Chapter 5: The Uninvited Guest
Footsteps clicked sharply against the concrete floor, echoing off the high ceilings. Victoria Vance strode into the penthouse, her white plunging halter-neck dress catching the ambient light like a beacon of wrath. Her long dark hair swayed violently with every step, and her face was a mask of cold fury. She didn't look like a discarded wife; she looked like an empress claiming her throne back from an insurrectionist.
Julian didn't stand up immediately. He remained kneeling before Evelyn, shielding her slightly with his broad frame before slowly rising to his feet. He turned to face his legal wife, his expression hardening back into impenetrable granite.
“How did you get up here, Victoria? The security code was changed twenty minutes ago.” Julian’s voice was dangerously low.
“You think a simple security override locks me out of my own life?” Victoria sneered, stopping a few feet away. Her dark eyes darted past Julian to fix on Evelyn, who was still sitting on the sofa wrapped in the wool blanket. A cruel, mocking smile curled Victoria’s lips. “Playing the damsel in distress again, Evelyn? I thought you were too proud for theatrics. Or is this just part of your long-term strategy to bleed Julian dry now that your little artistic career has completely flatlined?”
Evelyn started to stand, but Julian held up a hand, signaling her to remain seated. He stepped directly into Victoria’s line of sight, blocking her view of Evelyn entirely.
“Leave her out of this, Victoria. This is between you and me.”
“No, Julian, this is about all of us,” Victoria snapped, her voice rising, losing its polished veneer. She pulled a folded legal document from her designer clutch and waved it in the air. “You think a clerical error on a Santo Domingo filing gives you the right to humiliate me in front of the entire upper crust of Manhattan? My father’s lawyers have already reviewed the file. The court recognizes the intent of the separation. If you try to enforce this archaic marriage status to protect her, I will drag your family name through every gutter from here to Wall Street. I’ll ruin the company. I’ll strip every asset you’ve spent the last decade accumulating.”
“Let it burn, then,” Julian said calmly, taking a step closer to her.
Victoria recoiled slightly, the absolute lack of fear in his eyes rattling her far more than any threat could have. “You don't mean that. You built Vance Enterprises with your bare hands. You wouldn't throw it all away for a woman who abandoned you.”
“I already threw it away six months ago,” Julian replied, his voice chillingly steady. “I just didn't realize it until tonight.”
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Victoria stared at him, her chest heaving as she tried to calculate a counter-move. Realizing that logic and threats were bouncing off him like rubber bullets against a steel plate, she shifted her focus, leaning around his shoulder to look directly at Evelyn.
“You think he loves you?” Victoria laughed, a sharp, ugly sound. “He married me, Evelyn. He shared my bed while you were wandering around Europe trying to find yourself. He belongs to me now.”
