Julian’s face was a crumbling monument. The triumphant CEO, the visionary kingmaker, had vanished in the space of a heartbeat. In his place was a man staring at the embodiment of a secret he thought he had buried alive. His mouth opened, a faint, strangled sound escaping, the name he hadn't dared to speak in public for three years.
“Elena?”
It was a whisper, but in the tomb-like silence of the hall, it was as loud as a gunshot.
The sea of faces turned from me to him and back again, the question hanging in the air. Who was Elena? And why did her name make the man of the hour look like he was about to be sick?
Then, the shock curdled into fury. Julian’s survival instincts kicked in, his only defense a desperate, brutal offense. He straightened his shoulders, his expression twisting into
