Episode 4: An Unexpected Claim
681 Words
The room suddenly felt smaller.
Elena looked at the beautiful woman standing confidently near the doorway, unsure if she had heard correctly.
“I’m Adrian’s fiancée.”
The words echoed in her mind.
Fiancée?
For a moment, Elena couldn’t speak. She slowly turned toward Adrian, expecting him to correct the misunderstanding immediately.
But he didn’t.
He stood there calmly, his expression unreadable as always.
Sophia stepped forward gracefully, her heels making soft sounds against the polished floor.
“And you are?” she asked politely, though her eyes carefully studied Elena’s face.
Elena hesitated.
She remembered the contract.
No one must know the truth.
“I’m Elena,” she replied softly.
Sophia waited, clearly expecting more.
Before Elena could continue, Adrian’s calm voice filled the silence.
“She is my wife.”
Everything stopped.
Sophia’s smile disappeared slowly.
“What did you just say?” she asked quietly.
“I said,” Adrian repeated calmly, “Elena is my wife.”
Elena’s heart skipped.
Even though she already knew their marriage was only a contract, hearing him say those words so naturally made something inside her chest tighten unexpectedly.
Sophia stared at Adrian as if waiting for him to laugh and say it was a joke.
But he didn’t.
Instead, he stepped forward and stood beside Elena.
Protectively.
“When did this happen?” Sophia asked, her voice no longer gentle.
“Recently,” Adrian replied simply.
“And you didn’t think I deserved to know?” she continued.
“It wasn’t necessary,” he answered.
The tension between them became heavier.
Sophia looked at Elena again.
This time, her gaze was colder.
More careful.
More curious.
Up close, she looked even more beautiful and confident—like someone who belonged in Adrian’s world.
Elena suddenly became very aware of her simple dress.
“I see,” Sophia said after a moment.
Her smile returned, but it no longer looked friendly.
“Congratulations,” she added softly.
The word didn’t sound like congratulations at all.
“Thank you,” Elena replied politely.
“Marriage is a serious decision,” Sophia continued slowly. “Especially one made so suddenly.”
Adrian didn’t respond.
Silence filled the room again.
“Dinner will be ready soon,” he said calmly. “Join us if you like.”
Sophia studied him for a few seconds before shaking her head slightly.
“No,” she replied. “I think I should leave.”
She picked up her handbag from the table near the door.
But before walking away, she stopped beside Elena.
Her voice lowered so only Elena could hear.
“You should be careful,” she whispered.
Elena blinked in confusion.
“What do you mean?”
Sophia smiled again.
“You’ll understand soon enough.”
Then she walked away.
The sound of her heels slowly disappeared down the hallway.
For several seconds, neither Elena nor Adrian spoke.
“Was she really your fiancée?” Elena finally asked.
“No,” Adrian replied calmly.
“Then why did she say that?”
“She wanted that position,” he answered.
Elena looked down at her hands.
“And now?” she asked carefully.
“Now,” Adrian said quietly, “you have it.”
Her heartbeat quickened again.
“I didn’t mean to cause trouble,” she said softly.
“You didn’t,” he replied.
He stepped slightly closer.
“My family will be here for dinner tonight,” he continued. “They don’t know about the contract. So be careful what you say.”
Elena felt nervous immediately.
“They won’t accept me,” she said quietly.
“They don’t need to,” Adrian replied calmly.
“You are my wife.”
For some reason, those words made her chest feel warm again.
Even though she knew the marriage wasn’t real.
Even though everything between them was only an agreement.
Still, hearing him say that made her feel protected.
Adrian turned toward the door before leaving.
“Dinner is at eight,” he said calmly.
“Try not to be late, Mrs. Kingsley.”
- Writer
