CHAPTER 4: The Revenge Dress

The box on the sofa contained a weapon. It wasn't a gun or a knife. It was a dress.

I lifted it out, the fabric slipping through my fingers like liquid midnight. It was black silk, floor-length, with a slit that went dangerously high up my thigh and a neckline that plunged deep. It was bold. It was aggressive. It was everything the old Vivian would never have worn.

"Do you need help?" Julian’s voice came from the other side of the door.

"No," I said, my voice steady. "I can manage."

I shed the ruined white wedding gown. It lay in a heap on the floor, a pile of dead dreams. I stepped into the black silk. It fit like a second skin.

I walked into the bathroom and fixed my face. I wiped away the smeared mascara and applied fresh makeup I found in the vanity drawer—dark red lipstick, sharp eyeliner. I pinned my hair back severely, exposing the bandage on my temple. I didn't want to hide my wound. Let them see it. Let them wonder.

When I stepped back into the living room, Julian was waiting.

He had put his jacket back on. He was checking his phone, looking impatient. But when I cleared my throat, he looked up.

He went perfectly still. His gray eyes swept over me, starting from my heels, traveling up the slit in the dress, lingering on my waist, and finally meeting my eyes.

The silence stretched, thick and electric.

"Well?" I asked, my heart hammering. "Is it enough to fool them?"

Julian walked toward me. He didn't smile. He looked... hungry.

"You won't just fool them, Vivian," he said, his voice rough. "You will destroy them."

He offered me his arm. "Shall we?"

The engagement party was being held at the Grand Sterling Hotel—the same venue where my reception was supposed to be.

As Julian’s black Rolls Royce pulled up to the entrance, I saw the paparazzi. They were swarming like vultures. Caleb and Chloe must have tipped them off to announce their 'happy news' to the world.

My hands started to shake. "They are all there. Caleb's parents. My friends. Everyone who thinks I ran away."

"Let them think what they want," Julian said calmly. He reached over and took my hand. His palm was warm, his grip firm. "Focus on me. Don't look at the cameras. Look at me."

The chauffeur opened the door. Flashbulbs went off immediately, blinding white light exploding in the night.

"Mr. Thorne! Mr. Thorne, is it true you're buying the hotel?" "Who is the woman?"

Julian stepped out first, buttoning his jacket. He turned and extended his hand to me.

I took a deep breath. I am Mrs. Thorne. I am not a victim.

I stepped out.

The silence that rippled through the press line was instantaneous.

"Is that... is that the bride?" someone whispered. "Vivian Hayes? The runaway?"

I didn't look down. I lifted my chin. Julian tucked my hand into the crook of his elbow, pulling me against his side. We walked up the red carpet like we owned the pavement.

"Smile," Julian murmured against my hair. "You are the happiest woman alive."

I pasted a dazzling smile on my face. "I hope Caleb chokes on his champagne."

"That's the spirit."

The ballroom doors swung open.

Music, laughter, and the clinking of glasses filled the air. Caleb and Chloe were standing on a small stage in the center of the room. Chloe was wearing a sparkly gold dress, clutching a microphone. Caleb had his arm around her.

"...so even though today was difficult," Caleb was saying, feigning sadness, "Chloe has been my rock. We decided not to let the day go to waste. Thank you all for supporting us."

"To the happy couple!" someone shouted.

"To the happy couple!" the room echoed.

"I have an objection," a deep voice cut through the room like a blade.

The music died. Every head turned toward the door.

We stood there, framed by the golden archway. The Devil and his new Queen.

Caleb dropped his champagne glass. It shattered on the floor. Chloe went pale, her mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"Who invited him?" a woman gasped. "That’s Julian Thorne."

We walked forward. The crowd parted for us like the Red Sea. No one dared to stand in Julian’s path.

We stopped right in front of the stage. Caleb stared down at me, his eyes darting from my face to the black dress, then to Julian’s hand on my waist.

"Vivian?" he stammered. "You... what are you doing here?"

"I came to return something," I said, my voice ringing clear in the silent room.

I reached into my clutch and pulled out the crumpled copy of the debt transfer agreement. I didn't hand it to him. I dropped it at his feet.

"You forgot your receipt," I said.

The crowd murmured. Caleb looked terrified. He knew exactly what that paper was. If anyone picked it up, they would see he had sold me.

"Vivian, please," he hissed, glancing at the guests. "Don't cause a scene. You’re drunk. Go home."

"She is home," Julian said. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried to the back of the room. "And she isn't Vivian Hayes anymore."

Julian stepped up onto the stage. He towered over Caleb. The difference in power was laughable. Caleb was a boy playing with matches; Julian was the inferno.

Julian wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me flush against him. He looked out at the crowd, then down at Caleb.

"Allow me to reintroduce my wife," Julian announced, his eyes cold and deadly. "Mrs. Vivian Thorne."

Gasps erupted. A wine glass smashed somewhere in the back.

"Wife?" Chloe shrieked, forgetting her act. "That’s impossible! She was engaged to Caleb this morning!"

"And he discarded her," Julian said smoothly. "One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Although..." He looked at Caleb with a sneer. "Only a fool throws away a diamond to pick up a piece of glass."

The insult landed hard. Chloe flushed bright red.

"Get out!" Caleb shouted, losing his composure. "Security! Get them out!"

"I wouldn't do that," Julian warned. He snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, the doors on all sides of the ballroom opened. Dozens of men in black suits walked in. They weren't hotel security. They were Julian’s private guard.

"I bought the hotel ten minutes ago," Julian said, checking his cufflinks. "So, technically, you are trespassing on my property."

He smiled, a dark, dangerous thing.

"Get out. Before I have you thrown out."