Chapter four

CHAPTER FOUR

MY UNCLE'S WIFE

ELENA

Adrian froze.

For a moment, nobody in the room said anything.

We all looked at him, then at ourselves because we didn't know what had caused the sudden change in his expression.

Only a few seconds ago, he had been laughing with Clara and Vivienne. Now, he stood completely still, his eyes fixed on me.

Then he blinked and seemed to pull himself together. “My uncle's wife,” he repeated quietly as if hypnotized or something.

Victor nodded. “Yes. Elena and I were married five days ago.”

Adrian looked at Victor. “Five days?”

“Yes.” Victor nodded.

There was something in his voice that made me wonder if he was struggling to process the information.

“You didn't tell me you were getting married.” Adrian blinked, still visibly shocked.

Victor gave a small shrug. “It happened so quickly.”

Adrian let out a quiet breath. “Apparently.”

Clara stepped forward with a smile. “You were away, Adrian. What did you expect?”

“I expected my uncle to mention that he was getting married.” Adrian said.

Vivienne laughed. “You were busy with your work.”

Adrian glanced at her. “I still had a phone.”

“That doesn't mean you would have answered it,” Clara replied.

Everyone laughed except Adrian, who simply shook his head.

I smiled quietly. There was clearly a closeness between them that came from years of knowing one another.

Adrian turned his attention back to me. “I apologise. I don't mean to make things awkward.”

“You're not,” I replied.

He nodded. “It's nice to meet you, Elena.”

“It's nice to meet you too.” I smiled and his expression softened slightly.

Then Victor placed a hand on Adrian's shoulder. “You must be tired. Six months away is a long time.” He said.

“It was.” Adrian nodded in agreement.

“Was the trip successful?” Victor asked with concern in his voice.

“Eventually.” Adrian replied.

Yet again, they began talking about the business Adrian had been handling while he was away.

I just listened quietly.

It was clear Adrian was involved in important matters for the family, although he didn't speak about his work in a boastful way.

Clara eventually interrupted them. “And before you start talking about business all evening, let's eat dinner .”

Adrian's expression changed slightly. “ Dinner?”

Vivienne smiled. “ Yes dinner, or aren't you hungry?”.

I looked down at my hands because I didn't know if the twins would embarrass me.

Adrian sighed. “I am actually starving.”

“Good,” Vivienne smiled.

Adrian laughed softly. 

I remained quiet. A few minutes later, we were done eating so we moved into the sitting room.

Adrian took out his phone and stepped slightly away from everyone.

I didn't mean to listen and I wasn't interested in his conversation, but the room was quiet enough that I could hear everything he was saying.

His voice dropped into something almost protective. "Just stay where you are, okay? I'll sort it out. Don't wait up for me."

I looked away immediately. There was a gentleness in how he said it, like he was talking to someone he needed to reassure.

Whoever it was, Adrian clearly felt responsible for them, and he was freaking terrible at hiding that from the rest of us.

I only realised how much when he came back and Vivienne caught the change in his mood right away.

"You've got your worried face on," she said, studying him carefully.

Adrian rubbed the back of his neck. "It's handled."

Clara wasn't buying it. "You always say that right before it isn't."

I glanced at Adrian. "Something wrong?"

He looked at me for a second before answering. "Someone back home is going through a rough patch. I'm trying to help from a distance, which isn't exactly working." he added.

"Oh, ok." I replied. I wasn't sure why the weight behind his casual tone made me feel strangely invested. It shouldn't have, I had only met him today and besides, I was married, to his uncle.

There was absolutely no reason for it to matter to me.

"I hope it gets better," I said politely.

Adrian's mouth curved faintly. "Yeah. Me too."

Then his gaze moved away. For a brief moment, neither of us said anything.

I lowered my eyes. There was something about the conversation that had suddenly made the room feel different.

Maybe it was simply the reminder that Adrian was quietly holding more than he let on, someone counting on him even from far away, a version of responsibility no one at this table seemed to fully understand.

I pushed the thought aside. Victor called everyone to dinner.

As we walked into the dining room, Clara and Vivienne kept teasing him about it.

"You worry too much," Clara said. "You can't really fix everything from here."

"I know," Adrian said. " But it doesn't stop me from trying."

"That's your problem exactly," Vivienne said, shaking her head.

"Noted," Adrian said dryly.

"You're impossible." Vivienne sighed dramatically, but she was smiling.

Adrian let out a low laugh, and I listened quietly as the conversation moved on, though the worry hadn't fully left his eyes.

He seemed to settle a little once dinner started, at least, I thought he did, and for some reason, I found myself wondering who he was so determined to protect.

I immediately stopped myself, this wasn't my concern, I had enough things to worry about. My family was finally free from debt, I had a new home, a husband and a new family. That should have been enough.

After dinner, everyone began leaving the dining room.

I stayed behind for a moment, helping Clara gather a few things from the table. 

When I looked up, I saw Adrian standing near the doorway. He was looking in my direction, our eyes met. Neither of us spoke, he simply gave me a small, polite smile before turning away. I returned the smile after he had already looked away.

I didn't know why that moment stayed with me. Maybe it was because everything about him was unfamiliar, maybe because his sudden arrival had changed the rhythm of the entire household, or maybe because, despite knowing almost nothing about him, I had already noticed things I probably shouldn't have.

I pushed the thought away immediately. Adrian Ashbourne was Victor's nephew, and besides, he probably had other things in mind and I was his uncle's wife. There was nothing more to think about.

At least, that was what I told myself.