Chapter 5
966words
I later heard that the assistant's revelation had struck him like lightning from a clear sky.
He lurched to his feet, sending his chair crashing backward. His eyes blazed with shock, fury, and the raw, stunned confusion of a man who believes he's been betrayed.
The assistant flinched but held his ground. "Mr. Thorne, it's true. While you were away with Miss Seraphina, she married Mr. Ethan Kale in a private ceremony."
The color drained from Julian's face. He searched his assistant's expression desperately for any hint of a joke.
But the man's face remained solemn and certain—this was no prank.
"Impossible!" Julian's fist crashed onto the desk. "This is just another of her games! She's trying to make me jealous—trying to force my hand! If she thinks this will make me crawl back to her, she's delusional!"
His chest heaved, his eyes wild with desperation.
He ranted about the "blood extraction" incident, insisting it was an elaborate trap I'd set for revenge, that I'd planned everything to facilitate my marriage to Ethan Kale.
In his warped mind, my every action revolved around him—all designed to make him suffer with regret.
The assistant drew a steadying breath. "Sir, this isn't some trick. Mr. Vance released an official announcement confirming Miss Vance's marriage to Mr. Kale. Though the ceremony was private, many prominent society figures received invitations and have verified the union."
He produced several newspapers and social media screenshots showing the Vance Group's official announcement and brief coverage of my wedding to Ethan.
Julian stared at the irrefutable evidence, his body beginning to tremble.
He shoved his assistant aside and slumped into his chair, utterly shattered.
His vacant gaze fixed on the window, his trademark arrogance replaced by profound loss and confusion.
Without thinking, he pulled a small velvet box from his pocket.
Inside lay a replica of my mother's Iris Brooch—something he'd spotted in a boutique during their vacation. He'd bought it on impulse, noting its resemblance to my mother's heirloom.
He'd planned to offer it as a "peace offering" once I'd "repented" upon his return.
Now the fake brooch felt like a mockery in his hand, impossibly heavy. His thoughts spiraled into chaos.
Like a lost ghost, he drifted out of Thorne Industries.
His feet carried him without conscious direction.
Toward "Golden Spoon," my favorite café and our once-frequent meeting spot.
He entered automatically, as if merely being there might conjure me—might resurrect what we once had.
The manager approached with a practiced smile. "Mr. Thorne, welcome. Your usual table? No Miss Seraphina today?"
The manager's words hit Julian like ice water, snapping him from his trance.
Seraphina? He hadn't come for her. He'd come looking for me.
He ignored the manager and slumped into a corner table.
He ordered black coffee and retreated into the shadows, trying to quiet the storm inside him.
Then he heard it—a familiar laugh. Seraphina sat by the window with her best friend, chatting animatedly.
"…You have no idea! That idiot Julian is still completely clueless!" Seraphina's voice, laced with smug satisfaction, carried clearly to Julian's ears.
Julian's head snapped up, his gaze locking onto Seraphina.
He saw the cruel, twisted smile on her face, and dread pooled in his stomach.
"Seriously? He still hasn't figured out you set the whole thing up?" Her friend sounded genuinely shocked.
"Of course not! He's so besotted with me, he'd never question anything I say." Seraphina smirked, lowering her voice—though not enough. "The kidnapping was all my plan! I've always hated how Eleanor strutted around like she owned everything just because she's the legitimate heir. I arranged her kidnapping, then made sure Julian 'rescued' me instead—so he'd see me as this fragile, helpless thing needing protection. And that bitch Eleanor? She deserved that bullet!"
Julian's body jerked violently, coffee sloshing over his hand. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, drowning out everything else.
"What about later? How'd you convince Julian that Eleanor poisoned you?" her friend asked eagerly.
"Child's play!" Seraphina gloated. "I'd already prepared this special compound—just a tiny dose makes you look poisoned. I faked my collapse and had the doctor play along, claiming Eleanor's rare blood type was needed to save me. Julian, the gullible fool, bought it completely! He actually pinned Eleanor down himself while they drained her blood. God, it was glorious to watch!"
Seraphina's laughter cut through the café's ambient noise, each word a dagger twisting in Julian's chest.
He felt the blood drain from his face, strength evaporating from his limbs.
"So Eleanor, that stuck-up princess, was completely played by you?" Her friend's voice dripped with malicious delight.
"Absolutely! She actually thought she could marry Ethan Kale and escape Julian's clutches!" Seraphina sneered. "She's just a pathetic little fool who never stood a chance against me!"
In Julian's mind flashed images of me pinned beneath him, struggling desperately. My torn wedding dress. My eyes filled with genuine despair. He'd convinced himself I was acting, playing games. Now he saw the horrifying truth.
He felt his heart being carved out by an invisible knife, leaving nothing but a cold, empty void.
He shook his head frantically, muttering, "No… this can't be right. This can't be happening. She couldn't have…"
He lurched to his feet, sending his chair crashing to the floor.
Every head in the café turned toward the noise. Seraphina and her friend froze mid-conversation, staring at him in shock.
Julian saw nothing, heard nothing except Seraphina's cruel words echoing alongside his assistant's devastating news: "Miss Vance is already married!"
"She really married him? How… how could she?" Julian's eyes blazed with anguish as he staggered out of the café like a broken man, vanishing into the darkness.
