Chapter 2

Julian came home, his footsteps echoing in the large, empty hall.

"Elara? You in here?" he called, his voice full of the easy confidence of a man who always got what he wanted.

I stepped out of the master bathroom, the pregnancy test clutched in my hand, my face carefully arranged into a look of shy joy.

"Julian," I said, my voice soft. "I... I have some news."

He saw the test, and his eyes lit up, a wide, predatory smile spreading across his handsome face.

"Is that... are you?"

I nodded, letting a tear slip down my cheek. "Yes. We're going to have a baby."

He rushed forward, pulling me into a tight embrace, lifting me off my feet. "This is fantastic! Wonderful news, Elara! An heir!"

He was genuinely pleased, just like before. His ambition craved this, a son to cement his place in the Hawthorne dynasty, to impress his father, Alistair Sr.

He set me down, his hands on my shoulders, his gaze intense. "You need to take care of yourself. Anything you need, anything at all."

This was my opening.

I feigned a slight blush, looking down. "Well, Julian, now that I' m... pregnant... perhaps I shouldn' t be overexerting myself with certain... duties."

He frowned slightly. "What duties?"

"You know," I said, my voice even softer, more suggestive. "Your needs. A man like you... it wouldn' t be fair to you during these next few months."

Understanding dawned in his eyes, followed by a flicker of something else – interest, perhaps a touch of guilt that he so easily accepted.

"Oh. Right. Well, Elara, your health, and the baby's health, that' s paramount." He tried to sound noble.

"I was thinking," I continued, pressing my advantage, "my personal assistant, Tiffany. She' s very capable, very discreet. And she admires you so much."

Tiffany. Niece of Mrs. Peterson, the head housekeeper. Both of them had been Seraphina' s spies in my previous life, reporting my every move, helping to isolate me.

Julian looked thoughtful. Tiffany was young, pretty enough, and certainly ambitious. I' d seen the way she looked at him.

"Tiffany?" he mused. "She' s... efficient."

"And loyal," I added. "She would do anything to please you, to help the family. It would just be... an arrangement. To help you through this time. So you' re not... stressed."

I made it sound like I was being incredibly understanding, a selfless wife concerned only for his well-being.

He hesitated, a token show of reluctance. "I don't know, Elara. It feels a bit..."

"Practical," I supplied smoothly. "And it keeps things within our trusted circle. Mrs. Peterson would be so grateful for the opportunity afforded to her niece, ensuring her loyalty to us, not just... other branches of the family."

That was a subtle dig at Beatrice and Seraphina.

Julian' s eyes narrowed slightly. He understood the undercurrents of family politics.

"You might have a point," he conceded. "It would certainly be... simpler than looking elsewhere."

He was already imagining it. I could see it in the slight curve of his lips.

"I' ll speak to her," I said, as if taking a burden from him. "I' ll make sure she understands the... discretion required."

"Good," Julian said, already moving on, his mind probably on how this could benefit him. "Yes, that' s very thoughtful of you, Elara. Very mature."

He kissed my forehead. "Now, let' s celebrate our good news!"

I smiled, a perfect picture of wifely devotion.

The first pawn was being moved into position. Tiffany, who had once helped destroy me, would now be a tool against her former masters.

And Julian, in his arrogance, thought it was all for his benefit.

He had no idea.