Chapter 4

Three days later, Julian burst into my office.

The heavy oak doors slammed against the wall with a violence that made my assistant gasp.

He didn't look like the poised billionaire the media adored. His tie was loose, his hair was a mess, and his face was flushed with a dangerous heat.

"Clara! Have you lost your mind?" he roared, slamming a folder onto my desk. "Did you actually go to Elena’s parents? Her father called her this morning—he disowned her! He called her a 'shameful thief' and told her never to show her face again. She’s been locked in the bathroom for hours, sobbing that she wants to end it all. Are you happy now?"

I didn't even look up from my laptop. I calmly highlighted a row on my spreadsheet before speaking. "Actions have consequences, Julian. If she didn't want her parents to know she was a homewrecker, she shouldn't have moved into my bed the moment I stepped onto a plane."

A pang of bitterness flickered in my chest. I had spent tens of thousands of dollars clearing her father’s debts over the years. I had sent her mother to the best specialists when she fell ill.

Hearing what their daughter did to me, they sounded more apologetic and guilty than these two people, who should have been the most.

Julian took a sharp breath, forced himself to sit, and tried to adopt a tone of "negotiation."

"Clara, look. I’m giving you one last chance to fix this. Call her parents. Tell them it was a misunderstanding. Apologize to Elena for the scene at the plaza, or else forget about my law firm’s support of your mother's trust.”

I finally looked up, a slow, pitying smile spreading across my lips. "Apologize? Julian, you’ve spent too much time surrounded by 'delicate' women who cater to your ego. You’ve forgotten who you’re talking to."

His eyes narrowed. "Don't be a fool. You barely managed to keep your mother's trust from your father's hand. Don't let your petty jealousy burn it to the ground."

"It's not jealousy," I whispered. "It's an audit."

I watched him walk out, his back rigid with the arrogance of a man who thought he held all the cards.

True to his word, by the next morning, my father's lawyer sent two legal notices on my mother's trust, reopening the old case.

But I didn't flinch. Ten years ago, I escaped a violent home with fifty dollars and a scholarship. Today, I have a small law firm of my own. I didn't need Julian to fight my case; I could do that on my own.

If I could win the lawsuit against my Dad one time, I could do it once more. Julian was a fool to think I would give in just because he stopped supporting my lawsuit.

One month later, an ivory-pressed envelope arrived at my new apartment.

‘Clara, Julian, and I are getting married at the St. Regis next month. You are the only sister I’ve ever had, and despite everything, I need your blessing. I know I’ve failed you, but please... for the sake of our childhood, just this once?’

I didn't reply. I simply handed the invitation to my assistant and asked, "Prepare a wedding gift for my friend and ex-fiance. It's a special day. I want it to be memorable for them.”

The day of the wedding was a typical New York spring afternoon. I walked into the ballroom of the St. Regis, wearing a structured, blood-red silk gown that stood out like a flame.

Elena was standing at the altar, looking like a porcelain doll in a Vera Wang lace gown. Julian stood beside her, looking triumphant—until he saw me. The room went silent. Everyone knew the history.

They knew Julian had once announced he would spend the rest of his life with me, yet he was standing before me, wrapping his hands around a woman’s waist who was nothing more than dirt compared to me.

Julian stepped forward, shielding Elena as if I were carrying a weapon.

"Clara," he warned, his voice low. "Don't."

Elena’s eyes filled with tears, her lower lip trembling. "Clara... you came. Does this mean you...?"

I smiled, and it was the most genuine smile I’d worn in months. "I told you I wouldn't miss the most important moment of your life, Elena. I’m here to give you exactly what you asked for."

I gestured toward the massive LED screens behind the altar, which were meant to show a montage of their "whirlwind romance."

Suddenly, the screens flickered and went dark. The ballroom held its breath. When the light returned, it wasn't a vlog of their love. It was something that left everyone's eyes wide open in horror.