All Chapters of Claimed By My Ex’s Rival: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

ELYRA.The moment the IRS official introduced himself, I naturally became suspicious. Nothing about this week had been normal, and at this point, I no longer believed in coincidences.Still, I kept my expression calm as my eyes moved from him to a puzzled-looking Jane, then back to him. My mind raced as I continued to stare silently.What could I have done to warrant an IRS questioning?The whole thing smelled wrong. But then I remembered Radiel’s words from the previous day.“When you feel cornered, don’t panic immediately. Listen first. Watch carefully.”At the time, I thought he was simply trying to be protective. Now, I realized he may have sensed something coming.So instead of reacting emotionally, I forced myself to stay composed.Deep down, I already had a guess that someone was trying to cause trouble for me. There were only a few people desperate enough to stoop that low.Nick. Or Star.Honestly, I could picture both of them sitting somewhere and smiling proudly while tryin

NICKI had barely stepped out of the elevator when my secretary fell into step beside me, moving quickly to keep up.“Good morning, sir,” she greeted politely as she took my bag from my hand with the ease of someone who had done it a hundred times.“Morning,” I replied without slowing down.The polished floors of the company building reflected the morning light pouring in through the tall windows, and employees immediately straightened when they noticed me walking past. Some greeted me nervously while others quickly lowered their heads and returned to whatever they had been pretending to do before I arrived.As always. Fear worked better than respect. People behaved properly when they feared losing something—their jobs, status or comfort.My secretary opened her tablet and immediately began the morning briefing while we walked toward my office.“You have a strategy meeting at ten with the board regarding the expansion proposal,” she said smoothly. “At eleven thirty, there’s a schedule

ELYRAI gripped the steering wheel so tightly that my fingers hurt.This had to be a lie.It simply had to be.My mother’s voice still echoed inside my head, sharp and painful, refusing to leave me alone.“Your father’s condition wasn’t just bad luck.” she said. “He also had a hand in everything.”The words replayed over and over until they became unbearable.“No…” I whispered to myself, shaking my head as I sped through traffic. “No, that can’t be true.”But the worst part was not knowing. The worst part was the tiny voice inside me that had already begun to believe it.I felt sick. Ashamed. Angry.Mostly angry at myself.Because if my mother was right, then I had been living in the same house with the man connected to my father’s suffering.Sleeping under the same roof.Caring for him.And even currently, I was beginning to soften a bit for him, especially since he got into the accident.The thought made my stomach twist violently.I pressed harder on the accelerator.Cars honked as

ELYRAI did not go to my room when I got back.I could not.The moment I stepped into the mansion, the silence hit me too hard, too suddenly, and something inside me refused to sit alone in a bedroom with my thoughts waiting like hungry animals.Instead, I walked straight to the kitchen.The lights were dim, soft enough to make everything feel strangely unreal. The polished counters reflected little streaks of gold from the overhead lamps, and the massive space felt emptier than usual.I moved toward the fridge without thinking, grabbed a bottle of water, and poured myself a glass. The sound of water hitting glass seemed louder than it should have been.Everything seemed louder in silence.I leaned against the counter and drank slowly.The mansion was quiet—too quiet—and I hated it.Because quiet meant my brain had permission to replay everything from the hospital on a loop, and unfortunately, my brain was taking that permission very seriously.I stared down at the glass in my hand, a

ELYRAI didn’t leave the studio until past midnight.By the time I finally shut my laptop and walked out of my office, the building had gone completely quiet. Everyone else had left hours ago. The hallway lights had dimmed automatically, casting long shadows against the walls as though the place itself had decided it was time to rest.But my mind had refused to rest.The entire evening had been swallowed by work, designs, and the heavy thoughts I kept trying to outrun.Unfortunately, none of it worked, because no matter how much I distracted myself, the memory of the man who had walked into my office earlier refused to leave my head.His face, his calm voice, the warning… they all stayed there like a stain I couldn’t scrub away.Outside, the night air hit me immediately as I stepped into the parking lot. The city had quieted down, though not completely. Somewhere in the distance, I could still hear the faint sound of moving traffic.I unlocked my car and slid inside, and I started the