Claimed By My Ex’s Uncle After Divorce

Chapter 4: The Family Dinner

Elowen's POV

The grand ballroom of the ancestral estate was a display of old-money opulence—crystal chandeliers dripping with light, ice sculptures gleaming on silver platters, and the city’s most powerful figures conversing in hushed tones.

Julian immediately swept us into the crowd, exchanging pleasantries and ensuring everyone saw the picture-perfect couple. We approached the head table where the family matriarch, Grandmother Taylor, sat.

Unlike the rest of this cold, calculating family, Grandmother Taylor had always been a beacon of genuine warmth. She possessed a gentle, aristocratic grace, her silver hair styled elegantly, her eyes soft and welcoming.

Beside her stood my mother-in-law, Rae. Rae was Taylor's daughter-in-law, and she had spent her entire life trying to mimic Taylor's status, though she lacked any of the older woman's class. Rae's eyes immediately locked onto me, sweeping over my gown with her trademark passive-aggressive disapproval. To Rae, I was a middle-class intruder—a useless ornament who hadn't even managed to produce a grandchild to secure Julian's inheritance.

"Elowen, darling!" Grandmother Taylor's face lit up with a warm, genuine smile the moment she saw me. She reached out, clasping my hands in her soft, warm ones. "You look absolutely breathtaking tonight. Come, sit near me for a moment."

"Happy Birthday, Grandmother Taylor," I said softly, feeling a rare, genuine pang of affection. She was the only person in this family who had ever treated me like a human being rather than a biological vessel.

Before Rae could interject, Rhysand strolled over to the table. Taylor looked at her youngest son, her expression filled with fond maternal exasperation. "Rhysand, look at you, arriving alone as always. When are you finally going to bring home a lovely girl? Look at Julian and Elowen—always so supportive of one another."

Rhysand took a slow sip of his champagne. His eyes drifted over to where Julian and I stood, a faint, dangerous smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "Julian is indeed a lucky man," Rhysand murmured, his deep baritone carrying a strange, velvety undertone that sent a sudden jolt through my nerve endings. His eyes locked onto mine, his gaze intense and unblinking, making me feel incredibly exposed.

Rae clicked her tongue, eager to shift the spotlight to her own agenda. She leaned over, her voice dripping with artificial sweet poison. "Well, mother, Julian may have a pretty wife, but a pretty face doesn't carry on the family legacy. It’s been seven years, Elowen. Surely you should be focusing on giving Julian an heir instead of... whatever it is you do with your spare time these days."

I felt Julian’s grip on my waist tighten slightly. I raised my chin, my voice cool, clear, and perfectly calm. "Actually, Rae, I’ve decided to return to the laboratory. I’m currently finalizing an employment contract with a leading pharmaceutical research firm. My career will be taking priority for the foreseeable future, so the plans for a family are officially on hold."

Rae’s face contorted into a look of sheer, ugly outrage. "Return to work? You gave up your research years ago, Elowen! To think you’d prioritize some low-level lab job over your duties to my son and this family. How incredibly selfish."

Julian's aunt, Jessica, chimed in with a sneer. "Exactly. It's embarrassing, really."

But before Rae or Jessica could humiliate me further, Grandmother Taylor pat my hand gently, her soft voice cutting through the venom with absolute authority. "Nonsense, Rae," Taylor said firmly, giving my mother-in-law a pointed, warning look. "An educated, brilliant woman like Elowen shouldn't lock her mind away forever. The medical patents she worked on before she married Julian were revolutionary. If Elowen wants to return to the research that saves lives, we should all be incredibly proud of her."

I looked at Grandmother Taylor, a lump forming in my throat. Her kindness was a beautiful, tragic contrast to the absolute betrayal of her grandson.

Julian, sensing the shift in the room and wanting to keep his grandmother's favor, quickly forced a laugh, squeezing my shoulder. "Of course, Grandmamma is right. I support El completely. If she wants to play around in a lab for a few months to clear her head, she has my full backing. We have plenty of time for babies."

He dismissed my entire life's work as a little game to "clear my head," all while protecting the dirty secret of his pregnant mistress.

Right at that moment, Julian’s phone vibrated violently in his pocket. He pulled it out, his eyes widening slightly as he looked at the screen. A look of sudden, genuine panic crossed his face. "Excuse me," Julian muttered, his voice tight as he hurriedly stepped away from the family circle, his eyes scanning the room for a quiet corner to take the call.

I watched his retreating back, my heart completely dead. I didn't need to guess who was on the other end of that line. Sophia was pulling his leash, and like a well-trained dog, he was running.

Within twenty minutes of taking the call, Julian returned to the table, his face pale and his expression filled with manufactured anxiety.

"El, I’m so sorry," he whispered into my ear, his hand trembling slightly against my back. "There’s an absolute emergency at the downtown distribution center. A massive chemical leak. I have to leave right now to handle the authorities. I’ll send a corporate car back for you in an hour."

"Go ahead," I said, not even turning to look at him.

He kissed my cheek frantically and practically sprinted out of the ballroom. I stood there, watching the doors close behind him. The distribution center didn't handle chemicals. It handled dry retail goods. The lie was so lazy it was insulting.

The moment Julian left, the family's pretense dropped. Aunt Jessica walked over, a cruel, mocking smile on her face. "Well, it seems your husband has more important things to attend to than an unemployed wife. Frankly, Elowen, if my husband abandoned me at a major family gala, I’d have the decency to take a cab home rather than embarrass the family by standing around alone."

"You’re absolutely right, Jessica," I smiled smoothly, setting my champagne glass down on a passing waiter's tray. "I think I’ll take my leave now."

I turned and walked out of the ballroom, keeping my head held high until the heavy double doors shut out the sound of the party. The moment I stepped onto the grand stone portico of the estate, a deafening crack of thunder shook the ground.

Within seconds, the sky opened up, pouring down a torrential, freezing rain.

The wind howled, driving the rain sideways under the stone roof. The valet station was completely overwhelmed, a long line of luxury cars idling in the driveway. I looked down at my phone—the battery had died, the screen completely black. I couldn't call a cab, and Julian’s promised corporate car was nowhere to be seen.

I stepped closer to the edge of the stone pillars, trying to shield myself, but within minutes, the freezing spray soaked through my silk gown. My hair clung to my neck, cold droplets tracing down my spine, making me shiver violently. I felt incredibly small, entirely abandoned, standing on the margins of a family that had never wanted me, waiting for a husband who was currently holding another woman.

Suddenly, a pair of bright, blinding headlights pierced through the sheet of rain.

A heavy, matte-black Maybach rolled to a smooth stop right in front of the steps. The rear passenger window rolled down an inch, revealing a pair of piercing, silver-gray eyes cut through the darkness.

"Get in," Rhysand’s deep, commanding voice sliced through the sound of the roaring storm.