Welcome To Hell, Dear Wife-Chapter 67: Different from Lucas

Chapter 67: Different from Lucas
Mira could not help stumbling away from the cottage as her whole body trembled. She could not believe what had just happened.
Heck, she could even still feel the sting of salt on her skin and taste its sharpness on her lips.
Her mind was a chaotic mess of the little boy’s crying and the women’s screaming faces too.
Her foot soon caught on an exposed tree root and she was pitching forward with her arms flailing, but just when she thought she’d hit the path, strong arms caught her under her arms.
The arms pulled her upright with ease, and she was immediately steadier on her feet as if she weighed nothing.
Elias’ concerned face was what filled her vision, and his expression this time was different from the playful and teasing one he had when he first came to meet her.
He had a serious expression this time. "Lorena? By the way, moon, what happened to you?" he asked in an urgent tone.
He left his arm resting on her shoulders as if not sure she was still standing properly.
"The woman... the cottage, they just... she just..." Mira’s words were not even able to form well as she was still choked with panic that had refused to fade.
"She came at me with... she had salt and the other had a broom and...."
She could not help the way her voice cracked on the last word.
Elias, however, seemed to understand as his eyes narrowed and his gaze snapped toward the cottage in front of them.
"Sienna?" he said, and the name came out flat, like it was expected and not at all surprising. "Oh, you should probably have been warned to steer clear of her. She’s cray cray like that. Come on, let’s get you away from here then."
He didn’t wait for her to agree or argue. He just gently guided her away from the cottage with his arm still around her shoulders.
They went down a different path, and this one was winding, bordered by tall hedges that blocked the cottage from view.
"They acted like..." Mira whispered as she was still trying to process what had just happened. "Like I was some sort of demon they needed to exorcise."
The humiliation was now dawning on her, no more fear.
Elias let out a low and disapproving sound almost like a growl.
"She’s just a bitter, hateful woman. Ask anyone around the estate, she has issues with almost everyone, I promise you that."
He looked down at her with his expression softening. "So don’t think you deserved that or anything. Whatever she said and did was too far, no matter what. You know what... just forget they exist and don’t go back there."
He led her down the path until they came to another house that she hadn’t seen before.
It was almost a little like Lucas’s mansion but way smaller and less oppressive. This one was very much modern, built of smooth stone and large panels of glass that let in natural light.
"That’s where I live," Elias said as he pushed the front door open. "You can consider it a safe zone ’cause there would be no salt throwing here, I promise you that."
The interior was warm and inviting in a way that made Mira’s heart ache. There were deep leather sofas that looked actually comfortable instead of decorative and towering bookshelves filled with books that looked like they’d actually been read.
He guided her to one of the sofas and disappeared into what she assumed was the kitchen, as she could hear cabinets opening and ice clinking against glass.
He returned with a tall glass beaded with condensation.
Orange juice.
"Here, drink this. Sugar helps with shock."
Mira only stared at the glass he was holding out to her as her mind went to dark places as usual.
She could not just trust anyone, and not Lucas’s cousin. She knew it was ironic because she had literally just drunk tea and eaten gingerbread without suspecting anything just moments ago.
But see how that turned out?
"I’m... I’m fine really," she said as she pushed the glass away slightly, even though her voice came out unconvincing.
Elias didn’t say a thing. He merely brought the glass to his own lips and took a long, deliberate swallow.
"See?" He gave her a small, reassuring smile. "It’s just juice."
That calmed her nerves as she accepted the glass with shaking hands and took a hesitant sip. The cold sweetness immediately flooded her mouth, washing away some of the lingering salt taste.
After drinking a lot more of the juice, she let out a shaky breath and looked down at herself. There was salt everywhere, and even her clothes were a bit dirty, while there was a little blood on her knee.
"I must look a mess right now."
Elias smiled. "Nah. You look like someone who just lost a fight with a salt shaker. It’s a very unique look, and since you’re Lorena Sanders, it’s giving avant-garde."
Despite everything, a genuine laugh escaped her. She noted how Elias was always able to get this out of her so easily.
"Is that what we’re calling it?"
"It’s all about branding, of course," he said with a casual shrug. "You didn’t get chased out of a cottage. You debuted a new lifestyle trend called ’distressed cottage chic.’ It could be in a magazine by next month."
He gestured to his living room. "And you can make yourself at home here. It’s a lot less... stabby than the main mansion, so the only thing that might attack you here is my mom’s questionable taste in throw pillows."
