THE WRONG BRIDE

The Fire in My Veins

The heavy wooden doors clicked shut behind Julian.

He was gone, but his presence still filled the entire room. The rich, woody scent of his expensive cologne hung heavily in the air. My skin was still burning where his hands had held my waist. My cheek felt hot where his thumb had gently brushed against my skin.

"Earth to Clara! Earth to Clara Vance!"

Arthur’s loud voice broke the silence. He clapped his hands right in front of my face, a huge, dramatic smirk on his lips.

"I am fine, Arthur," I said quickly, stepping away from the pile of ruined cake. My voice sounded shaky, even to my own ears. I tried to smooth down my blazer, but my hands were trembling so badly I had to hide them behind my back.

"Oh, you are definitely not fine," Arthur squealed, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Did you see the way he looked at you? He didn't just save your life, Clara. He held you like you were a piece of glass that was about to break! And that thumb thing? Pure drama. I thought he was going to kiss you right there over the vanilla frosting!"

"Stop it, Arthur," I scolded, my face turning bright red. "He is a billionaire. He is the head of Vance International. And most importantly, he is marrying Vivienne Montgomery tomorrow. He was just being nice because he didn't want a dead wedding planner on his hands."

"Nice?" Arthur laughed loudly, picking up his step stool. "Julian Vance is never nice. The media calls him the 'Ice King' for a reason. He fires people for looking at him wrong. But with you? He turned into a romance novel hero."

I didn't answer because Arthur was right. Julian was always cold, distant, and unreadable. I had worked with him for six months to plan this wedding, and he had never looked at me like that before. Today, something was different. The air between us had been electric.

But I couldn't think about that right now.

"We don't have time for your fantasies," I said, pointing at the floor. "Look at this disaster! The pastry chef spent three weeks on this six-tiered monster. The press tasting is in less than fourteen hours. If Vivienne arrives and sees this..."

As if my words had cursed the room, the double doors flew open again.

But it wasn't Julian this time.

Vivienne Montgomery walked into the room like she owned the world. She was wearing a tight designer dress, massive diamond earrings, and a dark scowl on her face. Her high heels clicked sharply against the marble floor, sounding like a ticking time bomb. Behind her, two assistants carried boxes of expensive flower arrangements.

She took one look at the floor, and her eyes went wide with fury.

"What is the meaning of this?" Vivienne screamed, her voice high and sharp. She pointed a manicured finger at the puddle of white frosting and ruined sugar flowers. "Clara! I pay your agency millions of dollars! Why is my wedding cake dead on the floor?"

"Miss Montgomery, please calm down," I said, stepping forward with my best professional smile. "There was a structural issue with the table. It collapsed, but we are already fixing it. I promise you, a perfect new cake will be ready for the press tomorrow morning."

"I don't care about promises!" Vivienne snapped, crossing her arms. "This wedding is the biggest event of the year. My family's company is merging with Julian’s company tomorrow. If anything looks less than perfect, the stock market will drop! You are ruining my life!"

She didn't care about Julian. She didn't ask if anyone was hurt. She only cared about her image and her money. My heart ached for Julian. No wonder he looked so miserable. He was trapped in a golden cage with a monster.

Suddenly, a deep, calm voice spoke from the doorway.

"The cake fell because it was an accident, Vivienne. Leave her alone."

I gasped. Julian had come back. He was standing by the door, holding a folder in his hand. His gray eyes were cool and steady as he stared at his fiancée.

Vivienne turned around, her angry face instantly changing into a fake, sweet smile. "Julian, darling! You are back. I am just trying to make sure our wedding is perfect. This girl is being incompetent."

"Clara is the best planner in the city," Julian said, his voice flat and hard. He walked past Vivienne without even touching her. He didn't hug her. He didn't kiss her cheek. Instead, he stopped right next to me.

Our shoulders brushed. A jolt of pure electricity ran through my body at the sudden contact.

Julian looked down at me, ignoring his beautiful fiancée completely. "Did you clean your face?" he asked softly.

My heart stopped. He was talking about the icing he had wiped off earlier.

Vivienne’s eyes narrowed as she watched us. She wasn't stupid. She could feel the strange, thick tension in the room. "Julian? What are you talking about? Why are you standing so close to her?"

Julian didn't look at Vivienne. His intense gaze stayed locked on my eyes. "I am just making sure our planner is ready for the rehearsal tonight," he murmured, his voice low and dangerous. "Because if she steps away, this entire wedding will fall apart."

The way he said it made my breath hitch. He wasn't just talking about the wedding. His eyes were telling me something else. He was telling me that he was falling apart, too.

"Julian!" Vivienne complained, stomping her foot. "Stop ignoring me! We need to leave for the dinner."

Julian finally turned to look at her, his face turning into ice once again. "Go to the car, Vivienne. I will be there in a minute. I need to speak with Clara. Alone."

Vivienne looked furious, her face turning red under her heavy makeup. She glared at me like she wanted to slap me, but she didn't want to argue with Julian in public.

"Fine," Vivienne hissed. She grabbed her expensive purse and stormed out of the room, her assistants running behind her like scared puppies. Arthur quickly grabbed his things and slipped out the back door, giving me a panicked look that said, Good luck!

Suddenly, the grand room was completely empty again. Just me, the ruined cake, and the billionaire groom.

Julian stepped closer, closing the distance between us until I could feel the heat radiating from his chest. The silence between us was loud.

"Mr. Vance, you should go with your fiancée," I whispered, my voice trembling. I tried to look away, but his presence was like a magnet.

"I don't care about Vivienne," Julian said, his deep voice rough. He reached out, his long fingers gently catching my chin. He forced me to look up into his dark, intense eyes. "And stop calling me Mr. Vance, Clara. Not after how you just held onto me."

My breath caught in my throat. My hands automatically came up to touch his chest again, trying to push him away, but I didn't have the strength. His touch was like a drug, and I was already addicted.

"Julian, please," I gasped. "You are getting married tomorrow."

"I am trapped, Clara," he whispered, his jaw tightening as his eyes dropped to my lips again. His thumb caressed my chin, sending waves of heat straight to my heart. "But right now, you are the only thing that feels real."