Chapter 03
Elena woke up to a loud crashing sound echoing through the house.
Her eyes flew open and for a second, she lay still, trying to understand what had pulled her from sleep.
The room was dim and she quickly flicked on the bedside lamp, squinting at the sudden brightness.
Another dull noise followed somewhere below and she immediately sat up, panicked.
Julian's house was beautiful and expensive, but she knew this part of town in New York was not entirely safe. Money did not always keep danger away and she was terrified of robberies.
She pushed herself up and grabbed the bathroom robe, wrapping it tightly around her body with shaky hands.
"Julian?" she called softly but there was no answer.
Only then did she notice the bed properly. His side was still untouched. Not even wrinkled.
"He didn't sleep here," she muttered.
When they had arrived earlier, he had told her to freshen up while he worked on a few things downstairs. She had assumed he would come to bed later. But now, staring at the empty space beside her, she realized he had never come back.
She checked the time.
It was a little past 4:00 a.m.
He had stayed away from her on their wedding night?
She stepped into the hallway just as she saw him coming out of what looked like a study.
He looked calm, as always.
"Are you okay?" he asked, moving toward her.
"I'm fine," she said quickly, pulling slightly away from him.
He frowned. "What happened? Did you hear that noise?"
"Of course I heard it," she replied. "I thought it was you. Why didn't you come to sleep in the bedroom?"
"I had a few things to work on."
"Really?" she asked. "So you haven't slept since we arrived from the wedding?"
"Yes."
She stared at him. "You're lying. No human is capable of staying awake for this long after such stressful day."
He said nothing.
"Listen," she continued angrily. "I know you might not even find me sexually attractive, but you don't have to make it so obvious. If I disgust you so much, why did you marry me in the first place?"
He looked at her for a second silently and she almost thought he wouldn't reply.
"You do not disgust me, Elena," he finally said calmly. "You are a very attractive woman. Your eyes, your nose, your lips, they are all very sexy. Your breasts are 36, double C cups. They have peach-colored areolas and look full and healthy. Your waist is narrow. Your hips are 42 and a half inches wide. Your skin appears soft and smooth and it would bring pleasure to any man. You smell like cinnamon. Your lips would be very kissable."
He spoke without any emotion, almost like he was listing facts from a report he had memorized.
Elena stood frozen.
"What?" she whispered. "How do you even know my breast size and my hips?"
She stared at him, stunned. He knew so much about her body, yet she knew nothing about him.
He did not answer her question.
Suddenly, there was another loud crash from downstairs, glass shattering.
Elena gasped.
Julian's voice changed and he spoke swiftly. "Lights off."
Immediately, every light in the house went out and it was pitch black.
She screamed, but before the sound fully escaped her, he pulled her behind him. His grip was strong and she felt his body shield hers completely.
"Stay here," he said. "Let me check what's going on."
"I should—"
"Stay, Elena."
His tone was so authoritative that it stopped her. She nodded without thinking.
He moved away and disappeared down the stairs.
Minutes passed and he didn't return.
Her heart raced faster with each second. What if there was really an intruder and something had happened to him?
Without thinking, she rushed back into the bedroom and grabbed her phone. Her father would know what to do. He would no doubt have numbers or a few police men on speed dial.
"Hello?" her father answered.
"Daddy," she whispered urgently. "I think someone just broke into my husband's house."
There was a pause. Then he said calmly, "That's impossible, sweetheart. No one can break into Julian Thorne's home."
"How do you know that?" she asked.
Before he could answer, the lights suddenly came back on.
She dropped the phone and ran downstairs.
What she saw made her stop short.
Julian stood in the living room, unharmed. And standing across from him were two people she never expected to see at this hour.
Her siblings.
"Eva? Alexander?" she asked in disbelief. "What are you doing here at this time of night?"
Eva smirked. "Technically, it's morning."
Alexander crossed his arms. "Yeah. We're always welcome in our sister's house. Or are we not?"
Julian turned to Elena. "Do you want to speak with these people?"
His voice was cold.
She knew instantly that if she said no, he would somehow have them removed without hesitation. She was not ready for that kind of drama.
"It's fine," she said quietly. "I'll speak with them."
Julian nodded and turned away, heading upstairs without another word.
She faced them. "You didn't have to come. You could have called."
Alexander laughed bitterly. "Oh really? Did you bother to call me before you went and connived with Father to take away my position as the Vance heir?"
"I didn't tell him to do that," Elena said. "He just thought I was more fitting."
"And why would he think that?" Alexander snapped. "I'm the first child. I'm the son. I deserve everything."
"Maybe because you never show up at the company," Elena shot back. "Maybe because you don't work and all you do is
drink, get into trouble, and wait for Daddy to clean up your mess."
"You know nothing about Father," Alexander hissed. "You have no idea what I've sacrificed for that company."
Eva rolled her eyes. "I don't care about your sacrifices, Alex. What I care about is how this bitch managed to steal my man."
Elena blinked. "Your man?"
"Yes," Eva snapped. "I had my eyes on Julian all along. I followed him on every social media platform. And yet you, the perfect daughter, get to take my man away from me? I won't allow it. You have to divorce him. He's mine."
"I'm afraid I can't do that," Elena said.
"Why?" Eva screamed. "Because you're better than us? Oh, because you're the favorite, daddy can just arrange a sudden marriage for you to the richest, most handsome man in the city?"
"I never wanted this," Elena said softly.
"You're lying," Eva spat. "You wanted Alexander's position. And you definitely wanted to steal my man."
"No," Elena said, her voice breaking.
"Father is in debt and we're going bankrupt. The company owes $200 billion."
They were both stunned and Elena nodded slowly.
"Yes, I have to marry Julian Thorne to save the Vance family."