Chapter 2 - The Mother’s Vicious Trap
The morning after the wedding, the sprawling Rhode Island estate was bathed in golden sunlight, but a dark storm was brewing in the west wing.
Eleanor Vance, Julian’s mother, sat in the opulent solarium, violently stirring her tea. She had refused to attend the wedding, locking herself away in protest. To Eleanor, Clara was a parasite, a gold-digging maid who had somehow bewitched her brilliant, billionaire son.
“I will not allow that tramp to inherit the Vance empire,” Eleanor hissed to her private secretary, a weasel of a man named Marcus. “Find me dirt. Find me the fathers of her bastards. I want her destroyed in the press.”
Marcus nervously adjusted his glasses. “Ma'am, Julian’s security is airtight. But... I did find a man from her hometown. A bartender named Rick. He claims he used to date Clara before she ran away.”
Eleanor’s eyes gleamed with malicious delight. “Pay him whatever he wants. Bring him here. We will expose her in front of Julian’s entire board of directors.”
Meanwhile, completely unaware of the trap being set, Julian and Clara were in the back of a blacked-out Maybach, speeding down the interstate toward the hidden safe house where Clara’s siblings lived. Clara’s hands shook the entire ride. She hadn't seen them in six months, only able to afford brief phone calls.
“What if they don't like me?” Julian asked, half-joking, trying to ease her nerves.
Clara smiled, a genuine, radiant expression Julian had rarely seen. “They are going to think you’re a superhero, Julian.”
When they arrived at the modest, run-down farmhouse, Clara practically flew out of the car. Three children—a lanky eleven-year-old boy, a fragile nine-year-old, and a bright-eyed five-year-old girl—burst through the screen door.
“Clara!” they screamed, tackling her to the dirt driveway.
Julian stepped out of the car, watching his wife weep as she buried her face in her siblings' hair. He made a silent vow right there. No one would ever hurt them again.
“Guys,” Clara said, wiping her eyes and pulling them toward Julian. “This is Julian. He’s my husband. And... he wants us all to live together.”
Tommy, the eldest, looked at Julian with deep suspicion. He had been forced to grow up too fast. “Are you gonna make her work all night again?”
Julian crouched down to meet the boy at eye level. “No, Tommy. From now on, her only job is being your sister. And my wife.”
They packed the kids' meager belongings into the Maybach. For the first time in five years, Clara breathed freely. But as they drove back to the Rhode Island estate, Julian’s phone buzzed. It was his head of security.
May you like
“Mr. Vance. Your mother has called an emergency gathering of the board at the mansion. She says she has a 'surprise guest' that will invalidate your marriage.”
Julian’s jaw clenched. The war was just beginning.
