Chapter 10
The St. Clair ballroom was pitch black when Julian pushed open the heavy oak doors at midnight. The crystal chandeliers were unlit, casting long, eerie shadows across the vacant tables where guests had celebrated just two nights prior. The room smelled faintly of stale champagne and withered roses.
Standing near the head table, illuminated only by the pale moonlight streaming through the massive glass windows, was Elena. She wore a stunning black silk evening gown tonight, the dark green satin of the wedding night replaced by a look of calculated mourning. Next to her stood Marcus, clutching a leather briefcase, and two heavy-set men in dark suits who blocked the exit doors.
Julian walked down the center aisle, his footsteps echoing sharply against the hardwood floor. He wore his charcoal suit, his expression completely blank, hiding the hidden recording wire taped firmly against his chest.
“You came, Julian,” Elena said smoothly, her voice echoing in the cavernous space. She didn’t look like a runaway bride anymore; she looked like a CEO executing a hostile takeover. “I knew you weren’t stupid enough to throw your entire life away for a child that isn’t yours.”
“Where is the baby, Elena?” Julian asked, keeping his voice level and steady, consciously feeding audio data to the receiver hidden in his jacket pocket.
“The child is safe, Julian, resting with its legal guardians,” Elena replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. “All you have to do is sign these final dissolution papers. They release you from the wedding bill, clear your credit, and officially dissolve any claim you ever laid to the Sterling trust or the infant.”
Marcus stepped forward, placing a thick folder of documents on the very same table where the wedding invoice had rested two nights ago. He opened it to the signature page, tapping a pen against the paper.
“Sign it, Julian,” Marcus urged, a smug grin playing on his lips. “You walk away a free man. No debt, no scandal, no ruined reputation. Just sign away the custody rights, and this nightmare ends.”
Julian looked down at the papers. He didn’t reach for the pen immediately. Instead, his eyes met Elena’s cold, beautiful green gaze.
“You really thought you could use me as a disposable incubator for a billion-dollar trust fund, didn’t you?” Julian said quietly, his tone devoid of fear.
Elena’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second. “What are you talking about?”
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“I know about the Sterling lineage, Elena,” Julian stated clearly, ensuring every word was picked up by the hidden microphone. “I know CradleTrust is your shell company for asset trafficking, and I have the digital audit logs proving Marcus forged my signature while I was incapacitated in surgery.”
Marcus’s face drained of color. He turned sharply toward Elena. “I told you we should have disposed of those logs!”
