?Chapter 195:


    But Elliana didn’t. Her spine held steady, her expression calm, though it still made her ufortable. After a few moments of that silent interrogation, she finally broke the tension. “Why are you looking at me like that?”


    Merlin didn’t bother cloaking his tone. “Shouldn’t you be exining something?”


    She arched a brow, cool andposed. “About what, exactly?”


    He let out a mirthless chuckle. “During the yacht incident, you singlehandedly defeated everyone around. Don’t you think you owe us an exnation for how you have such formidable skills? Who are you, Elliana? And why the hell are you pretending to be a nobody?”


    The air inside the cabin thickened with silence.


    Merlin’s usation hadnded like a thunderp, drawing everyone’s attention. Back at the Royal Club, they’d watched her handle a few thugs and rappel down from the seventeenth floor—impressive, but still within the realm of possibility. This? This was something else entirely. One woman bringing down an entire crew aboard a yacht? That wasn’t bravery. That was tactical precision. A woman like that—skilled, secretive, and hiding in in sight—posed an unspoken threat. Especially to someone like Cole.


    Merlin’s interrogation wasn’t personal but driven by his concern for Cole. And the grim expressions on An’s and Manley’s faces made it clear they shared his concerns.


    Now, all eyes were on Elliana. But she didn’t respond. Instead, she turned her head and looked at Cole, whose opinion mattered most to her in that moment. What did he think of all this?


    Elliana didn’t hold Merlin’s skepticism against him. Being one of Cole’s closest allies, it made perfect sense that he’d step in to scrutinize anyone who got close. Loyalty like that was rare—Cole was lucky to have someone who didn’t sugarcoat the truth.


    Still, Elliana had no ns to clear things up. Her personal life wasn’t up for discussion, especially not in a room full of people she didn’t trust. At first, Cole’s judgment hadn’t mattered to her. But when he called her “the one I treasure most,” something shifted—his words lingered, tugging at her emotions.


    The moment Merlin unleashed his rapid-fire questions, Cole slowly pulled his arm away from Elliana’s waist. When she nced at him, the warmth that once lived on his face had vanished, reced by something distant and cold. He looked like a man who’d suddenly been forced to reevaluate everything.


    ?????????? ???????????? ????: ??????????ν?????????????


    A bitterugh echoed inside Elliana’s mind. Even Cole—who had stood between her and danger—was beginning to question who she really was. He might even believe she’d forged that strange marriage certificate herself, ying a long game with hidden motives. Love, she realized, was far more fragile than it seemed.


    She no longer doubted that Cole had feelings for her. Someone who threw himself in harm’s way without hesitation wasn’t indifferent. But emotions alone couldn’t override caution—not for a man like Cole. If she ever became a threat in his eyes, he wouldn’t hesitate. Whatever tenderness he felt could be extinguished in a heartbeat. That was the kind of man he was—capable of choosing logic over sentiment when it counted. And she’d never been naive enough to think he’d bend too far for her.


    Merlin’s barrage of pointed questions cast a heavy silence over the room. Every gaze turned toward Elliana, waiting for her response.


    .


    .


    .