Chapter 4

A few nights later, the tension in the Thorne mansion was so thick you could cut it with a knife. We were all at the dinner table, a formal affair that felt more like a corporate board meeting than a family meal. Mr. Thorne was in high spirits, holding forth on his latest brilliant business move.

"This new merger with OmniCorp is a game-changer," he boomed, gesturing with his fork. "Their new line of processors is going to revolutionize the market. I' ve sunk a considerable amount of capital into it. The returns will be astronomical."

I felt a cold chill run down my spine. OmniCorp. That was it. That was the company. The one whose stock would be worthless in six months, taking the Thorne family fortune down with it. I remembered the headlines, the bankruptcy filings, the public disgrace. It all started right here, at this dinner table, with this arrogant pronouncement.

I must have had a strange expression on my face, because Julian, sitting opposite me, noticed. A cruel smirk played on his lips. "What' s the matter, Eleanor?" he asked, his voice dripping with condescension. "Lost your appetite? Or does our little architect have an opinion on international finance now?"

The table fell silent. Mr. and Mrs. Thorne looked at me, expecting me to stammer an apology. Chloe snickered into her napkin.

But before I could speak, Mrs. Thorne did something unexpected. She placed her hand on her husband' s arm, her gaze firm. "Julian, that' s quite enough. Your wife is entitled to her own thoughts."

It was a small gesture, but it was a crack in the solid wall of their hostility. She had seen me at the hospital with my mother. She had seen a different side of me, and it had shifted something in her.

I took a deep breath, choosing my words with extreme care. This was my chance. "It' s not that, Mr. Thorne," I began, my voice even. "I was just thinking about a recent trend in architectural contracts.

Many of the large infrastructure projects, especially in emerging markets, are now requiring hardware sourced from companies with more stable, long-term supply chains. Companies focused on industrial automation, not consumer electronics." I was planting a seed, trying to steer him away from the cliff without revealing that I could see it.

I looked directly at him, then at Julian. "This marriage is a business arrangement. You wanted to protect your family' s name. I want to protect my mother and secure my own future. I know you don' t trust me. So let' s make a deal."

I pushed my chair back slightly. "I will help you navigate the next year. I have insights, not just in architecture but in market trends that affect it. In exchange, after one year, you will grant me a quiet divorce, along with a settlement that will ensure my mother' s medical care for life and allow me to start my own firm. No questions asked."

Mr. Thorne stared at me, intrigued despite himself. But Julian just laughed, a harsh, ugly sound.

"Insights? You? You' re an architect who married me because your reputation was ruined. Now you want to play business guru? This is just another pathetic attempt to get more money out of us. I can' t believe you have the nerve."

His words were a dismissal, a final judgment. He saw my offer not as a lifeline, but as a scam. The arrogance in his eyes was blinding. He was so certain of his own superiority, of his father' s genius, that he couldn' t fathom the idea that I, the woman he' d been forced to marry, could possibly know something he didn' t.

I met his gaze, my own expression turning to ice. "Fine," I said, my voice devoid of all emotion. "Believe what you want. But don' t say I didn' t warn you."

The rest of the dinner passed in a frigid silence. I felt a profound sense of exhaustion settle deep into my bones. I had offered them a way out, a path to avoid the ruin I knew was coming, and they had thrown it back in my face. Julian' s distrust was a chasm between us, too wide to cross.

Later that night, I stood alone on the balcony of my room, looking out over the perfectly manicured gardens. The air was cool, but I felt a burning sense of despair. I had failed. I couldn' t save them from themselves. And I was still trapped here, chained to a man who saw me as nothing but a liability.

A wave of resignation washed over me. I couldn't save the Thornes. It was time to stop trying. From now on, my only goal would be to save myself and my mother. I would bide my time, gather my resources, and when the Thorne empire inevitably crumbled, I would be ready to walk away from the wreckage without a second glance. I was done with Julian Thorne. I was done with all of them.