Beneath The Servant's Apron

Chp 4

Elena’s hand trembled so violently that her phone almost slipped from her manicured fingers. The champagne glass in her other hand tilted, spilling liquid on her silk dress, but she didn't even notice.

"R-Revoked?" Elena stuttered, her voice cracking as the color drained completely from her face. "Canceled?! No, there must be some terrible mistake! We are supposed to sign tomorrow morning!"

"The decision comes directly from the Chairman's Office, Miss Elena," the cold voice replied deadpan over the receiver. "There is no mistake. Good evening."

The line went dead with a harsh click.

Elena stood frozen in the middle of the luxurious living room, her eyes wide with terror. The world felt as if it were collapsing beneath her high heels.

"Elena, darling? What is it?" Mrs. Raymond asked, setting her glass down as her smile faltered. "What did they say?"

"T-They canceled it," Elena whispered, her body shaking uncontrollably. "They said the Chairman’s Office canceled the entire two-billion-dollar contract with immediate effect!"

"WHAT?!" Raymond roared, springing up from the sofa as his face turned beet red. "Canceled? How’s that even possible?"

"That’s impossible!" Chloe shrieked, clutching her chest. "Julian, you said everything was locked in!"

Julian’s eyes flickered with a split second of panic, but he quickly forced a smooth, relaxed chuckle. He smoothed down his Italian suit jacket and walked over to Elena, placing his hands firmly on her trembling shoulders.

"Calm down, everyone. Please, take a breath," Julian said smoothly, his voice oozing with confidence. "This is clearly a mistake or a cheap prank. The Chairman's Office doesn't handle individual contract logistics directly—I know how Sterling Group operates better than anyone!"

He pulled out his phone with a suave flourish.

"I will call the Vice Secretary right now," Julian announced proudly. "She is the top official who personally processed the contract documents and passed them down to my desk. She knows everything that happens in the executive wing."

Julian placed the phone on the glass coffee table and hit the loudspeaker button as it dialed.

The room went dead silent. The Raymond family held their breath, staring at the phone as if their lives depended on it.

After three tense rings, a sharp, professional female voice answered.

"General Manager Julian? Why are you calling me at this hour?"

"Good evening, Vice Secretary," Julian said in a suave, charming tone. "I apologize for troubling you, but Miss Elena just received a strange phone call claiming that our proposed two-billion-dollar contract was revoked by the Chairman's Office. I wanted to check in directly with you to clear up this ridiculous misunderstanding."

The Vice Secretary let out a light, nonchalant laugh over the speakerphone that echoed crisply through the grand room.

"Revoked? What utter nonsense! The Chairman’s Office hasn't issued any cancellation orders to my department whatsoever. The entire multi-billion dollar paperwork passed through final executive review yesterday afternoon, and everything is fully set for the formal signing ceremony tomorrow morning at nine sharp."

She paused, her professional tone brimming with absolute certainty as she added, "Tell Miss Elena to arrive at headquarters promptly at nine. The press team is already preparing, and the signing will proceed exactly as scheduled."

"Thank you so much, Vice Secretary. Have a wonderful night," Julian said, his chest swelling with immense pride and supreme authority as he tapped the glowing screen to disconnect the call.

The instant the line went dead, the suffocating tension inside the sprawling penthouse vanished, instantly shattering into an explosion of wild, deafening cheers. Crystal champagne flutes clinked violently together, sending golden liquid sloshing across the marble floor as the Raymond family erupted into pure, unbridled ecstasy.

"I knew it! I knew it from the very start!" Mrs. Raymond shrieked with unbridled glee, jumping up and down while clapping her diamond-encrusted hands furiously. "Julian, you are an absolute savior sent straight from heaven! A true gentleman of extraordinary power, prestige, and unmatched connections!"

Raymond threw his arms into the air, bellowing in victory as Chloe squealed in delight. Elena gasped, letting out a breathless sob of sheer relief as she threw her arms tightly around Julian's neck, pulling him into a passionate embrace right in front of her beaming family.

"Oh, Julian, my love! My brilliant hero!" Elena cried out softly, pressing frantic, joyous kisses across his cheek and lips. "I was so terrified! You have no idea how much I rely on your power! You saved my future and protected my dignity! We are truly bound by heaven to be together!"

Julian smirked arrogantly, sliding his arms possessively around her slender waist and pulling her body tight against his. 

"I told you, my queen," he whispered loud enough for the whole room to hear. "As long as you are with me, nothing will happen to you”.

