Trapped in Chain Love
Round out resolve

..."He should know his position. I haven't approved Julian's engagement to her, if Fiona's Julian's fiancee is not going to be either"...

...————...

"What was your previous job Elise?"

"I helped take care of my father's company as CEO"

Madam Julia nodded briefly. He answered Elise's words without looking at her.

"CEOS? That nice. Then you can help Julian in the company later,"

"Help what? Her father's company alone could go bankrupt, doesn't that prove Elise's ability is bad?"

Julian. The gaze that was still staring towards the food, was reluctant to see Elise's face.

"Julian!—"

Lucas snapped. His voice went up a few octaves. That's a disrespectful thing. Noise stared in surprise at his eldest brother, this was the first time he raised this voice when there was still their mother.

Julian shrugged his shoulders indifferently. From her face she seemed not to feel guilty at all, but her words were successful in making Elise even more lowered her face staring at the floor.

Angry, ashamed, and angry, all these feelings were mixed up in Elise.

Lucas could tell Elise was hurt by Julian's words, no, maybe he was holding back his anger trying not to blow his emotions there.

"I'm just saying the facts" Julian answered flatly.

Lucas took a long breath. Inexhaustible with the behavior of his mother and sister who continue to offend Elise, even it seems they do not intend to apologize to the girl.

Feeling bad, Lucas apologizes to him.

"Elise, please forgive them—"

Kreett—

The sound of the chair squeaking with the floor made the silent atmosphere even colder. Lucas looked at Elise unwell, while Elise stood up from her seat.

"I'm going to the room. Thank you for the food" said Elise briefly.

He breezed away. Leaving the four people who were still in the dining room, without waiting for an answer from Madam Julia as the head of the family there.

they were silent, even madam Julia was not the least bit staring at Elise's departure. No one stopped him. The silence again occurred before an upset voice came out of Julia's madam mouth, she put down the fork she was wearing while speaking in a dislike tone.

"Go away from the dining table without waiting for the host to finish. Very disrespectful,"

He commented. Not satisfied with Elise's attitude.

"And such a woman would be my daughter-in-law? Haa—that's what your father thinks of him, it looks like your father's expectations are too high on Elise Anderson"

Julian nodded in agreement. This time he agreed with his mother. This engagement was recommended by the father who is not currently present there. Julian had insisted on refusing the engagement, but at the stakes of his father he accepted.

["If in half a year you don't feel love for Elise then you can cancel this engagement, but I'm not sure you won't love her. He's an interesting kid, you know?"]

At that moment his father spoke with conviction. He will prove to his father that he will never love Elise and hangs out with her lover Fiona to the end.

'The only interesting thing about him is the troublemaker, dad'

Julian spoke in his heart. Feeling disagreed with his father's words earlier.

"Maybe Elise felt tired after her trip here. He doesn't live in New York, so we'll just let him rest"

Julian laughed lightly at Lucas' words. After Elise left, she wanted to eat her food.

"What tired? He's not going for a walk here and just eating with us, it's not exhausting right?"

"Your words offended her, you know how fragile she feels"

The bickering started happening. Julian continued to reply to Lucas' remarks defending Elise, making the atmosphere in the dining room uncomfortable for Noise. The only one who has been neutral and silent since.

Will not stop until one of the parties relented, finally madam Julia intervened.

"He should know his position. I haven't approved Julian's engagement to her, if Fiona's Julian's fiancee is not going to be either"

'Can't you stop boasting Fiona anyway?'

Lucas is speechless and resists his frustration when Fiona's name is mentioned by his mother. Since the beginning of Julian's relationship with Fiona happened he never liked it. According to Lucas, Fiona's figure is not suitable as a couple to marry, he was too playful with a relationship because Lucas did not agree if Julian wanted to marry him.

Rather than Fiona, Elise was clearly better off. Although they have only met now, but Lucas already knows at least Elise's attitude is different from Fiona.

