My Ruthless Ex Demands by Eva Blackwood Episode 330

Carrie walked over to Elijah and pulled out a chair, taking her time as she sat down.
Camille followed close behind, eagerly planting herself in the chair beside Carrie. Even if she wouldn’t say much, her presence alone implied a silent solidarity.
Elijah broke the uneasy silence first. “I came to pick you up,” he began, his tone calm, though his fingers absently drummed against the table. “But I didn’t expect you to come with Oliver. I ran into Sandra by chance.”
His words were straightforward, truthful even, but a strange sense of guilt lingered beneath them.
Carrie nodded, not pressing the matter further, though her gaze was steady and assessing. After a moment, she asked, “What show did you decide I wouldn’t participate in?”
The question caught Elijah off guard. He frowned slightly, genuinely at a loss, “What show?” he asked, turning to Sandra for clarification. “Sandra, which show is it?”
Carrie let out a cold laugh, quiet but cutting. She reached for the glass of water in front of Elijah, took a deliberate sip, and then set it back down with a sharp clink. “How amusing,” she said slowly, her words dripping with sarcasm. “You made a decision for me without even knowing what it was about.”
Sandra’s smile wavered ever so slightly.
Her composure faltered further when Elijah, without hesitation, picked up the glass Carrie had just drunk from and took a sip himself.
Elijah’s well-known obsession with cleanliness made the act even more striking. In all her years of knowing him, he had never done something like this—not even with her. He wouldn’t share a glass, fork, or anything that might suggest intimacy. Even their physical closeness had always been carefully measured, limited to holding hands or an occasional hug when she was unwell.
Her mind spiraled with unbidden images—Elijah and Carrie kissing, tangled in each other’s arms, sharing a bond that went far beyond the clean, detached affection she’d once known.
Her nails dug into her palms, sharp enough to sting, and the pain brought her back to the present.
Pushing through the storm of jealousy in her chest, Sandra offered an explanation, her voice steady but carrying a subtle tremor. “It’s Weekend Party. The production team of Blazing Sun wanted to promote the new drama, so they asked me to join the variety show. There have been constant online comparisons between my acting and Carrie’s. I didn’t want to stir up any negative buzz that might affect either of us.”
Carrie crossed her legs and rested a hand on Elijah’s arm.
The effortless authority in her movements was unmistakable, reminiscent of a household matriarch scolding an overreaching concubine.
Her tone was cool but sharp. “You are the one with poor acting skills. Even if it trends again, how would that hurt me? If the topic hadn’t been suppressed so quickly, I might’ve gained even more attention for my looks and acting skills. I could’ve had more opportunities. And since you don’t want to be compared to me, why don’t you step back instead? Why should I?” She didn’t even spare Sandra a glance.
Her words struck with pinpoint precision.
Sandra’s expression crumbled for a moment before she forced herself to keep calm. Slowly, she walked to another chair and lowered herself into it. “Ms. Campbell, I’ve been trying to stay composed. Please don’t provoke me like this. My heart isn’t well, and if something happens, it’ll be dangerous.”
“Enough, Carrie,” Elijah snapped suddenly, his tone cold and sharp. “Don’t be so aggressive!”
The words cut through the tension like a whip.
Carrie froze. Her normally composed face flickered with surprise, her train of thought momentarily derailed.
The familiar sting of his reprimand sent a wave of bitter realization washing over her. The scenario was painfully familiar—an echo of countless arguments from their past.
Could it be true? Could all the progress Elijah had made, all the steps they’d taken toward understanding, be nothing more than an illusion?
Across the table, Sandra’s lips curled into a faint smile, her earlier panic replaced by a quiet sense of victory. Though there had been some twists along the way, the outcome was exactly as she had predicted.
Between herself and Carrie, Elijah would always choose her.
He would always feel obligated to defend her, to protect her fragile heart.