Chapter 7: The Reconciliation Clause

The morning light in the penthouse was sharp, reflecting off the floor-to-ceiling glass walls that overlooked a waking Manhattan. It was the morning when Julian and Elena had to meet to further discuss things.

Julian arrived first, together with his lead counsel, Evan. They both looked as if they hadn't winked a blink since the scene at the gala. Julian’s hair was uncombed, and his shirt was wrinkled, a stark contrast to the polished, perfect, arrogant man who had stood on the stage hours earlier, publicly ending his marriage while flaunting his new mistress.

He stopped short in the foyer, his eyes moving from Elena’s crisp white suit to Theo, who stood solidly behind her like a silent, immovable shadow.

"What is he doing here? Who invited him" Julian demanded, his voice thin and cracking with exhaustion. 

"I did." Elena simply replied, looking away from Julian.

"Why would you invite him without my consent? This is a private matter: one that's meant r be discussed between us, one between a husband and wife. I didn't agree to having a third-party aside from the legal teams."

"In that case, Mr. Sterling is my legal protector," Elena said, her voice dropping into a calm, analytical tone. "He is here because you proved last night that I cannot trust you to act with any sense of decency. From this moment on, you don't speak to me without his oversight and lest I forget, we are not "husband and wife," she said, making quotes in the air.

" You made that very clear to me and the entire city of Manhattan yesterday."

Evan cleared his throat, loosened his tie and stepped forward, opening a heavy leather folder. The sound of shifting paper was loud in the quiet room. 

"Can we proceed with what we have come here to do? Time is really far spent." Theo said, looking down at his watch.

Evan started. "The purpose of this meeting is for us to address the merger immediately. The Vance family is spooked by the recording of the gala. They have made it clear: if the public sees a divorce or a scandal right now, they pull away from the funding and if that were to occur, the Thorne Group will be forced into total insolvency by the end of the month."

"A divorce or a scandal?" Elena laughed. "The public is already in on this. As a matter of fact, it is the gist circulating around town, it's ok everyone's lips. I am afraid the end is here for the Thorne Group." She giggled.

Julian turned to Elena, his expression shifting from anger to a forced, desperate plea that didn't reach his cold eyes.

"Why would you say a thing like that?" Julian roared.

"Tone, pls." Theo warned.

"Now, you're going to tell me what to say and what not to say?" Elena scoffed, her eyes extremely cold.

 "Elena, let’s be reasonable adults. If we go through with this and pretend it was a prank or something, I promise to give you five million dollars as soon as the funding is done. Just move back into the penthouse for three weeks. We smile for the cameras, attend the final anniversary event together, and then we both get exactly what we want. Before you know it, three weeks is over. You can go back to being whoever you were before I found you."

"Five million dollars? Is that all that you are willing to offer?" She chuckled dryly.

"If we are talking about money, I already have your money, Julian," Elena replied, her mind flicking to the offshore accounts she had drained through the night. "What I want is the Blackwood Seal you took from my grandfather’s private safe".

Julian’s face went pale, a bead of sweat forming at his hairline. "The Blackwood Seal? What is that?" 

"I don't know what you're talking about. There was no seal in that safe."

" Is that so?" Elena asked, placing her hands in the table, giving her more closure to Julian.

"Then you have twenty-one days to find it," Theo interrupted, his voice a low, dangerous resonance that seemed to vibrate through the floor. "Until then, the reconciliation happens on our terms. Elena stays where I stay, under my roof and my protection. You will report to this address every evening for two hours. You will be seen entering and leaving by the press. To the world, you are a husband begging for his wife’s forgiveness to save a failing marriage".

" That seems like a fair proposition to me though." Elena smiled, nodding in agreement.

"You want me to crawl?" Julian hissed, his fists tightening until his knuckles turned white. "Do you know how shameful and demeaning that is? Do you know what that will do to my name and that of my company?" 

"I want you to survive," Evan whispered to him, his face grim and urgent. "If she walks, we lose the board's vote tomorrow. You are at a greater loss, we have little ir nothing to lose."

" If you don't dance to our tune, your so-called company will be nothing but history. Besides, I think Mr. Sterling is too lenient and thoughtful with his conditions." Elena chipped in.

Julian looked at Elena, his sapphire eyes filled with a new, frantic kind of fear. He had spent three years treating her like a piece of domestic equipment he could discard at will. Now, he was realizing that the only way to save his legacy was to play a part in a script she had written.

"Two hours it is then," Julian rasped, looking at the floor because he could no longer meet her cold and deadly gaze. "We also start tonight."

Elena watched them leave, her expression unchanged and stoic. She didn't feel a sense of victory, only the cold satisfaction of a grandmaster seeing the first piece of the opponent's king fall into place.