Married to Julian Grey

Chapter 15

By the time I arrived at my apartment, I was exhausted.

Not physically.

At least, not completely.

But mentally.

The past few days had felt like I had been living someone else's life.

A transfer to Aurelius Group Headquarters.

A promotion I never expected.

A private office.

A personal chauffeur.

Meetings with executives.

A public product launch surrounded by reporters.

And now...

A celebration at Aurelius Grand Hotel.

I stepped into the lobby of my apartment building and smiled at the receptionist.

"Good evening, Miss Vale."

"Good evening."

She reached beneath the reception desk and lifted a large garment box onto the counter.

"A delivery arrived for you earlier."

I looked at it curiously.

"For me?"

She nodded.

"It was left with instructions that it be handed to you personally."

I didn't need to ask what it was.

Adrian had already told me my formal attire for tonight's celebration would be sent ahead to my apartment.

"Thank you."

She smiled.

"You're welcome."

Balancing the large box carefully in my arms, I made my way upstairs.

Inside my apartment, I placed it gently on the bed.

For a moment, I simply looked at it.

I had no idea what Aurelius Group considered appropriate attire for an executive gala.

Perhaps a simple black dress.

Something elegant.

Something professional.

Something I could wear for one evening before returning it.

That seemed reasonable.

Carefully, I lifted the lid.

Then I froze.

For several long seconds...

I simply stared.

Inside lay a breathtaking black evening gown.

Not just any evening gown.

A designer gown.

The luxurious black fabric looked impossibly soft, while delicate silver detailing shimmered across it like scattered starlight. Every crystal had been placed with remarkable precision, creating an understated elegance rather than overwhelming brilliance.

It was the kind of dress I had only ever seen in fashion magazines or on celebrities walking red carpets.

My eyes slowly moved through the rest of the box.

A pair of elegant black pumps rested beside the gown, their subtle jeweled detailing matching the silver accents woven into the dress.

Next to them was a beautifully crafted black clutch.

And finally...

A velvet jewelry box.

A strange feeling settled in my chest.

Slowly, I opened it.

Nestled inside was a white-gold diamond necklace.

Matching white-gold diamond earrings rested beside it, their brilliance catching the light the instant the box opened.

I forgot to breathe.

"No..."

The word escaped before I realized I had spoken.

This couldn't possibly be mine.

There had to be some mistake.

Perhaps the boxes had been switched.

Perhaps someone had delivered the wrong package.

I carefully lifted the necklace.

Even without knowing much about jewelry, I could tell it was incredibly valuable.

The diamonds sparkled with quiet brilliance.

Elegant.

Timeless.

Expensive.

Far too expensive.

The matching earrings looked no less valuable.

There was no way Aurelius Group expected me to keep something like this.

I carefully returned the necklace and earrings to their box before closing it again.

"This has to be a rental."

That explanation immediately made far more sense.

A company as large as Aurelius Group probably arranged formal attire for executives attending important corporate events.

The gown.

The shoes.

The clutch.

The jewelry.

Everything was probably borrowed.

I felt noticeably better.

After tonight's celebration, I would have everything professionally cleaned before returning it first thing tomorrow.

That was exactly what I would do.

Because the alternative simply wasn't believable.

Someone like me didn't own designer gowns.

Or white-gold diamond jewelry.

I gently closed the garment box before glancing at the clock.

There was still plenty of time before I needed to get ready.

I changed out of my work clothes and slipped into something comfortable.

The moment I lay down on the bed, every muscle in my body relaxed.

For the first time all day...

There were no documents waiting to be organized.

No schedules to review.

No meetings to prepare for.

Only silence.

I reached for my phone and set an alarm.

6:30 p.m.

That would give me enough time to shower, get dressed, and be ready before Adrian and my chauffeur arrived at eight.

I placed my phone on the bedside table.

"I'll just rest for a few minutes."

The words had barely left my lips before exhaustion claimed me.

A persistent ringing pulled me from my sleep.

For a moment, I had no idea where I was.

I blinked several times before realizing the sound was coming from my phone.

Still half asleep, I reached across the bedside table and answered without checking the screen.

"Hello?"

"Elena?"

The familiar voice immediately woke me.

I sat up slightly.

"Allison?"

A laugh came from the other end.

"Finally. I thought you weren't going to answer."

I smiled.

Allison from the Marketing Department at my old Calden City branch.

She had always been friendly, energetic, and impossible to ignore.

"What happened?"

"Nothing bad."

She sounded excited.

"I wanted to tell you something."

I sat up properly.

"What is it?"

"I got transferred."

I blinked.

"Transferred?"

"Yes."

Her excitement was obvious even through the phone.

"To Aurelius Telecommunications."

A smile spread across my face.

"That's wonderful, Allison."

"It is."

I paused.

"Wait..."

A thought suddenly occurred to me.

"But why didn't I see you at the launch?"

There was a small laugh from the other end.

"I was there, Elena."

I sat up a little straighter.

"You were?"

"Yes. I saw you."

"You did?"

"Of course I did."

She sounded thoroughly amused.

"But you looked really busy."

I frowned slightly.

"Busy?"

"Elena, you were standing beside Julian Grey."

My face warmed immediately.

"Oh."

She laughed.

"Julian freaking Grey."

"Allison..."

"What? I'm serious."

I could almost picture the grin on her face.

"The CEO of Aurelius Group. The man everyone in the company knows. And there you were, standing next to him like it was completely normal."

I smiled despite myself.

"It wasn't exactly normal."

"Now you know who he is, right?"

Her teasing made me laugh softly.

"Yes, Allison. I know who he is."

"Good."

She laughed again.

"Because I remember you asking me about him before."

I smiled to myself.

It was strange how much had changed in only a few days.

Back then, Julian Grey had simply been the imposing, exceptionally handsome executive sitting at the head of the boardroom. I had walked in intending only to deliver a file and leave, but instead he had looked at me and calmly asked me to take a seat.

At the time, I didn't know who he was. It wasn't until afterward, when Allison stared at me in complete disbelief and told me who he really was—the CEO of Aurelius Group—that I realized what had happened.

And now...

I was his executive secretary.

"Anyway," Allison continued, "I wanted to come over and talk to you, but you were surrounded by reporters and executives. I figured you probably had more important things to deal with."

I smiled.

"You should have come anyway."

"Next time, I will."

Her voice softened.

"But honestly, Elena..."

"I'm happy for you."

The warmth in her voice made me smile.

"Thank you, Allison."

"I mean it."

She laughed softly.

"Just don't become too important to answer my calls."

I couldn't help laughing.

"I don't think that's going to happen."

"We'll see."

A brief silence followed before she spoke again.

"Oh, and I'll see you tonight."

I frowned slightly.

"Tonight?"

"At the after-party."

I blinked.

"You're going?"

"Of course."

She sounded excited all over again.

"The launch was only the first event. Marketing was invited to the gala too."

A smile spread across my face.

"Then I'll see you there."

"You definitely will."

She lowered her voice playfully.

"And this time, don't disappear before I get to say hello."

"I promise."

"Good."

She laughed.

"Now go get ready."

"I will."

After saying goodbye, I ended the call.

For a few moments, I sat quietly, looking at my phone.

Then my gaze drifted toward the garment box resting on the bed.

It was almost time to get ready.