Semua Bab The Wife He Never Knew: Bab 31 - Bab 40

Something cold settled in Eleanor's stomach, and instinct sent her stepping back toward the door.Before she could reach it, Julian shoved it shut behind her.She fought him, twisting, shoving, as he lifted her clean off the ground and dropped her onto the bed.Sprawled there, gripping the collar of her own shirt, eyes red and wary, she watched him. Something about the fear in her expression pulled a low laugh out of him."Eleanor. As long as we're not divorced, you're still my wife. Legally."He looked, to her, like something starving. She watched him shrug out of his jacket, unbutton his shirt."I don't want this. You can't do this to me!" She threw everything she had into it, but the words came out shaking, half-broken."Of course I can."He didn't answer with anything else. He closed the distance instead.Beneath him, Eleanor went rigid, curled in on herself, trembling down to her toes, gripping the sheets like they were the only solid thing left.Three years of marriage, and she'

Julian kept his eyes on the paperwork in front of him, flat and unconcerned. "Cassandra's not Eleanor. She's not going to make a scene."Outside his office, Eleanor stood frozen in place, folder clutched to her chest.She was employed at Cross Group now.Secretary to the general manager assisting David, technically his special assistant, but really answering directly to Julian.These were the terms Julian had laid out at the police station the night before.If she quit Fenwick & York and came to work at Cross Group, he'd drop the charges against Lauren, no strings, no detention.Lauren had fought her tooth and nail on it, she'd rather sit in a holding cell than let Eleanor agree to those terms.Eleanor hadn't hesitated.Whatever this cost her, it was nothing next to Lauren's future.She had no idea why she was still lurking outside his office right now, listening in.She just couldn't make herself walk away.She genuinely couldn't figure out why he'd insisted on her working here, spec

Eleanor called Peter the second she cleared the conference room.She wasn't asking him to defend her she was worried Cassandra's theft would come back around and hurt Fenwick & York directly.Peter told her not to worry about it.Turned out he'd already filed the design patent through the IP office the moment she'd handed him the original draft which was exactly why Cross Group now had to scramble a market-wide recall.Julian took the day off.Eleanor could see straight into the empty executive suite from her desk.As his secretary, she had his entire calendar memorized, today included.Which meant she knew exactly where he was out on a yacht, deep-sea fishing with Cassandra.Every meeting, every deal on the books today, canceled without explanation.She remembered, with an old, familiar ache, the last time he'd done exactly this skipping her hospital bed after the miscarriage for the same trip with the same woman."You think Julian and Cassandra actually got married already?"Karen w

Eleanor didn't fight him not until he set her down in a room at the Crestwood Regal.It was a company gala, and no amount of personal history with Julian made a public scene worth the fallout.But with the door shut and just the two of them left in the room, her nerves finally caught up with her.Julian took in the sight of her, bristling like a startled hedgehog, and let his mouth curve."Three million dollars. Really."He gave her a slow once-over.He knew Solene's price range standard formalwear from them ran around a hundred thousand, tops.Eleanor already knew what he was thinking.She and Lauren had both been dressed in Solene's new limited run tonight. She hadn't lied about the price. Not even slightly."What is that too steep for you, Mr. Cross?"She knew he'd never believe her explanation regardless. No point offering it."I can afford it." His tone was flat, certain. "Forget three million. I could cover three hundred billion without blinking."Eleanor's hands clasped tight b

Eleanor had no real intention of showering first.She didn't trust being alone in this house with Julian.In the Cross estate, with no one else nearby, if he wanted to try anything, resisting him would be nearly impossible even with her grandfather-in-law down the hall.And the last time he'd forced her, she'd fought as hard as she could. It hadn't mattered.Julian, typing away at his laptop, noticed the silence stretching on and glanced up.Their eyes met, and Eleanor felt, for a split second, like he'd read every word of what she'd been thinking.He smiled that usual flatness in his eyes, curving into something warmer, magnetic in a way that felt dangerous.Before she could speak, he stood and disappeared into the bathroom first.Eleanor let out a breath once she heard the shower running.Julian took longer than usual that night. Eleanor had finished a full design sketch before she realized he still hadn't emerged.And the water had gone quiet a while ago. Silent, like nobody was ev