"At least don't ignore Elise like that,"

Lucas' voice was full of emphasis. He tried not to yell at his mother while saying that, however, Lucas could not raise his voice at the woman who had given birth to him.

Madam Julia let out a breath of air. Since then he has seen Lucas always defend Elise. Not like he usually is.

"Mom didn't do anything wrong. He's not officially our family yet"

Once again madam Julia confirmed her decision. As long as Elise is not married to Julian, she will treat him as before, although from today Elise is officially her son's fiancee but that will not change her attitude towards Elise.

"Your engagement will be kept secret. Did you explain it to Fiona? He must be feeling hurt to hear this news, right?"

Julian smiled at his mother's worries. Madam Julia loves Fiona. Julian's engagement to Elise must have been known to him, so madam Julia felt bad for not being able to tell it directly to Julian's lover.

"Mother just relax. Fiona was angry at first, but I assured her that this engagement wouldn't make it to the wedding anyway"

Hearing Julian's reply made Madan Julia feel relieved. She thought of taking Fiona shopping as her apology later.

"Take him shopping, if necessary you can take a vacation abroad. I heard Fiona wants to take a vacation to

"Mother, that's overrated"

Lucas commented. If Fiona knew Julian was going to get engaged should she end their relationship, why did she get angry and end up being persuaded by Julian? They were too gentle and pampered Fiona.

"What is excessive? Fiona deserves it,"

It's hard to talk about Fiona with her mother, because the final decision must have been won by Julia's madam.

"Mother is right, brother. I'll take her for a walk later, thanks to your advice"

Lucas pinched his lips. If she comes back to comment then her mother and sister will stand up for Fiona. Whatever Lucas says will be denied by them, this often happens to him when commenting on Fiona not being in line with her mother and sister.

He does not know what Fiona did to his mother and sister until they were so confused about him, but for sure Lucas wants Julian and Fiona relationship to end soon because now he is engaged to Elise.

In her room, Elise immediately closed the door rudely, no matter if her voice could be heard by the people outside.

His feet walked, approached the soft mattress and then fell asleep there. Burning his face using a pillow that serves as a silencer sobs his sobs that came out since earlier.

Elise was sure she was not a weak woman. Julian's blatant hateful attitude did not make him waver, his heart was strong against Julian's attitude but somehow the incident this time managed to make his heart ache and crumble.

"I'm trying. Dad's company went bankrupt not because of me,"

He muttered in a soft tone.

Elise did not like Julian's speech that seemed pretentious. Though he only looked outside of it, their companies were also rarely related to each other.

Since graduating from college, Elise struggled to maintain her father's company so as not to go bankrupt even though she knew their business was in danger of going out of business.

In addition to debt, it turns out that the people assigned by his father committed corruption that caused the destruction of their company to be faster. Elise managed to help her father by directly firing the incompetent people, but other debts she could not handle.

In the end their company is really on the verge of bankruptcy and Elise's engagement with Julian becomes the solution.

'Daddy didn't say anything about the engagement other than me being made into a debt guarantee by him, did dad really sell me this way?'

Elise still could not believe it even though she had already experienced it herself. No news from his father is proof that he has really been 'sold' to the Eldegar family to pay off their debt, therefore his feelings for the father became shaky.

'Didn't you love me?'

Clear water began to flow from Elise's white cheeks. Recalling her memories with her father and what she did to him now made her heart feel even more pain. She was sure Gio loved her, so why did she make her only daughter a debt guarantee and get her engaged to a foreign man like Julian?

Moreover, Julian's family openly put a dislike on him. Lucas may be the exception, however Elise does not know what her attitude will be like.

The day was getting night and cold, but the decreasing temperature couldn't stop Elise's tears from coming out of her eye patch.

For that night let Elise cry silently in the room, she must vent her emotions now before facing anything else tomorrow. Elise was sure, tomorrow must be a hard day again for her.