Inheritance Redefined

Chapter Five

Elara liked her immediately.

She changed quickly and stepped out onto the ice - a cool rush greeted her blades, sending a thrill up her spine. The chill of the rink wrapped around her like a familiar embrace, the smooth surface gleaming beneath the bright lights. For a moment, everything else faded, the world narrowed to the glide beneath her feet and the steady rhythm of her breath. Here, Elara was weightless, free, and completely herself.

She hadn't realized how much she missed being on the ice, even though it had only been a few weeks. The stillness. The cold, fresh air. Elara's movements weren't perfect, but they were raw - clean turns, quiet footwork, tight control. No big jumps, no spins to impress, just movement.

Simple. Honest. Passionate.

From behind the glass, Alessandro stood like a statue, mesmerized. He hadn't realized how much figure skating meant to Elara until that moment.

Coach Marchesi glanced at him. "She's still smoothing out her edge work. But she's got fire."

Alessandro didn't respond. His gaze never left Elara.

She finished the session with a quick loop and coasted to a stop, breathing hard, chest rising and falling. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes brighter than he'd seen them before.

She was glowing.

---

On the drive back, Elara finally spoke. "Thank you."

"For what?" Alessandro asked, his eyes on his phone.

"For... this. All of it."

Alessandro didn't say anything for a moment.

Then, "I don't make promises I won't keep. I said I'd get you back on the ice and I meant it."

Elara studied his profile. Sharp jaw, shadowed eyes, an unreadable expression on his face. But not cruel.

She leaned back against the seat. "You're not what I thought you'd be."

"Neither are you."

Elara smiled to herself, just a little. She decided that, if he trusted her enough to buy her things without knowing if she'd have just fooled around, she would trust him with her secret.

She drew in a breath. "I haven't been... completely honest with you."

Alessandro looked up at that. "About what? Planning to murder someone after all?"

She almost smiled. "No, just something I hide from people."

That got Alessandro's attention.

He stared at her, expression unreadable but sharp - the way he always looked at people when they were about to do something important.

Elara's fingers trembled slightly as she reached up and then she removed one contact, then the other. This was it,she thought. He was going to tell her she was a freak.

For a moment she hesitated, but then he blinked and turned to face him fully.

One eye - ice blue, the other - a deep, forest green.

Alessandro's gaze didn't shift. Didn't narrow. He just stared, quiet.

"I was born like this," Elara said softly. "It's called heterochromia. Kids used to say I looked possessed. Haunted. A freak. I started hiding it when I was nine."

Elara looked down at her hands, her voice tightening. "In London, I didn't really have friends. People made it clear I didn't belong. My mom always told me it would be different here, but... I asked her not to tell you. I thought you'd look at me like they did."

The silence stretched a little too long. Elara bit the inside of her cheek, her heart pounding in her chest.

Then, Alessandro spoke.

"Idiots."

Elara looked up, startled. "What?"

He was staring at her eyes - not recoiling. Just... studying. Like he was assessing a weapon, or a truth he hadn't seen before.

"Anyone who made you feel like you had to hide that were idiots," he said flatly. "You shouldn't hide things that make people remember you. Your eyes are magnificent."

She blinked. Heat rose to her cheecks.

"You're not forgettable, Elara," he added, voice low. "Don't act like you are."

And just like that, he returned to his phone - like he hadn't just said the most important thing anyone had ever said to her.

Elara looked out the window, contact lenses in her palm, and let the warmth bloom in her chest.

For the first time in years, she didn't feel strange. She just like herself.