Chapter 2

Julia Warren POV:

The phone call with Gunner was brief, precise. My voice held none of the tremor that had shaken me moments ago. Gunner, ever the professional, simply listened, a low "understood" the only verbal response needed. I knew he was already moving, already investigating.

I walked back into the study. The laptop was closed. Cameron stood by the window, his back to me, a posture of feigned contemplation. He cleared his throat.

"Julia, about that call..." he began, his voice dripping with practiced sincerity.

I didn't let him finish. I walked past him to the liquor cabinet, my movements deliberate. I poured myself a single malt, the amber liquid glinting under the dim light. I didn't offer him one.

"Tell me about Kenda, Cameron," I said, my voice flat, as I swirled the drink in my glass. The ice clinked, the only sound in the room.

He turned, a forced smile on his face. "Kenda? She's brilliant. Dedicated. A real asset to the foundation. You know how passionate I am about these projects, darling."

"Passion," I repeated, tasting the word. It felt bitter. "And the watch?"

His smile vanished. His eyes darted around the room, avoiding mine. "The watch? What watch are you talking about, Julia?"

The blatant lie, delivered with such an innocent tone, ignited a cold fury within me. This wasn't just about a watch. This was about years of subtle manipulation, of gaslighting, of making me doubt my own perceptions.

"The rose gold prototype smartwatch with the sapphire face," I specified, my voice dangerously low. "The one my father designed. The one that went missing from my jewelry box months ago. The one Kenda is wearing."

Cameron paled. He stammered, "I... I don't know what you're talking about, Julia. It must be a similar design. A coincidence."

"Coincidence?" I scoffed, taking a sip of my drink. It burned, just like the anger coiling in my gut. "My father only made one. For me."

He took a step towards me, his hand outstretched, a desperate attempt to bridge the chasm that had just opened between us. "Julia, please. You're imagining things. You've been under a lot of stress lately. The treatments..."

The treatments. The painful, humiliating, emotionally draining treatments I had endured for years, all because he had convinced me I was barren. The word hung in the air, a poisonous cloud.

"Don't you dare," I whispered, my voice laced with venom. "Don't you dare bring that up."

Just then, the front door opened, and Kenda walked in. She was laughing, a bright, carefree sound that grated on my nerves. She held a small, colorful gift bag.

"Cameron, darling!" she chirped, oblivious to the icy tension in the room. "I picked up that little trinket you wanted. And look, I wore the watch. It's so me, isn't it?"

She held up her wrist, the rose gold gleaming, practically mocking me. She winked at Cameron, a conspiratorial look passing between them.

My mind went blank. The world narrowed to that watch, that wink, Cameron's guilty face. The raw, primal pain of betrayal ripped through me.

"Get out," I said, my voice low, trembling with suppressed rage.

Kenda stopped laughing. She looked from me to Cameron, a confused frown on her face. "Excuse me?"

"I said get out," I repeated, louder this time, my voice echoing in the vast room. I slammed my glass down on the polished surface of the bar. The crystal rang out, sharp and clear.

Cameron jumped. "Julia! What's wrong with you? Kenda is a guest!"

"A guest?" I laughed, a harsh, humorless sound. "Is that what you call her, Cameron? A guest?"

"Julia, you're being hysterical," Cameron said, stepping between Kenda and me. "This is not how we conduct ourselves."

"Hysterical?" I repeated, my voice rising. "You stand there, with your lover, in my home, wearing my father's last gift to me, stealing from my foundation, and you call me hysterical?"

Kenda gasped, her face morphing from confusion to outrage. "Lover? What are you talking about? Cameron and I are colleagues!"

"Oh, really?" I walked towards her, each step deliberate, menacing. "Then perhaps you can explain why you're wearing my watch, Kenda. Did Cameron just 'appreciate' you right out of my jewelry box?"

Kenda's eyes darted to Cameron. He was frozen, a deer in headlights.

"He... he said it was a gift from a grateful donor," Kenda stammered, her voice suddenly small. "He said it was too ostentatious for you."

The words hit me harder than a physical blow. Too ostentatious for me. The woman who built this empire, who carried the legacy of her father. The woman he had systematically undermined and gaslighted.

"He said that, did he?" I asked, a dark smile touching my lips. "And what else did he tell you, Kenda? That I'm cold? Barren? Incapable of love?"

Kenda's eyes widened, a flicker of genuine fear in them. Cameron made a strangled sound.

"Julia, stop this!" he pleaded, his voice cracking. "You're embarrassing us!"

"Embarrassing us?" I laughed again, the sound devoid of all mirth. "You think I care about embarrassment right now, Cameron? You have stolen my past, ruined my present, and tried to erase my future."

My gaze met Kenda's, then Cameron's. They stood there, two conspirators caught in the act. The floral scent, Kenda's perfume, now clung to Cameron, a sickening tell.

"I asked you to leave," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, but it cut through the air like a knife. "Now, I'm telling you."

Cameron, surprisingly, didn't move. He stood his ground, his jaw set. "This is my home too, Julia. And Kenda is staying."

"Is she?" I walked over to the antique console table, where my father's treasured chess set, a gift from a Saudi prince, sat. Each piece was hand-carved ivory. Priceless.

Cameron' s eyes followed my movements, a flicker of unease in them.

"Julia, don't," he warned, his voice a low growl.

I picked up the black king, its smooth, cool surface a stark contrast to the fire in my veins. I looked at Cameron, then at Kenda, a predatory gleam in my eyes.

"You want to stay?" I asked, my voice chillingly calm. "Then watch."

With a sudden, violent motion, I hurled the ivory king across the room. It shattered against the marble fireplace, splintering into countless pieces. The sound echoed, a sharp crack in the tense silence.

Kenda screamed. Cameron flinched, instinctively shielding her with his body. A piece of ivory grazed his cheek, leaving a thin line of red.

He turned to me, his eyes blazing with fury. "You BITCH! Look what you've done!"

My lips curled into a cold, hard smile. "That, Cameron," I said, my voice a raw whisper, "is just the beginning."