From Substitute To Queen Chapter 184

I instinctively tugged at the shirt's hem, but the movement only made the situation more obviously intimate.

Peter's gaze involuntarily swept over my bare legs before he jerked his eyes away, face burning red.

"I... uh... we..." Peter stammered helplessly.

Hearing the commotion at the door, Caelan appeared quickly. He grabbed a thick robe from the closet and draped it around my shoulders.

"Cover up," he said firmly.

Then he pulled me half behind him with one arm around my shoulders, his eyes flashing dangerously as he stared down Peter.

"Seen enough?"

Peter frantically averted his gaze. "Sorry, I didn't mean to—"

Elena immediately slipped into character.

She took a deep breath, her expression transforming from shock to hurt and anger.

Tears instantly pooled in her eyes, her voice beginning to tremble.

"Caelan... is this why you didn't return my messages last night?"

Her hand rose to point accusingly at me. "You've been sneaking around with this woman behind my back!"

"We just made our relationship official, and you're already cheating?" Her voice climbed higher.

"I was worried sick last night thinking something had happened to you..."

She choked back fake sobs. "I'm such an idiot for thinking you really cared about me."

Elena turned toward me, her eyes blazing with manufactured fury. "You knew he had a girlfriend. Why would you seduce him?"

"Is this appropriate? Stealing someone else's boyfriend – is that something to be proud of?"

"Or have you two been having an affair all along, and I was just the replacement?"

Elena's performance was flawless. She let tears gather in her eyes without letting them fall, her body trembling with apparent betrayal. She dabbed at her eyes periodically with the back of her hand.

Caelan tried to speak. "Elena, it's not like that—"

I raised my hand to stop him. "Let her finish."

I crossed my arms and leaned against the doorframe, a sly smile playing at my lips.

My eyes sparkled with amusement as I watched her performance, completely unfazed by her accusations.

I even nodded occasionally, as if I was rating her acting skills.

"Please, continue. I think you're doing great," I said with eerily calm composure.

Elena's performance began to falter as my reaction threw her completely off script.

"You... why are you so calm? Don't you feel any shame?" she demanded.

Instead of answering, I stepped forward and wrapped Elena in a warm, genuine hug.

Elena's body went rigid instantly. She hadn't anticipated this response at all.

"Thank you, Elena," I whispered in her ear.

"Thank you for working so hard to act all this time."

"Thank you for helping Caelan protect me."

Elena's entire frame went stiff as her deception crumbled.

But Elena, being Elena, quickly recovered from her shock.

"Well, since I've been caught..." She suddenly tightened her embrace.

Her hands began wandering inappropriately to my waist. "I guess I don't have to pretend anymore."

"You're just too irresistible, Sable." Elena tried to kiss my cheek. "Can I get a reward for my excellent performance?"

Caelan's face darkened like a thundercloud.

He stormed forward and roughly pulled Elena away from me.

"Elena!" His voice carried a clear warning.

He yanked me completely behind him. "I warned you to control your thoughts."

Elena stuck her tongue out playfully after being separated. "I was just asking for a thank-you hug!"

"Besides, Sable smells so good – what's wrong with one little hug?"

My face burned red to the tips of my ears. "Elena, you..."

Caelan's eyes turned dangerous. "Stay away from her, Elena."

Peter immediately collapsed against the doorframe in relief.

"Thank God! I finally don't have to keep this damn secret anymore!"

He dramatically clutched his chest. "Do you know how miserable I've been this whole time?"

"Every time I saw Sable, I wanted to blurt out 'Actually, Elena is fake,' but Caelan would give me that death stare."

He imitated Caelan's threatening expression, squinting menacingly. "Peter, say one word and see what happens."

"At that gathering with Scarlett, I almost spilled everything!"

"I opened my mouth to say 'Actually, the truth is' and then got that murder glare..." He made a throat-slitting gesture. "I thought I was about to meet my maker."

"Elena, you have no idea – I had to practice in my sleep how to act natural!"

"I even rehearsed in front of the mirror how to look convincingly clueless."

"This bastard Caelan threatened to banish me to the Arctic if I leaked the secret."

Elena covered her mouth, giggling. "Peter, your acting wasn't bad at all."

I patted Peter's shoulder sympathetically. "You really suffered, Peter."

Caelan snorted coldly. "Now you understand the importance of keeping secrets?"

Peter tentatively broached the subject.

"So... you two really got back together?" He worked hard to process the information overload.

"Can we come in and sit for a bit?" He tried to peer inside.

"I mean, since we're all friends, we could chat..."

Elena nodded along. "Yeah, I want to hear how you two reunited."

Peter's expression grew serious. "Actually, we're worried about you, Caelan."

"We heard about Marcus... we know you're going through a tough time."

"As friends, we want to make sure you're emotionally stable."

Elena chimed in. "Right, we're concerned you might do something reckless."

Caelan's eyes instantly turned ice-cold.

"Thanks for the concern, but it's unnecessary."

One arm pulled me closer while the other moved toward the door. "We don't need visitors."

"Peter, Elena, sorry, but please leave. Sable and I need private time."

Peter tried to persist. "But Caelan, we're genuinely worried—"

"I said no." Caelan cut him off, his voice leaving no room for negotiation.

He began closing the door. Elena quickly stuck her foot in the gap. "Wait!"

Caelan ruthlessly pushed Elena's foot away. "Please don't disturb our time together."

He slammed the door shut with a decisive bang, leaving Peter and Elena staring at each other in the hallway.

The sound of multiple locks clicking into place echoed through the door.

**Outside in the hallway:**

Peter scratched his head. "I think we just got dismissed."

Elena shrugged. "Normal reaction. If it were me, I wouldn't want to be interrupted either."

"Come on, looks like they really are back together."

After Caelan locked the door behind our unexpected visitors, he turned to me with a smile.

"Now, where were we?" His eyes traced the line of my bare legs beneath his robe.

"I believe someone mentioned they were hungry," I said, pulling the robe tighter around myself.