Chapter 4: The Wrong Brother

Thankfully, her ringing phone rescued her.

“Hello?” Vanessa answered, her heart racing.

Her best friend, the model Bianca Turner, spoke teasingly from the other end.

“Well? How was the wedding night?” Bianca asked. “Don't tell me you spent it talking.”

Bianca's voice carried across the room. Vanessa glanced toward Julian, who was leaving.

“We got married,” she said, relieved. “Nothing happened.”

“Seriously? You've been together for five years, and you haven't even touched each other…” Bianca cried. “Don't tell me you discovered on your wedding night that your husband can't get it up!”

She was so excited that her voice rose further.

Just then, Julian opened the door again. He heard Bianca's last remark.

He looked straight at Vanessa.

Vanessa tightened her grip on the phone.

“That's really bad. You need to see a doctor. If it can't be fixed, think carefully. I can't see you putting up with a sexless marriage for the rest of your life…”

Vanessa went red and ended the call.

“Why did you come back?” she asked, forcing a smile to hide her embarrassment.

“I forgot my watch.”

He retrieved his watch from the dressing room and came toward her.

Once he'd fastened it, he reached past her for something on the vanity, leaving her almost trapped against his chest.

“We can find out tonight whether everything works,” he said. “If you're that worried.”

“I didn't say anything!” Vanessa protested.

Julian smiled. “We'll talk when I get home.”

Before she could explain, he strode out.

Vanessa exhaled and called Bianca back.

“You've got it all wrong.”

“What have I got wrong? Why did you hang up? Are you angry because I said Adrian was bad in bed?” Bianca barely paused for breath.

“I married Julian,” Vanessa said. “Not Adrian.”

“What?!”

Ten minutes later, Bianca had heard everything and was still swearing about Adrian and Natalie.

“Good for you. Let Adrian regret it. Julian runs Firax Group, he's handsome, and he stays out of scandals. But are you sure about this? You two never even got along. What if he just wanted his family to stop nagging him?”

“It doesn't matter. We both got what we needed.” Vanessa lowered her eyes.

Yesterday, she'd married out of spite. Now she was thinking more clearly. She'd fulfilled her father's last wish. Whether she got divorced later didn't matter as much.

“All right, if you say so. I'm sending you a wedding present. Keep an eye out for it.”

“What present?”

Bianca didn't answer. Someone was calling her to start filming a commercial, and she hung up.

* * *

After a meeting at Firax Group, Julian returned to his desk.

Without looking up, he instructed his assistant, Daniel Reed.

“Buy me a pair of wedding rings, and prepare a share transfer agreement.”

“Yes, Mr. Ashford.”

When Daniel didn't leave, Julian raised his eyes.

“Anything else?”

“Mr. Arthur Ashford knows you're back. He called to say he expects you at the family residence for dinner tonight.”

Julian paused. “You can go. I'll deal with it.”

He called his grandfather as soon as Daniel left.

“So independent now, are you? You come back to Brookhaven without telling me, and I can't find you anywhere. Do I have to make an appointment to see you?”

“Relax, Grandpa. I got in yesterday, and I was jet-lagged. I didn't get a chance to let you know.” Julian drummed his fingers on the desk.

“Don't make excuses. I've spent three years telling you that when you came back, you'd have to settle down. Get married, have children… Don't forget.”

“Don't worry, Grandpa. I haven't forgotten.” He smiled. “I promise you'll be very pleased.”

* * *

Meanwhile, Adrian finally woke from his drunken sleep. His eyes half-open, he felt beneath his pillow for his phone.

When he saw how late it was, he sat up, suddenly wide awake.

He'd had an important meeting that morning, and Vanessa hadn't even called to remind him.

His assistant hurried into the bedroom. Seeing him awake, the man lowered his head.

“Mr. Ashford…”

“Why are you only getting here now?” Adrian demanded.

There were several missed calls from him.

“I thought you had something important to attend to, and I didn't want to disturb you,” the assistant explained.

He'd actually come to tell Adrian that Julian was back. But before he could, Adrian asked sharply, “Where's Vanessa?”

The assistant looked confused and shook his head. How was he supposed to know?

For five years, Vanessa had called to wake him before important meetings. He'd stopped setting his own reminders.

This time, she was surely trying to punish him by ignoring him over the registry office incident.

I've spoiled her too much, he thought.

Scowling, Adrian called Vanessa. The phone rang once, then disconnected automatically. He tried again with the same result.

She'd blocked him.

He tried sending a message. It wouldn't go through either.

He put the phone down. If she wanted to make up, she could contact him first.

* * *

At sunset, Vanessa sat by the window at Hawthorne House with her laptop on her knees, typing rapidly. She hadn't gone out all day, working instead on her screenplay. Two of her scripts had already been made into web series with respectable success.

Her phone rang. Seeing who was calling, she answered warmly.

“Hi, Grandpa.”

“Sweetheart, you haven't come to see me in a while. You got married yesterday, didn't you? Come and visit soon. Bring Adrian…”

Vanessa was silent for a few seconds before telling him the truth.

“I broke up with Adrian.”

Robert Bennett laughed. He was used to their arguments.

“What did he do this time? Has he been misbehaving and upset you again?”

Vanessa had expected him to say that. Still, she had to pause before answering.

“I mean it this time,” she said. After a short pause, she added, “I broke up with Adrian and married Julian.”

Outside the bedroom, Julian stopped with his hand on the door.