Chapter 3

Elena went completely silent, her body suddenly turning stiff and lifeless. The weight of that threat locked down every argument she had left.

Without uttering another word, Julian turned on his heel and strode away, closing the luxury suite door with a soft, echoing thud. He left Elena still frozen entirely alone on the mattress.

‘I must be losing my mind! How could I possibly become my own brother-in-law's mistress?’ the girl thought in inner turmoil.

Amidst the shock that was still roaring through her, the heavy silence was abruptly shattered by the ringing of her phone. Elena startled. With stiff, powerless hands, she fumbled across the mattress and picked up her device.

The name displayed on the screen caused her heart to drop. "Dad?" she murmured in a panic.

Elena swallowed hard with great difficulty, then slid the green button. "Y-yes, Dad?"

"Elena, you must come to our usual restaurant at seven o'clock tonight. Do not be late!" Richard's voice sounded firm and commanding on the other end of the line.

"We are having a family dinner to celebrate the success of my new project tender."

Hearing that made Elena's stomach churn. A wave of reluctance and dread immediately weighed down her mind.

Family dinners had never been a pleasant experience for her. There, Victoria and her stepmother, Beatrice, always looked for any opportunity to insult, mock, and slander her right in front of Richard.

But what terrified her to death right now was the realization that she would have to face Julian. "But, Dad, it seems like I can't make it tonight." She desperately tried to fabricate an excuse. "I'm not feeling well, Dad."

"I am not accepting any excuses!" Richard cut her off heartlessly, his tone rising sharply.

"Sick or not, you still have to come. This is an important event for our family!"

"Dad, but—"

Click!

The call was abruptly disconnected from his end.

Elena lowered her phone weakly. Richard did not even know that his youngest daughter had not returned home last night.

The man was far too indifferent to notice Elena's presence. The girl was now consumed by an overwhelming sense of confusion and anxiety.

She was deeply worried that Julian would also attend the dinner. Until now, in front of the extended family, her brother-in-law had always acted incredibly cold, rigid, and as if he couldn't even bear to look at her.

Yet, who could have guessed that last night the man would transform into someone so feral, dominant, and uncontrollable. If they faced each other in front of Richard, Beatrice, and Victoria, Elena feared their forbidden secret would leak through a single glance.

Especially since Julian had boldly defied her last night when Victoria called.

Elena knew she couldn't linger in this hotel room any longer. Remembering Victoria's orders from the previous night, she hurriedly took a shower and slipped back into her clothes. She had to return to her father's house immediately to retrieve the dress.

With hurried steps, she stealthily sneaked into her family's mansion. Fortunately, the house was quiet. Richard and Beatrice seemed to be out. Without wasting any time, Elena rushed into the room and grabbed Victoria's forgotten dress.

Throughout the entire journey to Julian and Victoria's luxury penthouse, her heart never found peace. Her chest hammered wildly. She clutched the garment bag tightly, continuously praying in her heart that her brother-in-law would not be there and had already left for the office.

Once she arrived in front of the penthouse door, Elena stood with a trembling frame. She pressed the doorbell with immense hesitation. She felt like turning around and fleeing from the place. However, in the very next second, the door swung open.

Her hopes shattered instantly. The figure opening the door for her was none other than Julian. The man looked incredibly masculine despite only wearing a shirt with the top buttons undone.

He looked Elena up and down. A cold, teasing smirk surfaced on his handsome face. "It seems my performance last night left you craving more, since you've shown up here so early in the morning?"

Elena's face flushed crimson from a mix of shame and panic. "Please don't speak nonsense, Julian! I only came here to deliver Victoria's dress," she said, attempting to mask her nervousness.

"Come on in," Julian replied casually, opening the door wider.

The man turned away, completely indifferent to his sister-in-law's visible tension. He walked back inside and sat down at the dining table to resume his interrupted breakfast.

Elena stepped inside awkwardly, remaining on her feet not far from the dining area. "Where should I leave this dress?" She wanting to finish her task as quickly as possible.

"Just put it in the walk-in closet in the bedroom," Julian replied nonchalantly while cutting his bread.

Elena frowned, feeling the request was entirely inappropriate. "Is there nowhere else? I am not accustomed to entering other people's bedrooms. It's inappropriate," she complained in a tone of protest.

