Married to Julian Grey

Chapter 4

The meeting continued for almost another hour.

Most of it went over my head.

Charts, reports, and growth projections filled the screens around the room while executives discussed them with effortless confidence. I spent most of my time trying to keep up, jumping between unfamiliar terminology, financial projections, and discussions that seemed to move faster than I could follow.

Eventually, the man at the head of the table closed the file in front of him.

The sound was small, but it carried across the room.

Conversation died immediately.

His gaze moved across the table.

"That will be all."

Just four words.

Yet people reacted before the last one had fully settled.

Chairs shifted.

Documents disappeared into briefcases.

Laptop screens went dark.

The meeting ended with the efficiency of something practiced countless times before.

People began leaving in small groups, speaking quietly as they made their way toward the door.

I stood as well, only then realizing how tense I'd been the entire time. My shoulders ached from holding themselves rigid for nearly an hour.

I had spent a meeting surrounded by people who operated on a level of the company I barely understood.

The fact that I'd survived it without embarrassing myself felt less like competence and more like luck.

Beside me, Allison rose and adjusted her cream blazer before heading toward the door. Like always, she looked effortlessly put together. Her auburn hair fell neatly over her shoulders, and her blue eyes sparkled with curiosity.

The moment we stepped into the hallway, she turned to me.

"Okay."

I glanced at her.

"Okay what?"

"Tell me how you did it."

"Did what?"

She gave me an incredulous look.

"Got Mr. Grey's attention."

My steps slowed.

"Who?"

Allison stopped walking altogether.

"Mr. Grey."

"Who is Mr. Grey?"

For a second, she simply stared at me.

"You're joking."

"No."

"The man at the head of the table."

Understanding finally dawned.

"Oh. The executive."

Allison closed her eyes briefly.

"You really have no idea who he is, do you?"

"I don't think so."

"Elena, that was Julian Grey."

The name meant absolutely nothing to me.

Allison groaned.

"Oh my God."

"What?"

"You seriously don't know who Julian Grey is?"

"Should I?"

We entered the elevator together.

"Elena, Julian Grey owns Aurelius Group."

I blinked.

"The entire company?"

"Yes."

That explained more than I wanted it to.

The silence that had followed his voice.

The way conversations stopped the moment he spoke.

The way even Mr. Lawson had abandoned his argument halfway through a sentence.

The elevator doors slid shut.

Allison folded her arms.

"He's also one of Forbes' Top 10 Under 30 billionaires."

"Well," I said after a moment.

Allison raised an eyebrow.

"Well?"

"I still don't think I got his attention."

She laughed.

"You weren't the first person to walk into that room today."

The elevator continued its descent.

"But you're the only one he told to stay."

I had no response to that.

When I returned to my department, a message was already waiting for me.

Mr. Lawson wants to see you.

Wonderful.

I stood and headed down the corridor.

Sandra sat outside his office as composed as ever. Her blonde hair was pinned neatly back, and her desk looked as though every pen, folder, and paperclip had been placed according to a blueprint.

She glanced up as I approached.

"Good luck."

That didn't help.

I knocked once.

"Come in."

Mr. Lawson's office was exactly what I expected—organized, orderly, and devoid of anything unnecessary.

"Sit."

I obeyed.

He removed his glasses and studied me for several seconds.

"How exactly did you get Mr. Grey to let you stay?"

I blinked.

"Sir?"

"Mr. Grey," he clarified. "How did you convince him to keep you in that meeting?"

"I didn't do anything."

His expression tightened.

"People don't stay in executive meetings without a reason."

"I was told to sit down."

"By him?"

"Yes."

Something flickered across his face.

Not anger.

Something closer to unease.

He leaned back in his chair.

"Just go."

Relief flooded through me.

"Thank you, sir."

I left before he could change his mind.

Back at my desk, I had barely settled into my chair before they appeared.

Sandra arrived first.

Jessica followed.

Daniel appeared moments later.

Mark wandered over last, coffee in hand and looking far too entertained by whatever was happening.

Sandra leaned forward.

"Forget the meeting. Is Mr. Grey really that handsome?"

Jessica nodded immediately.

"Answer the question."

I frowned.

"Why does that matter?"

Sandra looked genuinely offended.

"Because that's Julian Grey."

Mark took another sip of coffee.

"We've all seen interviews."

"And magazine covers," Jessica added.

"But none of us have actually been in the same room with him."

"Exactly," Sandra said. "So stop avoiding the question."

I sighed.

"He's..."

All four of them leaned closer.

"...tall."

The silence that followed lasted all of two seconds.

Then Jessica dropped her head onto the desk.

"That's it?"

Sandra pointed at me accusingly.

"You spent an hour in the same room as Julian Grey and all you can tell us is that he's tall?"

Mark laughed.

Daniel shook his head.

"You're hopeless."

I turned back to my computer.

"Then one of you should have been there instead."

That finally ended the interrogation.

The rest of the afternoon returned to normal.

Emails.

Reports.

Deadlines.

Meetings.

Still, something about that boardroom lingered in my mind.

Not fear.

Not excitement.

Just a strange feeling I couldn't quite name.

By the time I left the office, exhaustion weighed heavier than usual.

The bus ride home blurred into motion and noise.

Dinner came and went.

I tried watching television, but my attention drifted repeatedly back to the events of the day.

Eventually, I gave up and went to bed.

The dream returned anyway.

The same room.

Gold patterns winding across the walls.

The same man.

Waiting.

Always waiting.

His hand brushed my face.

His touch lingered.

His lips met mine—

And just like every other time—

I woke up late.

Again.

The next morning began with panic.

I rushed through everything, grabbed my bag, and arrived at work nearly twenty minutes late.

Sandra didn't even look up from her desk as I hurried past.

"Human Resources wants to see you."

I stopped so abruptly that I nearly stumbled.

"What?"

"Human Resources."

This time she looked up.

"I'd go now."

A few minutes later, I found myself sitting across from a woman in a navy suit holding a thin folder.

She offered a professional smile.

"Good morning, Elena."

"Good morning."

"Please relax."

That somehow made me even more nervous.

She opened the folder.

"I'm pleased to inform you that you've been selected for an internal transfer."

I frowned.

"A transfer?"

She slid a document across the desk.

My name sat at the top.

Below it were the words:

Aurelius Group Headquarters.

My stomach dropped.

Headquarters?

That wasn't even in this city.

"There must be a mistake."

"There isn't."

"But I never applied for a transfer."

"Some transfers are initiated internally."

A cold feeling settled in my chest.

I looked down at the document again.

Headquarters.

Another city.

Effective immediately.

My heart sank.

The woman smiled warmly.

"Congratulations, Elena."

I stared at the paper.

Somehow, it didn't feel like congratulations at all.