Beneath The Servant's Apron

Chp 8

Elena and Julian walked out of the elevator and stepped into the grand lobby of Sterling Group. Before they could even catch their breath, the Raymond family rushed toward them with bright, eager smiles.

"Did you sign it?" Mrs. Raymond asked, her eyes shining with happiness. "Can we finally move into our new mega-mansion?"

The dark, twisted look on Elena’s face stopped them dead in their tracks.

Mrs. Raymond rushed forward, grabbing Elena’s arm in a panic. 

"Elena! Tell me what happened! Why do you look like that?"

Elena gritted her teeth, tears of pure rage burning in her eyes.

"It is all that good-for-nothing Lucas!" Elena snapped, her voice shaking with hatred. "That useless beggar came here and bewitched Natalie! He tricked her, and she went ahead and revoked our contract!"

Raymond stepped forward, his face turning a dark, ugly shade of red. He slammed his fist against a pillar, cursing loudly that people around them turned to stare.

"That ungrateful bastard!" Raymond roared, veins bulging on his neck. "After eight years of feeding him and letting him live under our roof, he still dares to ruin our family!"

Chloe pushed past her parents, her face twisted in venom.

"We should have killed his sick mother when we had the chance!" Chloe hissed, her eyes wide and crazy. 

Mrs. Raymond beat her chest in utter frustration, looking up at the sky as if crying for mercy.

"How did that broke loser get the power to trick the chief secretary?" Mrs. Raymond wailed. "He has nothing! He is just a piece of trash!"

Elena breathed heavily, her chest moving up and down as she tried to calm her racing heart.

"I don't even know how he did it," Elena said, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "He just stood there, tore our papers in half, and walked away like a king."

She turned desperately toward her father, grabbing his sleeve.

"Dad! Do you have the private contact info for the Chairman of Sterling Group?" Elena asked.

Raymond shook his head slowly, his face falling into despair.

"No," Raymond muttered, beating his leg in anger. "Deals always went through the secretary. We never spoke directly to the Chairman."

Julian stepped forward smoothly, putting on a calm and confident smile.

"Elena, did you forget about my uncle?" Julian asked, his voice dripping with false assurance.

Elena blinked, her eyes widening as hope rushed back into her chest.

"Your uncle!" Elena gasped. "Yes! I almost forgot!"

Julian nodded, wrapping a comforting arm around her waist.

"My uncle is a senior and untouchable director on the Sterling Group board," Julian said smoothly, puffing out his chest. "He hates Natalie. And now that she had insulted and humiliated the person the Chairman always favored, she’s going to regret doing such. And for the revoked contract, a mere secretary has no real power. Only the Chairman can truly cancel a contract."

Mrs. Raymond clapped her hands together, her face lighting up with joy.

"Yes! Tell your uncle to report that bitch to the Chairman!" Mrs. Raymond cheered. "Make him tell the Chairman that Natalie is acting like she owns the company!"

Elena nodded fiercely, her arrogance quickly returning.

"A two-billion-dollar contract is nothing," Elena boasted, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "For the past eight years, the Chairman has always favored my company. Without him, we would never be in the top ten."

She crossed her arms, a proud smirk forming on her lips.

"Sterling Group has invested more than nineteen billion dollars in us over the years," Elena said loudly. "If I can just see the Chairman face-to-face, he will give us ten times two billion!"

Elena laughed bitterly, shaking her head.

"Natalie thinks she has won," Elena sneered. "She has no idea who she is messing with. She will soon find out who the real winner is."

Mrs. Raymond smiled brightly, pulling Julian close.

"You are our family's savior!" Mrs. Raymond praised him. "A true angel sent from heaven!"

Julian pulled out his phone with a proud smirk.

"I already sent my uncle a text," Julian announced. "He is expecting us right now."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Mrs. Raymond urged them on. "Go! Go!"

Elena and Julian turned and walked quickly toward the parking lot. They got into Julian’s luxury Mercedes, slamming the doors shut behind them.

As Julian started the engine, he tapped the screen of his phone and sent a quick text to his uncle: On my way.

His phone buzzed almost instantly with a reply from his uncle: Okay. Good job, my boy.

Julian slipped the phone back into his pocket and flashed a wide, arrogant smile at Elena.

"Are you ready to meet the real power of Sterling Group?" Julian asked softly.

Elena turned toward him, her eyes burning with malice and excitement.

"Yes!" Elena shouted at the top of her lungs. "I am ready to crush all my enemies! I will destroy that poor, discarded, useless ex-husband of mine, and I will grind that arrogant bitch Natalie into the dirt!"

Julian smiled back, his heart racing with happiness. He was completely sure that this was his chance to get what he has always wanted. 

"Finally," Julian whispered to himself, letting out a cold, cruel smile before starting the car.