Chapter 2: The Morning After
By 6:00 AM, the story had leaked. The financial blogs and gossip sites were on fire. MAID TO HEIRESS: THE VALE BASTARD TAKES THE THRONE. The stock for Vale Holdings had already dipped three percent in pre-market trading, and the Laurent family's communications team was in full meltdown mode.
Inside Blackthorne Hall, the atmosphere was toxic.
Elena stood in the center of the master suite in the East Wing—the very suite her father had occupied before his death. Sterling had ordered the household staff to prepare it for her at midnight.
A sharp knock broke her thoughts before the door swung open. It was Mrs. Gable, the head housekeeper. For a decade, Mrs. Gable had made Elena’s life a living hell, assigning her the most grueling tasks and docking her meager pay for imagined infractions.
Mrs. Gable stood in the doorway, trembling, holding a silver tray with a pot of Earl Grey tea and fresh scones. Her eyes were fixed firmly on the floor.
"Your... your breakfast, Miss Elena," Mrs. Gable stammered, her face flushed with humiliation.
Elena turned from the window. She was no longer wearing the stark black-and-white uniform. Sterling had brought her a tailored navy pantsuit that morning, charged to the estate account. She looked every inch a Vale—she had Edmund’s sharp jawline and piercing dark eyes.
"Put it on the table, Mrs. Gable," Elena said softly.
The housekeeper rushed to comply, the china rattling violently due to her shaking hands. "Miss Elena, I just wanted to say... regarding the past..."
"Let’s not insult each other with apologies born of fear, Mrs. Gable," Elena cut her off, her tone devoid of anger, which only made it more terrifying. "You did what Lady Victoria ordered you to do. But I am not Victoria. As long as you do your job with respect, you will keep your position. Dismissed."
Mrs. Gable practically fled the room.
A moment later, Adrian appeared in the open doorway. He looked exhausted. He hadn’t slept. His tuxedo jacket was gone, his bowtie undone, and a glass of amber liquid sat loosely in his grip.
"May I?" he asked, pointing to one of the velvet armchairs.
"It's your house, Adrian."
"Half yours, apparently," he said, taking a seat and staring into his glass. "I spent the entire night on the phone with the board of directors. The Laurents are threatening to pull the merger. Celeste’s father is claiming fraud."
Elena poured herself a cup of tea. "The merger was a bad deal anyway. The Laurents are over-leveraged in overseas real estate. They needed the Vale liquid capital to cover their debts. That’s why Celeste was so desperate to marry you."
Adrian looked up, stunned. "How do you know that?"
"I served the tea in the boardroom for five years, Adrian," Elena said, taking a slow sip. "People think servants are deaf. I’ve listened to every financial strategy, every whispered panic, every backdoor deal this family has made since I was fifteen."
Adrian stared at her, seeing her truly for the first time. The girl who had silently poured his coffee was a sleeping dragon, hoarding years of corporate intelligence.
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"My mother is calling an emergency board meeting at noon," Adrian warned. "She’s going to try to have you declared legally incompetent or challenge the DNA evidence. She will destroy you if you walk into that building."
Elena set her teacup down with a sharp clink. "She can try."
