REBIRTH : Chasing The Limelight-Chapter 59: She’s with me...

Elara had not received any invitation card from Relanie, and she had wondered if something had gone wrong. But she did not think too deeply about it. Relanie had invited her personally, and Elara believed that should be enough.

Still, just in case, she slipped her ID card into her bag. The card showed clearly that she was a sponsored artist under the Vale family, and she believed that would be enough proof if anything came up.

By the time Ziva arrived, the sky had already grown dark. They took a cab together, and not long after, they arrived at the entrance of the Vale mansion.

The entrance was already very grand on a normal day, but tonight it looked even more impressive. Luxury cars were coming in and out, and well-dressed guests walked here and there. Everything looked expensive and perfectly arranged. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Elara stepped out of the cab before Ziva and looked around quietly. Ziva walked straight to the security desk while Elara followed behind her.

She greeted the security personnel and gave Elara’s name. The man looked down at his list and began to check. After a moment, he shook his head. "I don’t see that name," he said.

"Check it again." Ziva said calmly.

The man checked carefully once more, but after a few seconds, he gave the same answer. "Not on the list."

Ziva opened Elara’s bag without hesitation and took out her ID card. She then placed it neatly on the desk in front of the security agent. "She is a Vale sponsored artist," She said.

The man picked up the card and looked at it. Then he looked back at his list. His expression did not change. "I need an invitation card, or a name on the list." he said.

Ziva kept her calm tone, but there was a slight change in it now. "Her name should be on the list," she said.

"There is no one called Elara Veyne here. I can only work with what I have," The man said flatly.

"Then work with what you have, because what you have is proof that she is connected to this family." Ziva said pointing at the card on the table.

The man shook his head.

Ziva took a deep breath. This time, her tone lost its earlier softness. "Do you see this?" she said, picking up the ID and holding it in front of him. "This is a Vale family sponsorship identification card. Do you understand what that means?"

The man looked at her but did not answer.

"It means, she did not wander here from the streets. And she is not trying to gatecrash a party. She is a sponsored artist of the Vale family, attending an event at the Vale residence, and you are stopping her because her name is not on a list that someone clearly failed to update."

"Do you want to be the person who turned away a Vale sponsored artist from a Vale family event? Because that is what you are doing right now." she asked.

The man did not react. His face remained the same. "I need an invitation card," he said again.

Ziva stared at him, clearly losing patience.

Before she could speak again, Elara gently placed her hand on Ziva’s arm.

"Can you pass a message to Miss Relanie?" Elara asked him calmly. "Just let her know we are at the gate. She can confirm it."

The man looked at her briefly. "I’m not able to relay personal messages," he replied.

Ziva opened her mouth to argue again, but Elara’s hand tightened on her arm, stopping her.

They both stood there not knowing what to do. Elara did not have Relanie’s number. She had never needed it before, but now, it felt like a small mistake that had suddenly become important.

Ziva took out her phone and began trying to find a way to reach someone. But nothing worked.

Time passed slowly. People continued to arrive, showing their invitation cards and walking in without any trouble, but Elara and Ziva remained at the gate unable to enter.

Not long after, a dark car slowed down at the entrance. The passenger window slowly went down, and the face that appeared made Elara pause for some seconds.

It was Lioren.

Elara turned her head to look at him. Her expression did not change much, but she lifted her hand and gave a small wave in greeting. Lioren saw her and smiled warmly like he always did.

The security man, who had refused to let them in just moments ago, suddenly stood straight, his whole posture changing immediately. He did not look at the list or ask for invitation card this time. He simply saluted. "Mr. Valoire,"

Lioren only gave him a brief look, then turned his attention back to Elara. "She’s with me," he said in a calm voice, nodding toward her. "Both of them."

The security man looked at Elara, then at Ziva, and then back at Lioren. "Of course," he said immediately and motioned for them to pass.

Ziva stood still for a moment and glared at the security man, it was obvious that she was very annoyed. Then she slowly put her phone back into her bag, picked up her things, and walked through the gate without another word.

Elara followed after her. She turned back and said, "Thank you," to Lioren while he nodded gently in response.

Lioren then suggested that they should ride in instead of walking, since the distance inside the estate was quite long. Elara agreed, and after a brief moment of hesitation, Ziva also got into the car.

When they entered, Lioren glanced at Elara. "No invitation?" he asked while Elara nodded.

Lioren did not say much more after that. He only nodded again, as if he understood.

"Thank you," Elara said once more. He gave a small nod in return.

Soon, the car came to a stop in front of the main building. The lights were very bright, and the voices had become much louder.

They stepped out of the car one after the other. Lioren stood beside Elara, while Ziva stayed a step behind them. They began walking toward the entrance.

Just then, another car pulled up nearby. The door opened, and Adrian stepped out.

Elara saw him at the same moment he closed the car door. Her steps wavered as her eyes stayed on him. When he walked closer, she opened her mouth quickly to greet him.

"Mr. Adrian—" she began but before she could finish saying his name, he had walked right past her. He did not stop,nor did he look at her.

His gaze stayed forward, as if she was not there at all. His steps did not slow down, and his expression did not change. He simply walked straight toward the entrance and went inside.

Elara’s voice faded before it could fully come out. She stood there in a daze staring at his back, then she slowly closed her mouth. Her face remained calm, as if nothing had happened.

Lioren saw everything. He looked toward the entrance where Adrian had disappeared, then he turned his gaze to Elara.

Her expression was still composed, just like before.

Lioren did not speak or ask anything. He only adjusted his steps and continued walking forward, matching her pace as they both moved toward the entrance...