Mira sank deeper into the plush sofa. "It’s definitely warmer," she admitted as she looked around. "Lucas’s house feels like a museum where you’re not allowed to touch anything. Like everything might break if you breathe too hard."
"Tell me about it," Elias agreed as he dropped into the chair across from her. "I think he dusts his personality twice a week just to make sure no one gets too comfortable. It’s why I couldn’t bear staying there. There’s too much coldness there that you’d probably set off the security alarms just by laughing too loud."
"So you’re the rebellious cousin then?" Mira asked as she felt a small smile tug at her lips.
"Hmm... I prefer the fun one." He grinned. "Lucas is the brooding CEO while I’m the charming one. It’s the classic dynamic. He handles the empire while I handle the charisma."
His lightheartedness was like a balm to burned skin. "And what does handling the charisma involve exactly?"
"Mainly this," he said as he gestured to himself dramatically. "And remembering where the best takeout places are within a fifty-mile radius. It’s a sacred duty that someone has to perform, after all."
She noticed him glance at the bookshelf at the corner but only to laugh.
"Don’t worry about those books, they’re mostly for show. I look at the pictures sometimes, but that’s it. My intellectual range tops out at comic books and cooking recipes I’ll never actually try."
"Hmm... so a man of simple pleasures then..." she teased, feeling herself getting sucked more and more into his naturally funny self.
"The simplest," he confirmed with pride. "Good food, bad movies, and avoiding responsibility as much as possible. It’s a good life that you should try sometimes, you know. Way less stressful than... well, all that."
"I think I should probably try it, but I don’t know where to start from. Maybe if I get some mentorship?" Mira teased as she rested on the chair fully.
"Then your first task right now is to not move from that spot until you’ve completely forgotten what salt even tastes like. I’m an excellent distraction. It’s my superpower."
"Aw, but you really don’t have to do this, you know," she said, even though she was feeling grateful. "I can just go—"
"And miss the chance to annoy Lucas by harboring his fugitive wife?" Elias’s grin turned mischievous yet teasing. "This is the most fun I’ve had all month. Possibly all year."
He said it with so much grin that she couldn’t take offense. "So I’m your fun?"
"Everyone needs a hobby," he responded with a shrug.
She smiled back. "You’re... very kind. Which is unexpected to be honest."
"Oh, don’t sound so surprised. Not everyone in this place is a monster." He leaned back in his chair and looked at her like he was studying her with those shadowed eyes of his.
"Though, I have to ask, what possessed you to go near Sienna’s cottage in the first place?"
"I didn’t know it was whoever’s cottage," Mira retorted as she felt her usual fire returning. "A little boy found me in the woods and he was kind enough to invite me in for gingerbread. It started all normal. Sweet even."
"Ah, Leo," Elias said with his expression softening immediately. "He’s the only pure thing in that whole mess of a family. But you have to understand that around here, the only normal you’ll see is probably the setting on the washing machine. Nothing’s actually normal."
"I still don’t get a lot of things though, why so much hate like that?" Mira’s voice broke.
Elias looked away as if suddenly very interested in a pot on the wall.
"It’s... not exactly about you. Not really. It’s more of your name and your... you know?" He sighed. "They hear it and they don’t see you standing there, they see your father."
Mira opened her mouth to say something, but he was already changing the subject.
"Look, the point is that you’re safe here. This place is a sanctuary and my door is always open for you. Seriously, if Lucas’s cage gets too stuffy, if Lucas gets too... Lucas-y, the charming cousin’s couch is always available."
Mira smiled sweetly at him. "You’re so different from them," she murmured almost as if thinking out loud. "You’re so different from him too..."
"Who, Lucas?" Elias shrugged casually, even though a complex look flashed in his eyes. "He just carries the weight differently. It’s not easy being him after all. It’s not easy being the alpha."
The word landed in the quiet room like a stone dropping into still waters.
Alpha.
Mira looked up sharply with confusion.
"Alpha? About that, I’ve been wondering so badly." Her voice was hesitant and uncertain. "Why do some of you call him that? Is it like a... business thing? Or some title?"
Elias froze at her question.
All the warmth and playful energy that had made him so different from Lucas drained from his expression in an instant, only to be replaced by utter disbelief and genuine panic.
His mouth opened, closed, and then opened again.
"You..." He stared at her like she’d just spoken in a language he didn’t understand. "You don’t know?"