just stood there, staring at her as if she had grown two heads. I mean, I had always known she never liked me, but I had never expected her to be that bold, never expected that she could show just how much she hated me.And before I could even react properly, Radiel had stepped in.He grabbed her wrist mid-air when she tried to swing again and pulled her back with firm control. Not rough. Just steady. Protective.“Enough,” he had said, his voice low but sharp.The room had gone silent. Even my secretary had frozen behind her desk.For a moment, I had looked at him differently. Not as the arrogant, annoying man I had labeled him to be. But as someone dependable. Someone who would step in when things got ugly.And right there after she had left, in that strange quiet moment, I had felt… grateful.So I sa

Chapter 34

ELYRA.The day of the event arrived faster than I expected.I leaned closer to the mirror and lightly padded my cheeks, studying my reflection carefully.Since the day Radiel had come to the studio, something about him had changed. I noticed it slowly over the next few days. At first, I tried to ignore it, thinking maybe I was imagining things. But he had definitely become… more normal.I paused and frowned at my own reflection.“That’s not the right word,” I muttered to myself.It wasn’t like he had been abnormal before. Radiel had always been confident, sharp-tongued, and annoyingly calm. The real problem was that he had this bullying streak in him. He seemed to enjoy challenging me. Sometimes it felt like he woke up in the morning thinking of new ways to annoy me.But lately, that had eased, a little. I emphasized the little in my mind because I didn’t want to fool myself into thinking he had suddenly become a kinder person.No. Radiel was still Radiel.I finished my makeup and ste

Chapter 35

ELYRA.The moment I stepped inside the hall, I realized my earlier guess had been completely right.This wasn’t just some normal event. It was the kind of place where everything screamed elegance.Soft golden lights hung from the high ceiling, glowing like tiny suns. The floor beneath my feet shone so brightly I could almost see my reflection in it. Tall round tables were spread across the room, covered in white silk cloth and decorated with fresh flowers that smelled faintly sweet.And then, the people.Everyone looked like they had stepped out of a fashion magazine. Men wore sharp suits in dark colors—black, navy, charcoal gray.. The women looked just as stunning in long flowing gowns, some sparkling with tiny crystals, others simple but elegant.I looked down at myself.My dress was beautiful. I knew it was. But suddenly, standing here among all these people, I felt small. Out of place.My fingers tightened slightly around my clutch. I could feel my shoulders stiffening as the quie

Chapter 36

ELYRA.The rays of the morning sun streamed through the thin curtains in bright, stubborn rays, landing directly on my face like it had a personal grudge against me. I groaned and rolled over, burying my face in the pillow.For a few seconds, my mind floated in that lazy space between sleep and waking. Then suddenly, everything rushed back.My eyes flew open.“Wait—!”Today was the D-day of my mini fashion gala. I shot upright so fast my head spun. My phone was lying on the bedside table, vibrating again just as I grabbed it. The screen lit up with ten missed calls from Jane, my personal assistant.“Oh no, no, no…” I muttered, quickly calling her back.She picked up on the first ring.“Elyra! Finally!” Jane's voice burst through the phone, a mixture of panic and relief. “Where are you? The press is already here and some of the guests have started arriving!”“I’m awake!” I said quickly, scrambling out of bed. “I’m getting ready right now. I’ll be there soon.”She was silent for a mome

Chapter 37

ELYRA.My phone buzzed lightly in my hand, and for a second, I almost ignored it. There was already too much going on around me—the chatter, the flashing lights, the reporter’s voice cutting through everything like a blade I couldn’t dodge. But something made me look.Star.My fingers tightened around the phone as I clicked on the message. “Did you like the gift I prepared for your mini display?”I felt my blood go cold.My eyes slowly lifted from the screen to the reporter standing just a few steps away, his microphone practically glued to my face as he bombarded my assistant with questions she clearly couldn’t handle anymore.And just like that, everything clicked.It was Star. Of course it was her.“Good Lord,” I muttered under my breath.Before I could even type a reply, my phone vibrated again—this time, a call. Same name. Same person.I answered without thinking. “What do you want, Star?”A soft laugh came through the line, calm and satisfied. “Oh, nothing much. Just checking i

Chapter 38

ELYRA.The moment the event finally ended, I let out a long breath I didn’t even realize I had been holding.My feet hurt, my head buzzed faintly from the noise, and my shoulders felt heavy—but beneath all that, there was a quiet, deep satisfaction sitting in my chest.It worked. Everything had worked.The lights, the guests, the timing, the presentations… even the small details I had stressed over for weeks had fallen into place like they were meant to. I stood at the edge of the now half-empty hall, watching as staff moved around clearing tables and packing equipment. The once loud, lively space had softened into something calmer, almost peaceful.“Ma’am!”I turned at the sound of my secretary’s voice. She was practically rushing toward me, her heels clicking quickly against the floor, her face glowing with excitement.“You need to see this,” she said, slightly out of breath, holding her tablet close like it was something precious.I raised a brow, tired but curious. “What is it?”“

Chapter 39

ELYRA.For the first time in weeks, I woke up the next morning without an alarm dragging me out of sleep. There was no rushing, no calls, no deadlines hanging over my head like a storm cloud. Everything felt just quiet.I stretched lazily on my bed, staring up at the ceiling with a small smile. The mini display I had worked so hard on was finally done. It had taken everything in me—long nights, aching hands, skipped meals—but it was worth it.Today, I wanted to give myself a break. Just one day.“One day won’t kill you,” I muttered to myself, rolling onto my side. “You deserve it.”Still, even as I tried to relax, my mind refused to completely shut down. It kept drifting back to the deals tied to those designs. They were really big deals—the kind that didn’t just pay bills but changed lives.I let out a soft laugh, hugging my pillow tighter.If everything went as planned, my revenue would hit numbers I had only dreamed about. Numbers I used to write down as wild goals, never quite bel

Chapter 40

RADIEL.I stood by the tall window of my London hotel room, staring out at the gray sky that seemed to stretch forever. The clouds hung low, heavy and dull, as if the sun had simply given up trying to shine here.Rain tapped softly against the glass.“Perfect,” I muttered dryly.Of all the cities in the world, London had to be the one place where the sky constantly looked like it was in a bad mood.I shoved my hands into the pockets of my trousers and turned away from the window. The room behind me was warm and polished, expensive in that quiet way luxury hotels often were. Soft carpets, neat furniture, the faint smell of coffee drifting from the small table near the couch.But the weather outside still managed to ruin the atmosphere.I sighed.Unfortunately, I still had a few more days to spend here before I could return home. A few years ago, that wouldn’t have bothered me in the slightest. In fact, the old me would have turned this trip into a small vacation.London had no shortage

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