Chapter 43: You are no longer my husband.
Elena thought she had heard wrong. She opened and closed her mouth, unable to form a single word.
"Excuse me, sir." Tessa stepped forward. "Are you mistaken? Are you sure this is meant for her?"
The man glanced at her but didn’t reply to her. Instead, he extended the velvet box toward Elena. "Miss Elena. Please accept the gift from my boss."
Tessa’s eyes widened with disbelief. She had initially thought the man might have mistaken Elena for someone else. But it turned out that the necklace was actually meant for Elena.
Noah stepped forward, his expression ugly. "What is going on?" he asked coldly. "Why would your boss give her a gift?"
The man met his gaze calmly. "That’s my boss’s decision. He believes this necklace deserves no one but Miss Elena."
"What?" Noah’s jaw flexed with restrained anger. He wanted to question further, but Tessa tugged at his arm and stopped him.
"Calm down, Noah," she whispered urgently. "We can’t offend Mr. Rowan. We can talk to Elena later in private."
Noah listened to her advice and forced himself to swallow his frustration. He was trying to secure a meeting with Novacrest Global. Provoking Mr. Rowan now would be foolish.
Still, uneasiness churned inside him as he watched Elena accept the jewelry box.
His fingers curled inward as he struggled to contain himself. He couldn’t stop thinking about why a mysterious, powerful man like Mr. Rowan would be interested in Elean.
The surrounding guests were equally shocked.
"Did Mr. Rowan really give her the necklace? Who is she?"
"She must be someone important. She might have some secret connections to the Rowan family."
The speculations went high.
"She is incredibly lucky."
The women looked at Elena with envy, while the men were curious about her.
Under the countless eyes following her, Elena accepted the box. She was still confused. And the whispers around her only made her uncomfortable.
Once again, the same question surfaced in her mind. Could Elias actually be the heir of the Rowan family?
As the man walked away, Tessa stepped in closer immediately.
"Wow, Elena." She laughed mockingly. "I didn’t know you had already found a sugar daddy. And not just anyone—the richest man in the world."
"Stop spreading lies," Elena hissed. "I have never seen that man." A dangerous look flashed across her face.
"Really? Then why would he give you that necklace worth more than half a billion?"
"I don’t know..."
Before Elena could explain anything, Noah grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the auction house.
"Noah..." Tessa called after him, but he ignored her.
Under countless curious gazes, he pulled Elena all the way outside.
Tessa stood completely still, her fingers flexing once before curling into fists.
"Let go of me," Elena grunted, struggling against his grip.
Noah didn’t stop until they reached the parking area. He spun around and pinned a sharp glare at her.
"What is going on between you and Mr. Rowan?" he growled. "How do you know him?"
Elena shook her head. "I don’t know him. I’ve never met him before."
"Is that so?" he sneered. "How long are you going to lie? That man is obviously interested in you. Or why would he give you such an expensive necklace?"
Elena snorted. She knew he wouldn’t believe her. And honestly, she was done explaining things to him.
"So what if he is interested in me? Why should that concern you?"
Those words were enough to drive him mad. He held her chin tightly, his eyes blazing.
"I am your husband," he hissed. "And another guy is giving my wife expensive jewelry. Do you think it’s normal?"
Pain shot through Elena’s chin. She tried to pry his hand away, but his grip tightened further.
"Let go of her." A deep voice boomed.
Noah instantly looked up and saw a tall figure striding over. His eyes narrowed, his grip loosening.
Relief flooded inside Elena’s heart. Finally, Elias had come.
"Who the hell are you?" Noah barked. "Stay out of it. This is between my wife and me."
"Your wife?" Elias raised an eyebrow. He then flicked his gaze to Elena. "Is he your husband?"
Elena shook her head. "No. He is not."
She pushed Noah away and ran toward Elias. "What took you so long? I have been waiting for you."
Elias smiled sweetly. "I’m sorry. It won’t happen again."
Noah’s face was a mask of fury.
"What the hell?" he shouted in a frenzy. "I am still standing here, and you are flirting with another guy. How shameless have you grown?"
"Shameless?" Elena snapped. "What should I be ashamed of?"
"Mr. Sinclair," Elias started calmly, "when you were busy spoiling another woman and spending fortunes on her, you never thought about Elena’s feelings. Now you suddenly remembered about her the moment a rich guy gave her an expensive gift that you couldn’t afford."
"You..." Noah pointed a finger at him, his gaze full of warning. "Who do you think you are to judge me?"
Elias stepped forward, leveling the glare. Any trace of emotion vanished from his face. "What do you think?"
The air instantly became tense.
The two men stood face-to-face. Neither of them was willing to back down.
Elena sensed the situation between the two men would turn ugly at any minute. She didn’t want them to engage in a fight.
"Enough." She stepped in and pushed them apart. Her sharp glare then turned to Noah.
"Seriously, Noah. You haven’t checked yet what I left for you?"
Noah went deadly still.
"Go and open that box first. Stop bothering me."
She shoved him backward.
Noah staggered. His mind immediately drifted to the gift Elena had prepared for him. He had never opened it. And later, he had forgotten about it.
He snorted. "So that’s what this is about?"
A mocking laugh escaped his mouth. "Come on, Elena... Stop being childish. I have been busy these days. I didn’t get time to check it. But finding another man to piss me off? That’s not funny."
He reached out and grabbed her arm. "Come with me. We are going home."
Before he could pull her away, Elias’s hand clamped down on his wrist.
"She is not going anywhere." His face became as hard as stone.
Noah’s nostrils flared. The next moment, he swung his fist at Elias and punched him right on the face.
Elias staggered back, blood spilling down his nose instantly.
"Elias!" Elena screamed and rushed toward him. "Oh, my God, you are bleeding." Panic filled her eyes.
Noah stood there in a stunned silence, watching her care for another man.
The concern that had once belonged solely to him was now directed at another man.
A sharp pain pierced his chest.
Elena’s hands trembled as she cupped his face. "Let’s go to the hospital."
Elias smiled, warmth spreading across his heart. The pain seemed to vanish instantly. If getting punched meant receiving this much concern from her, it almost felt worth it.
"Don’t worry. It’s nothing."
"Nothing? You are bleeding like this, and you pretend that nothing has happened."
Noah’s blood boiled.
"Elena," he roared. "I am your husband. And you are worrying about another guy?"
Elena turned to him, her gaze turning glacial. "You are no longer my husband."