All Chapters of He Betrayed Me at My Lowest. I Met Him at His Peak: Chapter 61 - Chapter 68

The Tuesday afternoon at Vance & Associates was thick with the usual productive hum of a high-end design firm. Elara was deep in the zone, her attention split between a massive structural diagram and a delicate color palette for the Soho hotel project. She felt a deep sense of pride as she watched her team move with purpose. To her, every person in the room was a vital part of a grander design, and she felt lucky to be at the helm of such a talented group. She took a long sip of her tea, her eyes crinkling with a smile as she saw a junior designer finally nail a difficult perspective drawing. In her mind, the firm was her second home, a place of order and shared goals, where everyone played their part to perfection.Julian was tucked away at his workstation, his back to the rest of the office. He was working on a set of intricate branding guidelines, a task that required absolute precision. He liked the quiet solitude of the work, the way he could get lost in the math of the margins a

The final days of the week passed quickly with a steady stream of client phone calls and regular adjustments to the design layouts. By the time Friday morning arrived, the entire staff gathered early in the main conference room for a mandatory briefing. Elara sat comfortably at the head of the long oak table, her fingers tapping a quiet rhythm against the cover of her notebook as she waited for everyone to settle into their seats. The energy in the space was high and positive. The major hotel project for the Soho district was officially moving into its final promotional stage, and the room felt alive with a sense of shared accomplishment. Every designer and assistant seemed eager to see the hard work of the past few months finally come together. Sienna was the last person to walk through the heavy glass doors, carrying a neatly organized stack of presentation folders under her arm. Instead of sliding into her usual chair near the junior staff members, she walked right to the front

The alarm went off at six o'clock, the sharp sound cutting through the quiet bedroom. Elara reached out from under the heavy blankets and switched it off, the room still cast in the dull grey light of the early hours. Next to her, Julian was already awake, sitting on the edge of the mattress with his head in his hands. The absolute peace of the night before seemed to evaporate the moment his feet touched the cold floorboards.He didn't say much as he got dressed, pulling on a dark sweater and his heavy winter coat. Elara watched him from the bed, pulling the duvet up to her chin."You're leaving early," she murmured, her voice thick with sleep."I want to check the files one last time before Sienna gets to the office," Julian said, his voice quiet. He leaned over the bed, pressing a firm, lingering kiss to her forehead. "I'll see you tonight."By seven-thirty, Julian was standing in the empty office kitchen, staring at the black liquid in his coffee mug. The building was dead silent,

The drive from the apartment to the Soho hotel site passed in a thick, suffocating silence. Julian navigated the heavy London traffic with a fierce, aggressive focus, his knuckles white against the steering wheel. He kept his window rolled all the way down, letting the freezing afternoon air blast into the cabin to chase away the suffocating scent of jasmine and cedar that felt trapped in the fabric of his clothes. Next to him, Sienna sat comfortably, casually scrolling through her phone as if nothing had happened. She didn't say a single word, completely content with the quiet chaos she had left running through his mind. When Julian pulled the company vehicle up to the security gates of the Soho site, the sheer scale of the project forced him back into reality. The luxury hotel was a massive, concrete structure surrounded by high metal fencing and scaffolding. The main entrance was bustling with activity; delivery vans were unloading expensive light fixtures, and workers in hard