Chapter Nine

By noon the next day, the Vane Enterprises boardroom was a filled with pressure.

I sat at Julian’s right hand, dressed in the sharp black suit he had chosen for me. My wrists were bruised beneath the fabric, a hidden reminder of the night before.

Across the table, Vivienne sat with her legal team, her face tight, her eyes dark with a mixture of fear and fury. Arthur Vane sat at the head, watching the two of us like a spectator at a gladiator match.

The final disclosure documents for the merger lay between us. If Vivienne signed, the Montgomery fortune would be bound to Vane Enterprises, sealing Julian’s absolute control over the market.

"The compliance files are fully verified," Julian announced, his smooth, commanding voice filling the room. He didn't look at me, but his hand was resting on the back of my chair, his fingers occasionally brushing against my shoulder.

"Ms. Vance has personally audited the internal ledgers for Onyx Holdings. Everything is transparent."

Vivienne let out a sharp, jagged breath. She looked at me, her eyes practically begging me to scream, to flip the table, to use the information she had given me the day before to blow the meeting apart.

I kept my face perfectly blank. I leaned forward, my voice level and professional as I looked directly at her.

"The files are accurate, Ms. Montgomery," I said, the lie smooth as silk on my tongue. "Onyx Holdings operates within full legal parameters. There are no hidden liabilities."

Arthur Vane’s eyebrows shot up. A slow, ugly grin spread across his old face. He leaned back in his chair, realizing that Julian had successfully broken me or so he thought.

Vivienne slammed her pen onto the paper, scribbling her signature across the dotted line with enough force to rip the parchment.

"There," she spat, pushing the document toward Julian.

"It's done. My father stays out of prison, and you get your empire. I hope it suffocates you."

She stood up, her legal team scrambling to follow her as she marched out of the room, the heavy oak doors slamming shut behind her.

Arthur rose next, walking over to Julian. He clapped a heavy hand on his son’s shoulder, but his eyes were fixed on me. "You tamed her well, Julian. Just make sure she doesn't find the key to the back door."

"The back door doesn't exist, Father," Julian replied smoothly.

As soon as Arthur cleared the room, Julian turned to me. He reached out, his fingers catching my jaw, tilting my face up. "You played your part beautifully today, Elena. I almost believed you myself."

"I told you I was calculating," I said, pulling away from his touch. "The merger is signed. Your empire is safe. Now, I want to see my father."

Julian’s eyes darkened, the warmth instantly evaporating. "You see him through the monitor, Elena. That was the deal."

"The deal changed when I signed my name to a federal disclosure lie," I whispered, leaning in close until the security cameras down the hall couldn't read my lips.

"I know where medical care facility is, Julian. I know it’s in the Nevada desert. Give me two hours with him, or the press gets an anonymous tip about the Onyx Holdings medical ledger before the stock market closes."

Julian stared at me, his jaw tightening until the bone looked ready to crack. For a second, I thought he was going to wrap his hands around my throat right there in the boardroom. But then, a low, breathy laugh escaped his lips.

"You really are learning," he murmured, his blue eyes gleaming with a terrifying pride. "Two hours. Sarah will drive you. If you’re one minute late, the ventilator loses power."