And Still, He Loved. 3

Chapter Three: The Storm That Followed

Zieth and Elinor were stunned.

Ash was new. Unfamiliar. A ripple in their serene bond. And yet, the pull of the fated connection couldn’t be denied. It hung in the air between them, quiet but unbearable.

The next few days became a blur of tense silence and sharpened glances.

Back at the Soo estate, Elinor paced the marble floor of his private lounge, fingers running through his perfectly styled hair.

Elinor[O]

“I don’t want a third,” he muttered. “Why should I? We were happy. We are happy.”

Zieth stood at the window, arms crossed.

Zieth[E]

“It’s not about want. It’s about fate.”

Elinor[O]

“Fate?” Elinor snapped. “Fate didn’t carry me through modeling scandals or keep me warm when I flew overnight for shoots. You did. We did. Not him.”

Zieth’s silence was thunderous.

Elinor[O]

“Say something,” Elinor pushed.

Zieth[E]

“What do you want me to say?” Zieth finally turned. “That I’m thrilled to share the only person I’ve ever loved with someone I’ve just met? I’m not. But tradition demands—”

Elinor[O]

“To hell with tradition!”

The door burst open. Rhae Heong-Joon, Zieth’s father, strode in with heavy steps.

Rhae Heong-Joon

“You will not speak of our legacy that way,” he boomed. “The bond is sacred. You dishonor our bloodline with such selfishness.”

Moments later, Mrs. Soo arrived, flanked by aides.

Mrs. Soo[B]

“We do not object to the bond,” she said sharply, eyes fixed on Elinor. “You knew from birth what your future might hold. Fated triads are rare. This is a blessing.”

Elinor[O]

Elinor’s voice cracked. “It doesn’t feel like one.”

The room erupted.

Zieth and his father shouted over each other. Elinor stood in the center, trying to speak, but being silenced. Documents appeared—a proposed contract for an alliance. Shares were discussed. Business merged with biology. Their hearts became commodities.

Zieth[E]

Zieth slammed his hand on the table. “Enough!”

Everything stilled.

Zieth[E]

“We should have a choice,” Zieth said, voice low. “This isn’t just about corporate standing or tradition. It’s about our lives. Our future.”

Rhae Heong-Joon

His father’s face darkened. “Then walk away. But don’t expect to return with your name intact.”

Zieth turned to Elinor. For the first time in years, uncertainty wavered between them.

Zieth[E]

“Do we run?” Zieth asked quietly.

Elinor[O]

Elinor’s eyes welled with tears. “Where would we go?”

Neither spoke. Neither moved. Three days later, they signed the marriage contract. Ash was not present. The documents were couriered to him.

The wedding planning began immediately. And behind the press releases, designer fittings, and corporate statements… the bond began to fray.

Elinor and Zieth fought. Small things became large. Mornings began with silence. Nights ended with turned backs.

Elinor[O]

“You agreed too fast,” Elinor accused one night.

Zieth[E]

“So did you,” Zieth shot back.

Elinor[O]

“You’re too calm about this. Like he means nothing.”

Zieth[E]

“Maybe because he does mean nothing to me.”

The slap was verbal, but Elinor felt it in his bones.

That night, he cried alone in the walk-in closet, curled beside his newest campaign shootout dresses, hiding from the cameras and Zieth’s cold logic.

Zieth, too, stayed awake. Eyes fixed on the ceiling. Wondering why, for the first time in his life, nothing made sense.

Two days later with Ash

The meeting took place in the glass-walled penthouse office of the Soo family's Seoul headquarters. The skyline glittered outside, an endless canvas of ambition and power, but inside, the air was cold and transactional.

Ash sat across a long obsidian table, his hands folded neatly, face unreadable. Beside him, his personal assistant remained quiet, already sensing that this was no ordinary deal. On the other end sat Zieth’s father, Rhae Heong-Joon, flanked by Mrs. Soo and two company lawyers.

Rhae Heong-Joon

"Your brand has risen fast, Mr. Ash," Rhae said smoothly, sliding a folder forward. "But aligning with the Soo family—through marriage—could give you something permanence rarely allows in fashion: legacy."

Ash opened the folder. Contract terms. Asset merges. Joint ventures. The words "fated bond acknowledgment" stamped on the first page in ornate calligraphy.

Ash[A]

"You’re turning this into a merger," Ash said calmly, but his fingers curled slightly against the page.

Mrs. Soo[B]

Mrs. Soo gave a thin smile. "It is a marriage. But marriages built on strategic alignment last longer in our world. The bond is destiny. We’re simply giving it structure."

Ash[A]

"Where is Mr. Soo? It should have been him"

Mrs. Soo[B]

"He is busy with the preparation. The wedding preparations"

Rhae Heong-Joon

"Will you accept this its fated, you should give a chance."

Ash noded after thinking something

There were no mentions of Elinor. No warm welcomes. No questions about how he felt. Ash signed without flinching.

The view behind him flickered with clouds gathering in the evening sky, the city lights beginning to blink through the dusk. Somewhere in that vast city, his mates were still fighting against a future already being written in ink and ambition.

Ash stared at the signed contract.

No smile. No celebration. Only silence. A bond forged by destiny.

A marriage built on obligation. And three hearts bracing for the inevitable fracture.