Chapter 3 - The Threat
By morning, the Vance estate was a fortress.
The media had exploded. BILLIONAIRE'S FAKE HEIR FIANCÉE EXPOSED BY MAID! splashed across every tabloid and news screen. My face hadn't been leaked yet, but the tension in the mansion was suffocating.
I was sitting in the massive, sunlit kitchen of the east wing, feeding Lily oatmeal, when the encrypted landline rang. I hesitated, then picked it up.
"You filthy, lying trash," a man's voice hissed through the receiver. It was Arthur Sterling, Eleanor's father. "You think you've won? You think Julian Vance actually cares about a maid? I know about your little girl. I know where she goes to preschool. You retract your statement to the press, or I'll make sure you join your husband in the dirt."
The phone slipped from my sweaty grip, clattering against the marble counter.
Before I could breathe, a large hand reached past me and snatched the receiver. Julian had walked in, his expression murderous.
"Arthur," Julian said into the phone, his voice a silken threat. "If you so much as look in the direction of this woman or her child, I won't just bankrupt you. I will dismantle your life piece by piece until you are begging for a prison cell. Consider this your only warning."
Julian slammed the phone down and turned to me. I was shaking violently, clutching Lily to my chest.
Without a word, Julian wrapped his arms around both of us. He pulled me against his solid chest, his chin resting on the top of my head. "I've got you," he whispered fiercely. "I swear on my life, he will never touch you."
I broke down, sobbing against his expensive shirt. For four years, I had been completely alone, carrying the weight of the world. Now, the most powerful man I knew was shielding me.
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"Why are you doing this for me?" I choked out.
He pulled back just enough to look into my eyes, his gaze heavy with something I couldn't quite name. "Because you were brave enough to speak the truth when the whole world was lying to me. And because..." He stopped, his eyes dropping to my lips. "Because you belong here."
