Chapter 2: The Man by the Door
Julian didn't move.
He couldn't.
"Elena.
Look at me."
She kept her eyes down.
"Sir, I really must continue my rounds."
"Stop calling me that." His voice dropped to almost nothing.
"Eight months.
Not a single word.
And now you're here — like this — and you won't even look at me?"
Camila stepped between them.
"Julian, this is embarrassing.
She clearly doesn't want to talk to you."
"Stay out of this, Camila."
A sharp silence fell over the lobby.
Even the concierge took a step back.
Then Elena finally looked up.
And what Julian saw in her eyes wasn't guilt.
It wasn't shame.
It was fear.
Raw, quiet, desperate fear.
She glanced toward the far end of the lobby — just for a second.
Julian followed her gaze.
A man in a dark suit stood near the entrance, arms folded, watching.
Julian recognized him instantly.
Marco Vieri.
His former business partner.
The man Julian had trusted with everything — contracts, accounts, and for one terrible year, the keys to his private estate while he traveled for work.
Elena's eyes snapped back to Julian.
Her voice came out barely above a whisper.
"Please.
Don't say my name again.
Not here.
Not tonight."
Her hand moved — just slightly — to rest against her stomach.
Julian's chest turned to stone.
---
What did Marco do — and why is Elena terrified to be seen with Julian?
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The truth is darker than anyone in that lobby could have imagined.
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