The Untouchable Aunt: Rise of the Apex Queen

The Valerius ballroom rang with the clinks of champagne glasses and the muted conversation of the city’s upper-crust, but Seraphina felt like she was going to pass out in the thick, high-collared lace dress her mother-in-law had made her wear. This was meant to be a tribute to seven years of marriage and seven years of growing Valerius Enterprises into a multi-billion-dollar empire, but as she gazed around the room at the gold-leafed columns and the pricey paintings, she realized that every single success in this room had been carved out by her sleepless nights and strategic maneuvers. She had pushed herself to the limit for Julian, putting her own health and her company’s expansion at risk to make sure his name was at the top of the Forbes list, and yet she was treated like a glorified assistant in her own house. Lydia, her mother in law, approached with a crisp smile and straightened the collar of Seraphina’s gown as if it was choking her, commenting, "Try to look a little more thankful, Seraphina, it’s a blessing Julian has tolerated you these seven years without you giving him a single heir for this house." Seraphina fought back the lump in her throat and said, “You know it’s not my fault, Lydia, that Julian is the one who won’t come to my chamber and that he has made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t want children with me.” ​Lydia simply laughed and tapped her cheek a little too hard, as if it were a slap, and whispered, “A real woman knows how to entice her husband, but you’re too busy pretending to be a businessman to be a real wife, so don’t come crying to me when you’re lonely in that big bed of yours.” Seraphina turned her back and looked for Julian, he was by the door with a look of unnatural expectation on his face that she had not seen in years. He wasn’t looking at the investors or the board members that were trying to catch his attention, he was looking at the big mahogany doors as if a miracle will walk through them. ​The music abruptly dropped down and the doors swung open to unveil a woman clad in a brilliant, billowing red silk dress which was a sharp contrast to Seraphina’s drab and inconspicuous dress. The woman grasped the hand of a small boy who appeared to be around four years old, and as she came into the light, a collective intake of breath ran through the gathering – they had all seen her before, Elena was the woman Julian had loved prior to being compelled into a political marriage with Seraphina. Julian didn’t seem surprised or angry, and instead, he approached with a bright smile—one he had never once given to his wife, reaching out and took Elena's hand as the little boy looked up at him with those familiar dark eyes. “You're late,” Julian said softly. "I’m sorry Julian the plane got delayed and little Leo was tired so we need to stop to the hotel first," Elena's voice was sweet as always and full of feigned innocence. Seraphina felt her heart drop into her belly as she marched up to them, her heels clicking so loudly against the marble flooring, and she peered at Julian with wide eyes when she queried, "Julian, what is going on and why is she here at our anniversary party with a child?" At first Julian didn't even look at her but when he finally turned his head his expression was cold and that surprised her the most, as he said without a hint of remorse, "This is Elena, as you know, and this is Leo, my son and the future of the Valerius legacy." “Your son? “Seraphina whispered, as the world spun on its axis,“How can he be your son, we’ve just been married for five years and you haven’t even touched me once because you said you hated the idea of having kids?” Lydia walked up to her and pulled the boy into a hug, flashing a proud smile as she looked at the guests and said, “We have been known about Leo for a long time, and we are so happy that our grandson is finally home where he belongs, so there must be no more lies." Seraphina glanced around and recognized the board members and even some of Julian’s closest friends weren’t taken aback by it all, as though they were all privy to the secret that she had been kept in the dark about as she slaved away eighteen hours a day to pay for a lifestyle for a man who was playing house with another woman behind her back. “You all knew?” Seraphina said, turning her head to her father-in-law, who only brushed her off with a nod. Julian moved closer to Seraphina and brought his voice down, but not so much that those within earshot didn’t overhear, saying, “I’m sick and tired of the charade, Seraphina, so this is how it’s going to be from now on.” "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice shaking. "Elena and Leo are moving into the villa tomorrow, and since you haven't managed to give me a family, you will take them in and, in the eyes of the public, you'll be a mother to that boy," Julian said decisively, "You will help Elena make the move, and you'll oversee the transition, because if you can't even do that, then you're nothing but a waste of space to me and this family." Seraphina was filled a cold fury in her chest rather than pain, she rose to her feet level with Julian as she spoke., "You want me to raise your mistress's child under the roof of the house I bought with the money from the deal I wrapped up last year?" Don't go getting cocky with me, Seraphina, when everything you have rests on the Valerius name," Julian sneered. "Elena is back, now that child needs a real house with a mother who can actually pretend to care for him and you can either take that up or you'll be out in the street with nothing." Elena leaned against Julian’s side and pouted, "Julian, you’re not being that harsh, I’m sure she just has to get used to the fact that this is what’s best for all of her." She doesn’t need time, she needs to know her place," Julian said with utter contempt in his voice, gazing at Seraphina. "You’ve had seven years of luxury and a title you never earned, so now’s the time to make up for that by holding my heir in your arms, or you don’t even exist in this house." Seraphina gazed at the man she had loved for almost a decade, only to realize that the person she had strived so hard to make real never really existed.