Chapter 04
For a moment, no one spoke.
The words Elena had just said left both of them with their jaws hanging open.
Even Eva, who was ready to bite Elena's head off, looked stunned into silence.
Alexander was the first to recover from the shock.
"That's nonsense! You're lying!" He barked.
"And yet you wonder why daddy won't allow you to be the heir. You don't even know what the company is going through," Elena scoffed.
"Shut up, bitch!" He snapped at her. "Don't you dare play smart with me."
Elena pulled back and folded her arms but did nothing.
"So now you're not just a traitor," he said with a sharp laugh, "you're also a liar."
"I'm not lying," Elena replied, her voice shaking but firm.
"Then prove it," Alexander said coldly. "Prove to us that you're not scheming daddy to push us aside.
"How?" Elena wondered.
"Leave the company to me. Tell Father you no longer want anything to do with Vance Incorporated. Transfer all the legal documents to me and let me take over."
She shook her head at once. "That's never going to happen. I care about the company and our family name. And I know exactly what you would do with that power. You've created so many scandals already. People laugh at us because of you. The family will fall apart if I leave it in your hands."
Eva scoffed behind him and clapped her hands. "Oh, so now you think you're better than all of us?"
Elena sighed. "I don't want any of this. I'm just trying to help us."
Eva snorted and stepped closer. "First you graduate top of your class. Then you walk around acting like you're so pretty. Now you marry a rich man and take over the company. Who do you think you are, Elena? Don't we deserve something too? Aren't we children of this family as well?"
Elena felt something snap inside her.
"None of this is my fault!" she shouted. "I'm trying to save this family from debt and bankruptcy, and you still blame me. Do you think I wanted to marry a stranger? A man I met barely thirteen hours before the wedding? I didn't have a choice!"
Eva laughed cruelly. "There you go again, playing the victim. Oh, Elena, you're pathetic. Nobody wants you, so you had to bribe Father to get you married off to the available man. And of course it had to be my man."
She leaned in and whispered threateningly. "You're going to divorce him, or I'll make your life a living hell."
Tears streamed down Elena's face and she turned away, no longer able to stand there.
She ran toward the stairs.
Just as she reached the first step, she almost collided with Julian.
He was standing there, having clearly heard enough.
His eyes went straight to her tear-streaked face and without hesitation, his hands lifted to her cheeks.
"Are you okay?" he asked quietly. "Did they hurt you?"
She shook her head weakly. "No. I just… I just want to be alone."
Before she could move, Eva stormed toward the stairs. "I'm not done with you! Come back here and face me, you bitch!"
She froze when she saw Julian standing directly behind Elena.
In an instant, Eva's expression changed and she forced a sweet smile. "Oh. Hello, brother-in-law. I was just coming to tell Elena goodnight."
Julian did not smile back.
"The only reason you have access to my house," he said calmly, "is because I programmed your fingerprint into my security system, knowing you are Elena's family. If I had known you would make her cry, you would never have stepped foot in my home."
Eva raised her hands quickly. "I swear I didn't make her cry. We were just talking. She started acting crazy and bipolar as usual."
Alexander nodded from behind. "Yes. She's all messed up in the head and stupid. Did you even run a background check before marrying her?"
He did not finish his sentence.
In one swift movement, Julian was suddenly standing in front of him, gripping him by the collar and pulling him close.
Eva and Elena were stunned.
Literally, no one had seen him move.
"Don't you ever speak to my wife that way again," Julian said coldly.
"Let go of me!" Alexander struggled. "She's my sister. I can talk to her however I want."
Julian's fist lifted, ready to punch sense into him.
"Julian, stop!" Elena cried.
He froze at her voice.
"Please don't hurt him. Let him go."
Slowly, he released Alexander, who stumbled back. Eva and Alexander both stepped away, fear clear on their faces now.
"You are no longer welcome in this house," Julian said coldly. "Not unless Elena says otherwise. Now leave, before I change my mind."
"You'll regret this, Elena," Alexander snapped as he backed away. "Both of you."
He turned and stormed out, Eva following behind clumsily in her high heels.
The door slammed shut and Elena sighed.
At once, Julian turned to her. "Come with me."
He led her upstairs and when they reached her bedroom door, she hesitated.
"Are you going to sleep now?" she asked quietly.
"I have a little more work to do," he replied. "And I'm sorry they made you cry. You should rest."
She swallowed. "Why don't you join me?"
"I can't," he said gently. "But I do have something for you."
He handed her a large brown envelope.
"What's this?"
"See for yourself."
Curious, she opened it and immediately froze.
Inside were photographs. Not just one or two, but many. Pictures of Eva Francis together in different hotel room beds. Sitting close in restaurants, holding hands and kissing.
Her hands trembled.
"How did you get this?" she whispered. "Please tell me this is a lie."
"It's not a lie," Julian said calmly. "And that's not all."
She turned the envelope over and pulled out another document.
Her heart shattered as she saw the title.
"ADOPTION CENTER"
The room spun and Elena lost consciousness just as his strong arms wrapped around her.