Chapter 5 - The Final WalkoutThe security guards moved with terrifying efficiency.
Leo was the first to be hauled out, shouting curses as his designer loafers squished against the wet grass of the patio. Camilla followed close behind, sobbing hysterically as she clutched her handbag, realizing her shopping sprees on the family accounts were permanently over.
Beatrice had to be practically carried out by Marcus’s guards, her dignity completely shattered as her designer coat dragged across the marble floor.
That left Julian and Chloe.
Chloe was trembling violently, her red dress looking absurdly out of place in the ruined, silent dining room. She looked at Julian as if he were a monster, her illusions of a luxury lifestyle vanishing into thin air.
"You lied to me," Chloe whispered, her voice shaking. "You told me you were a billionaire king. You’re nothing. You’re broke."
"Chloe, wait, listen to me—" Julian reached out to grab her arm, but she slapped his hand away with a sharp hiss of disgust and bolted out of the room past the security guards.
Julian stood alone in the center of the grand dining room.
The roasted duck had gone cold on the plates. The wild-mushroom risotto was congealing into a gray mass. The crumpled one-dollar bill still sat in the truffle sauce, a tiny monument to their absolute hubris.
Julian slowly turned his head to look at me. The arrogant, untouchable corporate titan was completely gone. In his place was a broken, desperate man standing in the ruins of a life he had systematically destroyed out of sheer arrogance.
"Why, Elena?" Julian whispered, his voice cracking with genuine anguish. "Five years... Was none of it real to you? Did you never care about me at all?"
I walked over to the mahogany table, picked up my portfolio, and looked him straight in the eyes.
"I cared for five years, Julian," I said evenly. "I cooked your favorite meals. I hosted your clients. I listened to your endless boasts about how clever you were. I gave you every chance to be an honest partner."
I stepped closer to him, lowering my voice so only he could hear.
"But you couldn't resist showing your true colors, could you? You thought cruelty was a sign of strength. You thought humiliating a woman who loved you was a victory."
Julian swallowed hard, a single tear cutting a clean path through the dust on his cheek. "What am I supposed to do now?"
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"Start looking for a job," I replied coldly. "Preferably one where you don't need a ten-million-dollar house to feel like a man."
I turned my back on him and walked out of the dining room, leaving him standing alone in the dark.
