Playing with Fire

Claimed by My Ex’s Uncle

Chapter 3: Playing with Fire

My fingers trembled slightly as I took the heavy Montblanc pen from Julian’s hand.

The ink felt like liquid fire on the heavy parchment of the contract. I pressed the tip to the line marked Bride, my hand hesitating for half a second as the reality of what I was doing tried to catch up with me.

Elena Lorden.

With one swift motion, I signed my name.

The moment the ink dried, Julian snatched the document away, his silver eyes flashing with a predatory triumph that made my stomach take a dangerous dip. He didn't even bother to blow on the wet signature before sliding the folder neatly into his executive desk drawer.

"Smart girl," he purred, his voice dripping with smooth satisfaction. "You just saved your family from ruin, Elena. And you’ve ensured Marcus will spend the rest of his life regretting the day he ever looked away from you."

"When does the funding clear?" I asked, pulling my hands back and folding them tightly across my chest. I needed to maintain some boundary, some illusion that I was still in control, even as my heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird.

Julian leaned against the edge of his desk, crossing his ankles and looking down at me with an amused tilt of his head. "The transfer to Lorden Enterprises was initiated thirty seconds before you put pen to paper. I don't play games with my investments, little bird."

Little bird.

The nickname sent a strange heat rushing up my neck. "Don't call me that."

"I’ll call my wife whatever I like," he countered softly, his deep voice carrying an effortless authority that made the room feel suddenly ten degrees hotter.

Before I could fire back a retort, the massive mahogany doors of the office burst open.

"Uncle Julian, you have to stop the liquidation order—"

Marcus froze mid-stride, his panicked rant cutting off sharp.

He stood in the doorway, panting, his designer tie crooked and his face flushed. But the moment his eyes fell on me standing in his uncle’s private suite, the color drained completely from his cheeks.

"Elena?" Marcus gasped, blinking rapidly as if he’d just walked into a nightmare. "What the hell are you doing here?"

I didn't answer right away. I forced myself to stand tall, adjusting the lapels of my tailored blazer, allowing a slow, icy smile to touch my lips. The shock and terror on his face were more satisfying than any drink I’d had last night.

"She’s here doing business, Marcus," Julian’s calm, commanding voice shattered the tense silence.

Julian didn't raise his voice. He didn't have to. The sheer weight of his presence made Marcus look tiny, pathetically small in comparison.

Marcus took a step forward, his jaw tightening as he pointed a finger at me. "Elena, don't do this. I told you, if you try to go around me to save your father's sinking ship—"

"Watch your tone when speaking to her," Julian cut in, his voice dropping into a register so dark and lethal that even I felt a chill run down my spine.

Marcus flinched, pulling his hand back as if he’d been burned. "Uncle, you don't understand. She’s my fiancée! We had a disagreement last night, and now she’s coming to you to play victim—"

"Correction," I said, stepping closer to Julian, letting my shoulder lightly brush against his broad arm. The contact sent a sharp spark of awareness straight through me, but I didn't pull away. I wanted Marcus to see it. "I was your fiancée, Marcus. Until I caught you screwing Chloe against the window of the St. Regis."

Marcus’s mouth snapped shut. He looked frantically between me and Julian, panic sweating on his forehead. "She’s lying! Uncle, she’s trying to sabotage the merger!"

"I don't care about your messy bedroom antics, Marcus," Julian lied smoothly, his face a mask of absolute coldness. "What I care about is loyalty and competence. You failed on both fronts. Lorden Enterprises is no longer under your jurisdiction. The company’s restructuring is now personally overseen by my office."

Marcus gasped, taking another step into the room. "You can't do that! That was my account! My promotion depends on—"

"Your promotion is revoked," Julian said simply. He walked around his desk, picking up a pen as if the conversation was already over. "In fact, your access to the Vance Global executive board is suspended pending an audit of your expense accounts from last night."

"Julian, please!" Marcus pleaded, his voice cracking. "You can't destroy my career over her!"

"She isn't just her," Julian murmured, lifting his eyes. The silver gaze hit Marcus like a physical blow. "She is the future matriarch of this family."

The room went dead silent.

Marcus frowned, confusion washing over his pale face. "What are you talking about?"

Julian walked over to where I stood. Without warning, his large, warm hand slipped around my waist, pulling me firmly against his side. His touch was heavy, possessive, and entirely unyielding. I gasped softly at the sudden proximity, but I held my ground, leaning into his hard chest as Marcus watched in absolute horror.

"Elena and I are getting married," Julian announced quietly.

If a bomb had gone off in the 80th-floor suite, it wouldn't have created a bigger impact.

Marcus literally stumbled backward, his hand clutching the edge of a chair to keep himself upright. "M-married? You... you two? But you don't even know her! You met her five minutes ago!"

"We met much earlier than five minutes ago," Julian purred, his thumb lightly stroking the fabric of my dress right over my hip, sending a shiver straight down my legs. "And we found we have... extraordinary compatibility."

Marcus stared at me, his eyes wide with a mix of shock, rage, and sudden humiliation. "Elena... you can't be serious. He’s my uncle! He’s old enough to—"

"He's man enough to run an empire and respect his commitments," I snapped, cutting him off with a look of pure contempt. "Something you clearly never learned."

"You whore," Marcus hissed, his composure entirely snapping as he took a aggressive step toward me. "You slept with him just to get back at me—"

Before Marcus could take another step, Julian was across the room.

The move was so fast, so effortless, it didn't seem human. In a flash, Julian’s hand slammed around Marcus’s throat, pinning him hard against the heavy wooden frame of the office door.

Marcus choked, his hands clawing at Julian’s iron grip, his feet barely touching the floor.

"Say another word to my wife," Julian whispered, his face inches from Marcus’s, his voice a low, terrifying growl that echoed through the vast room, "and I won't just ruin your career. I will erase your name from this family so completely that even your mother won't remember you existed."

I held my breath, my pulse racing as I watched the sheer, unbridled power radiating off Julian. It was terrifying, yes—but deep down in the dark, wounded part of my soul, it was intoxicating.

Julian shoved Marcus backward into the hallway. Marcus stumbled out, gasping for air, clutching his neck as he glared at us with pure venom.

"Security," Julian called out calmly, not even looking back into the hall. "Escort Mr. Vance out of the building. Revoke his keycard."

The heavy mahogany doors slammed shut, locking with a crisp, electronic click.

Silence fell over the room once more.

Julian straightened his jacket, resting his hands in his pockets as he turned back to look at me. The lethal rage that had covered his face a second ago was completely gone, replaced once again by that intense, silver-gray stare that made me feel stripped bare.

"Now," Julian said, walking slowly back toward me, his boots clicking against the floor. "Where were we, little bird?"