Chapter 4: The Threat
Adriana froze, the color draining completely from her face. "What did you just say?"
"I said, take off the dress," Julian repeated, standing up and towering over her with commanding authority. "You are not walking down the aisle tomorrow. There will be no wedding."
A harsh, bitter sneer suddenly replaced Adriana’s terrified look. The sweet, elegant socialite vanished entirely, replaced by the calculating woman she truly was. She crossed her arms, ignoring the boutique staff who scrambled out of the room in awkward haste.
"Don't be ridiculous, Julian," she scoffed, her voice laced with venom. "You can’t cancel this wedding. Do you have any idea what it will do to your company’s stock? The Thorne family controls forty percent of the supply chain for Vance Tech’s upcoming launch. My father will ruin you before the opening bell on Monday."
Louis flinched at the sharpness of her tone, shrinking into the corner of the plush sofa. Julian stepped between them, shielding his boy from her sight.
"I built my company with my own two hands, Adriana," Julian said steadily. "I would burn it to the ground before I let someone like you step foot into my home as my wife."
"Someone like me?" Adriana laughed, a cold, grating sound. "I gave up two years of my life playing nice with your miserable, grieving family! I sat through your boring charity galas, smiled at your dead wife’s portrait in the hallway, and babysat that needy brat!"
"That's enough," Julian said, his voice deadly quiet.
"You think you’re a saint, Julian?" Adriana hissed, stepping closer, pointing a manicured finger into his chest. "You’re weak. You’re a pathetic widower clinging to the past. If you call this wedding off, I will make sure the press hears every single dirty detail about your unstable household. I will make sure you lose everything."
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Julian looked down at her with nothing but cold pity. "Get out of my sight. Before security escorts you out in that dress."
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