Julian halted his movements. He turned his head slowly, locking his eyes onto Elena with a gaze that instantly made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

"Oh, really? How amusing." His voice sounded incredibly cynical.

"Entering a bedroom is inappropriate? Then, tell me, when you were moaning beneath me and riding my body last night, was that appropriate? It seems there's no longer any need for boundaries or formalities between us, Elena."

Those vulgar words hit Elena like a heavy blow. She panicked severely, her eyes darting alertly around the room, terrified that a servant or even Victoria might suddenly overhear.

"Please stop speaking so recklessly!" her voice shook with nervousness.

Julian merely smirked slyly at his sister-in-law's panic. He elegantly resumed eating. "Just leave it in the bedroom. If you refuse, feel free to take the dress back home with you."

Elena groaned in frustration internally. Feeling utterly resentful, she was forced to walk toward the master bedroom of the penthouse.

Arriving in front of the bedroom door, Elena knocked a few times. She wanted to ask for Victoria's permission, assuming her stepsister might still be inside.

However, Julian's voice interrupted her again from the direction of the dining table. "Just go in, the room is empty. Victoria left for the office very early this morning."

Elena swallowed hard with great difficulty. That information, rather than putting her at ease, caused her courage to shrink completely.

It meant that right now, inside this vast penthouse, they were entirely alone. Elena was crept upon by a sudden fear that Julian would perform another reckless act on her.

Still, she tried with all her might to banish the dark thoughts. ’Ah, he wouldn't dare do something that crazy in his own home. Especially since Victoria lives here too,’ she reasoned with herself.

Elena opened the bedroom door, hurriedly stepped inside, and carefully placed the dress where it belonged. Her breath exhaled in relief, and she immediately turned around to leave. However, her footsteps ground to a sudden halt.

Julian was already standing at the threshold of the bedroom. Before Elena could open her mouth to protest, the man shut the door swiftly and turned the key from the inside.

Click!

Elena panicked, stepping backward until she was trapped right beside the bed. "What do you want, Julian?" she asked, her voice rising. She glanced around the unfamiliar room.

A sudden crush of guilt weighed heavily on her chest when her eyes caught a large framed wedding photo displaying Julian and Victoria smiling happily together on the bedroom wall.

Julian smirked wickedly, stepping forward slowly like a wolf locking onto its prey. "You've come all this way. Why be in such a hurry to leave? Didn't you miss me, hm?"

Before Elena could open her mouth to answer or scream an insult, Julian moved with lightning speed. He snatched her wrist and pulled her body forward with a powerful jerk.

Elena lost her balance. In the next second, they both tumbled onto the plush king-sized mattress.

The girl landed on Julian's solid chest. Their position was now immensely intimate, facing each other so closely that the rush of his warm breath brushed against her face.

"Julian, don't be insane! This is your and Victoria's bedroom!" Elena scolded in a half-whisper, her eyes flashing with a mixture of anger and terror. "If she sees me here, I am dead!"

Julian was not bothered in the slightest by the scolding. Instead, one of his hands slid up, gripping Elena's waist possessively.

"If I weren't insane, how could I have possessed my own sister-in-law last night, Sweetheart? This is your fault. You've made me an addict," the man hissed with a sly smile, staring intently at Elena's lush lips.

"Now, if you want to get out of here, beg nicely. At least ... give me a warm morning kiss."

"You are too much!" Elena shrieked in annoyance, struggling to break free and sit up.

However, her movements froze instantly when a sound from outside robbed her lungs of all remaining air.

Creak!

The doorknob of the master bedroom turned, attempted to be opened from the outside by someone, but the door was locked from within. This was followed by an impatient knock.

"Julian? Why is the door locked? You're inside, right?" It was Victoria's voice. Her stepsister had suddenly returned home.

Elena panicked beyond measure, her entire face turning as pale as a corpse. She stared at her brother-in-law with an incredibly frustrated, pleading gaze.

"Julian! Let go! Victoria will kill me.” Her voice almost completely gone from pure shock.

The man maintained his deadly, casual demeanor. "I've already told you my condition if you want me to let you go right now," the man replied effortlessly, waiting for the kiss he demanded amidst the danger lurking just behind the door.