Chapter 9
1216 Words
"I'm married. I came to let you know. I'm just here to pick up my clothes and books. I won't be coming back to disturb you anymore. Thank you for raising me all these years." Elena Vance spoke calmly as she looked at Richard Vance.
Richard finally looked at his daughter. Married? Without his permission, without him even meeting the man?
"You're truly a disgrace. Never listened since you were little. Getting married is such a huge matter, yet you didn't even inform the family. You're just here to notify us?" He was shocked and angry. In his mind, his daughter had always been disobedient.
"Yes, just letting you know. No other meaning. I'll go pack my things. Please tell my stepmother and brother for me." Elena didn't care whether Richard was pleased or not. No one had cared about her feelings all these years—why should she care about his?
"Do you even have anything in this house? How can you have the nerve to take anything?" Richard's anger finally erupted, cruel words spilling out.
"You've never given me a cent of allowance, never bought me a single piece of clothing. Since I started working, I've paid for my own meals. The thirty thousand dollars for my college tuition—I paid you back last year. These clothes and books are all things I bought myself. Which of these isn't mine? Is there anything wrong with taking my own belongings?" She didn't even have her own room—she had always lived in a corner of the balcony, separated by a single door, with a bed that left her freezing in winter and sweltering in summer. Had she ever complained?
This man was her biological father!
Elena couldn't believe her own father would say such things to her.
Richard saw his daughter's red-rimmed eyes, tears welling but not falling. He fell silent.
Half an hour later, Elena had packed her things.
One box of clothes, two boxes of books. A laptop, a desk lamp. Nothing else.
She placed everything by the door and said with complete detachment, "You can check to see if I took anything that doesn't belong to me. The bedsheet is old, but you gave it to me. I'm not taking it."
"What do you mean? Take whatever you want. I never said you couldn't." Richard grumbled, knowing he was in the wrong.
Elena gave a cold, fleeting smile. If she actually took anything extra, she'd never hear the end of it.
Without another word, she opened the door and began moving things downstairs, one load at a time. The neighborhood was old, five floors without an elevator. She hadn't hired a moving company, and the books were heavy. She struggled.
Finally, she decided to call a friend for help.
Luke Blake arrived quickly. Seeing Elena sweating over boxes of books, he said, "Why didn't you call me sooner? You're a delicate, beautiful woman—you shouldn't be doing such heavy work."
Elena straightened up, wiped her sweat, and smiled. "A friend in need is indeed a friend. All those milk teas we had back in college finally paid off, right?"
Luke had been Elena's university classmate. They'd stayed close for nearly a decade.
Seeing this warm, upright young man lifted Elena's spirits. The gloom and suffocation she'd felt moments ago vanished.
"After all these years, still just 'classmate'? Not 'old friend'? Elena, you're finally moving out. Congratulations on escaping that hell." Luke knew all about Elena's family situation.
He'd secretly helped her quite a bit during college.
Elena nodded with a smile.
They loaded the three boxes into Luke's car. Once they were both inside, Elena said gratefully, "I'm temporarily free of that place. Besides thanking you, there's something I need to tell you. I'll treat you to lunch."
"What big news? Unless you eloped—anything else isn't that big a deal." Luke joked, not realizing he'd guessed correctly.
Elena was stunned for a moment. "Let me keep it a secret a little longer."
"Alright, I'll hold on a bit more." Luke thought Elena was just being mysterious about her thank-you gesture.
Arriving at Oak Park, Elena and Luke carried everything to the 17th floor. Luke was amazed. "Elena, how did you find such a big, nice place?"
"I'm married, Luke. This is my husband's house." Elena finally told him.
She didn't want to keep secrets from her friends.
"What? Married? When? You were still going on blind dates last week—how did this happen so fast? Elena, you didn't sell yourself for a house, did you?" Luke was shocked and worried Elena had trapped herself just to escape her terrible family.
"Have some water, calm down, and let me explain." Elena poured him a glass.
"Who is it? Who did you marry? To afford a place this big in Aster Bay, he's got to be at least forty or fifty." Luke was full of concern.
"Julian Harrow. A law professor. I mentioned him before—his parents are both professors. The whole family is wonderful. Don't worry. I didn't marry him for the house. I have a good feeling about Julian Harrow. Wanting to move out was one reason, but more than that, my grandmother wanted to see me married. So Professor Harrow seemed like a great choice. You know how before, whenever I brought boys to meet Grandma, she'd shake her head. But this time was different—she really liked him." Elena explained.
Luke sighed. "No ceremony, no blessings? Just a marriage license?"
"Yes, just the license. It's fine this way—I have an escape route if things go wrong. Having too many people know would be awkward. Right? Come on, it's almost noon. Let's go eat." Elena invited him again.
Julian hadn't called, which meant he wasn't coming home. She could have lunch with her friend.
Luke stood up but worried. "Making such a big decision without consulting your family—they're definitely going to cause trouble. You should prepare yourself."
"Thanks for the warning, old friend. I'll keep that in mind." Elena opened the door, and they left together.
"Elena, tomorrow, Sophie and I will take you and your husband out. Let us see what kind of person he is. How about that?" Luke wouldn't rest until he'd seen the man with his own eyes.
"I'll have to check if he has time. Once I know, I'll let you know." Elena didn't dare promise anything—Julian seemed genuinely busy.
They didn't opt for a buffet; Luke insisted on steak.
Elena agreed with a smile, and they each ordered a set meal—both agreed it was better value.
Steak with a little wine between old friends—nothing out of the ordinary.
But the world was small. Even in a city as large as Aster Bay, Julian Harrow happened to be sitting in his car right outside the restaurant. Through the window, he could see Elena laughing and chatting comfortably with a strange man.
He thought about how reserved she had been with him.
Jon followed his boss's gaze and spotted the newly-minted Mrs. Harrow, deep in conversation with a man.
"Sir, that's the lady. Shall I go invite her out?" Jon thought it beneath the CEO's dignity to go himself.
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