Chapter 5 - The Masquerade of Lies
Arthur Sterling was a man who did not tolerate losing. When he discovered the lab data was wiped, he realized he couldn't destroy Elena privately. He had to control her publicly.
The next evening, Arthur called an emergency press conference in the grand hall.
Elena was forced into a breathtaking, blood-red Valentino gown. A team of stylists had scrubbed away the scullery maid, revealing a devastatingly beautiful high-society princess.
"Smile, or I will have Maria’s grave paved over," Arthur whispered in her ear as they stood behind the velvet curtains.
Elena gritted her teeth, stepping out into the blinding flashes of the paparazzi.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Arthur announced to the cameras, playing the role of the weeping, joyous father. "Twenty years ago, my heart was broken. Today, it is whole again. My daughter, Evangeline, was abducted by a deranged maid, but she has finally found her way home."
The press went wild. But Arthur wasn't finished.
"Furthermore," Arthur continued, smiling like a shark, "to ensure the Sterling legacy remains unified, I am thrilled to announce that Evangeline will be marrying my brilliant protégé and adopted son, Sebastian."
Elena gasped, her head whipping toward Sebastian. He looked just as shocked.
Arthur had trapped them. By marrying them, under the terms of the Sterling Trust, Arthur would retain legal conservatorship over Elena's shares until she was twenty-five.
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Sebastian stepped up, wrapping his arm tightly around Elena’s waist to keep her from bolting. He leaned in, pressing a fake, lingering kiss to her cheek for the cameras.
"Play along," he murmured against her skin, his lips sending a treacherous wave of heat through her body. "Let him think he's won."