Chloe slammed her empty champagne flute onto the glass coffee table with a harsh, angry clatter, her eyes narrowing into venomous slits.

"Hold on a minute!" Chloe snarled, her voice rising in fury. "Who was that filthy coward who dared to make that fake phone call in the first place?!"

"Is there even a single doubt in your mind?!" Raymond spat out in disgust, springing up from his seat and pacing like an enraged beast. "It's that pathetic, envious, broken parasite Lucas! That useless loser is sitting in his hospital bed crying tears of blood because he got dumped, so he used some cheap prank app to spoof a call and ruin our celebration!"

"What a disgusting, bitter dog!" Elena hissed, her stunning face contorting with disgust and hatred as she snuggled closer to Julian. "He couldn't digest the fact that I signed those divorce papers and kicked him out like the trash he is! He knew I was stepping into a two-billion-dollar future, so he tried to give me a heart attack from his deathbed!"

"That ungrateful leech!" Mrs. Raymond cackled bitterly, swirling her fresh glass of vintage wine. "For eight long years, he ate our food, lived under our roof, and did nothing but scrub floors like a slave! Now that Elena is rising to the top of high society, he wants to drag her back into the gutter with him! He deserves to rot and bleed out in that hospital!"

"Don't waste another second thinking about that dying worm, my love," Julian purred softly, trailing his fingers down Elena's back with a satisfied grin. "Tomorrow morning, after you put your signature on that contract, I will personally throw an even bigger gala. He is nothing more than a crushed insect beneath our boots."

Elena gazed up at Julian with wide, adoring eyes, holding his face in her hands.

“You are a thousand times the man he could ever dream to be, Julian! I am so glad I dumped him!"

Suddenly, a sharp, buzzing vibration rattled violently inside Julian's inner breast pocket. Julian pulled the phone out with a smooth, casual motion, but the instant his eyes locked on the caller ID flashing on the screen, his smug smile vanished instantly. 

His hands trembled uncontrollably, almost dropping the phone on the floor. He practically shoved Elena away, taking two hasty steps backward.

"P-Please excuse me for a brief moment, everyone," Julian stammered out, forcing a tight, panicked smile as sweat instantly broke out along his hairline. "It's an extremely critical call regarding tomorrow's executive logistics. I must take this in private."

Without waiting for an answer, he hurried down the corridor, ducked into the restroom, and slammed the heavy door shut, locking it with a sharp deadbolt.

Julian pressed the phone to his ear, his voice trembling as he spoke. 

"H-Hello? Uncle—"

"YOU USELESS FOOL!" an older, cold, and menacing voice roared furiously through the speaker, making Julian flinch violently against the wall. "Are you playing games with my patience?! Do you still want that Second Vice Secretary position at Sterling Group or not?!"

"Uncle, please! Lower your voice!" Julian begged frantically, sweating profusely through his designer dress shirt as his knees shook. "The trap is closing in exactly as we planned! I promise you, everything is under control!"

"You promised me Elena three days ago!" the uncle barked back with absolute authority. "I let you handle that two-billion-dollar contract proposal only because you claimed you could use that as a leverage to lure her directly into my hands! I am losing my patience, Julian! I can’t watch her slip away from my hand without having my hands on her!"

"She is completely hooked, Uncle!" Julian whispered desperately, wiping sweat from his forehead with a shaking hand. "She just divorced her useless husband today, and she is more vulnerable than ever! She genuinely believes I am her knight in shining armor and her sole savior! Tomorrow morning, right after the contract signing ceremony, I will take her out under the guise of a victory celebration. I will slip the tasteless sedative into her vintage champagne glass, and I will deliver her straight to your private penthouse suite!"

The voice on the other end remained ice-cold.

"You have until tomorrow afternoon, Julian," the uncle threatened, his tone dripping with anger. "Deliver Elena to my bed, or I will destroy your career, expose your massive financial embezzlement to the board, and get rid of you permanently. Do you understand me?!"

"I-I understand, Uncle! I won't fail you! I swear!" Julian whimpered, his breath hitching in terror.

The call disconnected abruptly with a harsh click.

Julian slid down against the sink, breathing heavily as his heart hammered wildly against his ribs like a trapped animal. After a long moment of trembling, a twisted, and desperate sneer slowly stretched across his pale face in the mirror.

“Forgive me, Elena," Julian muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming with sickening malice. "You were never anything more than a convenient stepping stone for my ultimate promotion. Tomorrow, make sure you will walk straight into my trap."