2. Xavier's Forbidden Game

The long teak dining table was laden with world-class delicacies, yet for Elara, every mouthful felt like swallowing thorns. At the head of the table, Maximilian sat with pride, while to Elara’s right, Xavier sat in a composed silence—so calm it was as if they had never known each other before.

"Elara, why aren't you eating?" Maximilian asked softly, though his eyes remained intimidating. "Xavier chose this truffle menu himself. He is very meticulous when it comes to quality."

Elara gripped her fork until her knuckles turned white. Since that shocking encounter in the hall, her mind had been racing. How could she not have known? During their three years of dating in college, Xavier had only described himself as a scholarship student from an ordinary family who was at odds with his father. He had never used the surname "Vaughn" on campus. He was simply known as Xavier.

As it turned out, it had all been part of Xavier’s rebellion against his father back then. And now, Elara had walked straight into the very trap she had spent years trying to avoid.

"I’m sorry, Maximilian. I’m just... still a bit dizzy from the party earlier," Elara lied quietly.

"Perhaps our dear stepmother is overwhelmed by the vastness of the Vaughn estate," Xavier remarked casually, his sharp eyes pinning Elara down without mercy. "Or perhaps she’s only just realized that the world is much smaller than she imagined."

Xavier sipped his red wine and continued, "You know, Father? I once had a female friend who was very similar to Elara. She was beautiful, seemed innocent, but turned out to be nothing more than an opportunist who would leave the moment a bigger offer came along."

Elara’s face went pale. She knew Xavier was stripping her bare right in front of his own father.

"Is that so?" Maximilian laughed dismissively. "A woman like that is beneath you, Xavier. You need a woman who is loyal, like my Elara."

Suddenly, Elara gave a small start in her chair. Beneath the table, hidden by the long velvet cloth, she felt something hot pressing against her leg. It was Xavier’s leather shoe. He deliberately rubbed his foot against Elara’s calf, sliding it slowly upward until it reached her knee.

Elara tried to pull her leg away, but Xavier locked her leg with his own underneath the table.

"What is it, Mommy? Are you restless?" Xavier asked, his face looking perfectly innocent, though his eyes flashed with victory.

"N-no," Elara whispered. She glanced at Maximilian, who was busy cutting his meat, completely unaware that beneath the dining table, his son was subjecting his wife to psychological torment.

"Father," Xavier began again, his foot now creeping higher toward Elara’s thigh, covered only by the thin fabric of her gown. "Since you haven't fully recovered, wouldn't it be best if Mommy Elara assisted me at the office? As Mrs. Vaughn, she should understand how Vaughn Enterprises operates. I wouldn’t want her just sitting at home like a bird in a cage."

Maximilian seemed to consider it for a moment. "A good idea. Elara, do you mind? Xavier can teach you many things."

Elara wanted to scream "No!", but the pressure of Xavier’s foot beneath the table grew stronger, as if warning her that her father’s life was in his hands.

"I... I will do it if that is what you wish, Maximilian," Elara replied, her voice trembling.

Xavier smirked. He finally withdrew his foot, but not before pressing his toes firmly into Elara’s inner thigh, making her gasp softly.

"Excellent," Xavier said quietly. "I’ll pick you up at eight tomorrow morning. Don't be late, Mother. I am the type of boss who is very strict about... obedience."

Dinner ended. Maximilian was guided by his private nurse to a specially modified ground-floor suite. Elara stood alone in the vast dining room for a moment before a powerful hand gripped her waist from behind and dragged her into the dark library.

Xavier locked the door with one hand while the other muffled Elara’s mouth to stop her from screaming.

"Did you think you could live in peace here?" Xavier hissed into her ear. "Married to a man who can give you nothing but money? You really underestimated me, Elara."

Xavier spun her around to face him, pinning her between his body and the towering bookshelves.

"You don't know who you married, do you?" Xavier laughed cynically, looking at Elara’s tear-streaked face. "I did this on purpose. I wanted to see the devastation on your face when you realized that the only man who will touch you in this house isn't your husband... it’s me."

"You’re insane, Xavier! Why would you do this? I know I made a mistake, but you shouldn't involve others, let alone your own father," Elara sobbed.

"Yes, you were wrong. Wrong for leaving me five years ago without a single word!" Xavier shouted in a low, explosive voice. "Now, you will pay for every second of my suffering. Tomorrow, at the office, you aren't Mrs. Vaughn. You are mine. And if you try to run or complain to Father..."

Xavier pulled out his phone, showing a short message from his men at her father's location: 'Ready to execute.'

"The choice is yours, Elara. Be the 'saintly' wife who watches her father die, or be mine and ensure he stays alive."

Elara shook her head, completely paralyzed by the threat. In a faint voice, she asked, "If you wanted me, why didn't you just force me to marry you? You could have owned me without all this secrecy. You could have done anything to me if it meant atoning for what I did."

Xavier gave a hollow laugh. "That’s exactly where the fantasy lies, Mommy. I want every single day to be a ticking time bomb for you." He patted Elara’s shoulder, then squeezed it hard before turning to leave. "Get some rest, Mommy. Tomorrow is going to be a very long day for you."

To be continued...