Chapter 2: The Guest List
Elliot walked through the front doors, adjusting his tie, looking every bit the successful tech executive the media claimed he was. But the second his eyes swept past his mistress and landed directly on me, his entire posture locked up.
"Victoria," he breathed, his voice instantly losing its executive edge. His eyes darted to the woman standing by the island, then back to me, a bead of cold sweat immediately forming near his temple. "What... what are you doing home? You said you were visiting your mother in Boston until Sunday."
"Plans changed, Elliot," I said, leaning back against the counter, crossing my arms. "And it's a good thing they did. You have a guest."
The mistress chuckled, completely misreading the absolute panic written across Elliot's face. She stepped forward, wrapping her arm familiarly through his. "Elliot, babe, relax. Your housekeeper was just about to make me a coffee. But really, you need to teach the staff some manners. She’s been staring at me weirdly since I walked in."
The silence that followed was so heavy it felt physical.
Elliot looked like he was about to vomit. He tried to pull his arm away from her, his voice trembling. "Julianna... shut up. Shut your mouth right now."
Julianna blinked, her perfect eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "What? Elliot, why are you yelling at me? I'm just saying—"
"She isn't the housekeeper, Julianna," Elliot choked out, his face turning a terrifying shade of pale.
"Then who is she?" Julianna asked, looking between us, her confident smile finally starting to fracture at the edges. "A cousin? An assistant?"
"I'm the woman who bought the car you just rode in," I said, my voice cutting through the room like a scalpel. I reached onto the counter and picked up the thick, blue leather folder I had been reviewing before she arrived. "I'm the woman who owns the technology firm Elliot pretends to run. And more importantly, Julianna... you are currently standing inside my family estate."
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Julianna gasped, stepping back as if the herringbone floor had suddenly turned to hot coals. "Your... estate? But Elliot said this was his house. He gave me the security code!"
"He gave you the code to a security system I pay for," I replied, walking over to the barstool and picking up her fur-trimmed coat. I tossed it right back at her feet. "Pick it up. And get out of my sight."
