Married to Julian Grey

Chapter 5

The HR department felt different the moment I walked out of it.

Not louder. Not busier.

Just... final.

It felt as though a decision had been made somewhere far above me, and everyone else was simply carrying it out.

That unsettled me more than the transfer itself.

Aurelius Group Headquarters.

Another city.

Effective immediately.

The transfer came with accommodation, increased pay, and additional benefits.

On paper, it looked incredible.

The kind of opportunity people spent years hoping for.

And yet I couldn't shake the feeling that I hadn't done anything to earn it.

By the time I returned to my department, everyone seemed to know something had changed.

Mark looked up first.

"So it's real."

I nodded.

Jessica pushed her chair back slightly.

"That's fast."

Daniel said nothing, but his expression carried the same curiosity as everyone else.

Sandra stood near Mr. Lawson's office with a folder tucked neatly beneath one arm.

She already knew.

As Mr. Lawson's executive assistant, she usually knew everything before the rest of us did.

"It was signed this morning," she said.

I frowned.

"This morning?"

She nodded.

"Mr. Lawson signed the transfer papers, but the decision came from headquarters."

That made me pause.

"So everyone already knew?"

"No," Sandra replied. "Only the people who were here when it came through."

I shifted the transfer document in my hands.

"So there was no discussion?"

"There wasn't time for one. It had already been approved before it reached us."

Something about that bothered me.

Not because I wanted to argue.

Because it meant the decision had been made long before anyone thought to tell me.

Jessica leaned forward.

"Headquarters, though."

A small grin touched her lips.

"That's a huge opportunity."

"It is," Mark agreed.

Daniel finally spoke.

"You'll probably be earning more than the rest of us soon."

I laughed softly.

"I don't even know what position they're transferring me into."

"Whatever it is," Mark said, "it must be good."

I wasn't so sure.

But as I looked around the office, I realized something else.

This was happening.

Whether I understood it or not.

The rest of the morning dissolved into motion.

People stopped by my desk.

Some offered congratulations.

Others asked questions I couldn't answer.

Eventually, there was nothing left except to pack.

It wasn't much.

A framed photograph.

A mug.

A few personal items collected over the years.

The small things that slowly turn a workspace into something familiar.

As I placed them into a box, an unexpected heaviness settled in my chest.

The department had become routine.

Comfortable.

Predictable.

And now I was leaving it behind.

Sandra watched me from across the room.

"You'll go today."

It wasn't a question.

I looked up.

"Apparently."

For a brief moment, her professional composure slipped.

"Good luck, Elena."

"Thanks."

A few minutes later, I walked out of the department carrying the box.

The doors closed behind me.

And just like that, it was over.

When I got home, I didn't waste time.

I packed immediately.

Clothes.

Toiletries.

Books.

Everything I thought I might need.

Halfway through, my phone lit up.

A message appeared.

Flight arranged. Departure: 6:40 PM. Driver will arrive at 4:30 PM.

Signed, Aurelius Group.

I stared at the screen for a moment longer than necessary.

Then I laughed softly.

Of course they had already arranged it.

At this point, nothing about the transfer surprised me anymore.

The driver arrived exactly on time and took me straight to the airport.

There, I discovered I had been booked in business class.

The ticket had already been paid for.

My seat had already been assigned.

Every step had already been arranged.

All I had to do was show up.

The flight passed in quiet suspension.

Business class felt oddly unreal.

Like I had somehow wandered into someone else's life.

I spent most of the journey staring out the window.

Watching the clouds drift beneath us.

Watching the distance grow between me and everything familiar.

The difference became obvious the moment we landed.

The airport was larger than any I'd ever seen.

Brighter.

Busier.

Designed with a confidence that made my own city suddenly feel much smaller.

Another message arrived while I was still collecting my luggage.

Accommodation assigned. Address attached. Keys available at reception.

Signed, Aurelius Group.

A car was already waiting outside.

Of course it was.

The drive through the city only made everything feel more real.

The skyline unfolded gradually beyond the windows.

Roads crossed above one another in layers.

Glass towers rose in clusters, reflecting sunlight from every angle.

Massive digital screens stretched across entire buildings.

Traffic moved in steady streams beneath elevated highways.

Everywhere I looked, there was movement.

Scale.

Money.

The city seemed determined to remind you how important it was.

I found myself staring out the window as we moved deeper into it.

I had never seen anything like it.

For the first time since receiving the transfer, excitement pushed through the uncertainty.

Maybe Headquarters really was different.

Maybe this was exactly the opportunity everyone thought it was.

The car finally stopped in front of a building that looked more like a luxury residence than employee accommodation.

Surely this couldn't be standard housing.

Could it?

Inside, the receptionist already had my details.

No questions.

No delays.

She simply handed me a key card.

"Apartment 1803."

I thanked her and headed upstairs.

The elevator opened onto a quiet hallway.

A few moments later, I stood before the apartment door and unlocked it.

Then froze.

The apartment was enormous.

I stepped inside slowly.

The living room alone looked larger than my entire apartment back home.

Floor-to-ceiling windows stretched across one wall, opening the city into view.

The furniture looked untouched.

The kitchen belonged in a design magazine.

Everything looked as though no one had ever lived there before.

For a brief moment, excitement flickered again.

Maybe this was simply how Headquarters treated its employees.

Maybe this was normal.

Then I opened the bedroom door.

My thoughts stopped.

The bedroom was almost the size of my old apartment.

I stood there for several seconds.

Then I walked back into the living room and looked around again.

This wasn't normal.

Aurelius Group had paid for my flight.

Arranged transportation.

Provided a fully furnished luxury apartment.

For what?

I wasn't an executive.

I wasn't senior management.

I wasn't important.

A cold unease settled in my stomach.

I set my suitcase down and slowly turned in place.

The apartment was silent.

The kind of silence that came with thick walls, expensive furniture, and a view worth more than anything I'd ever owned.

There had to be a mistake.

Maybe there was another Elena Vale in the company.

Someone important.

Someone who actually belonged here.

And as I stood there, surrounded by a life that felt impossibly far beyond my own, I couldn't shake the feeling that Aurelius Group had sent for the wrong Elena.