Under the Table, Between Two Brothers
1219 Words
Julian was doing it on purpose.
Elena shot a quick glance at the man beside her, then nervously checked Marcus across the table.
The older brother was still on the phone, totally clueless. The younger one was under the table, casually getting handsy with her.
The weird heat crept up her palm. She didn’t dare move too much.
When Marcus turned slightly, she carefully pushed Julian’s wandering hand away, little by little.
She kept a sweet, obedient smile on her face, lifted her glass, and took a small sip like nothing had happened.
A server brought her a fresh set of utensils.
Julian finally stopped and went back to eating like a perfect gentleman.
Marcus hung up, and the two men started talking about family stuff, not even trying to hide it from her.
Julian kicked things off.
“Hey, bro, didn’t you say Dad’s not got much time left?”
Marcus frowned. “I said his health’s been bad lately, and you should go see him more.”
Julian shrugged. “Same thing, right?”
Marcus didn’t reply.
Julian kept going. “Told him to chill a bit. At his age, he’s going to get himself killed if he keeps pushing it.”
This psycho really didn’t hold back. He showed zero respect for his own father, right in front of her.
Elena listened closely, afraid to miss any juicy rich family drama.
Then it turned on her.
Under the table, her skirt got lightly lifted.
Julian’s long fingers slid right in.
Her hand holding the glass froze.
Who’d have guessed this classy, good-looking guy would pull something this dirty under the table?
She lowered her eyes, calm on the outside.
Inside, she was furious, half ready to throw the ice water straight at his smug face.
But she couldn’t do a thing.
Elena crossed her legs and shifted away just enough to finally break free.
“Heh.”
Julian let out a soft laugh.
Marcus looked up. “What?”
Julian’s smile grew. “Hey, bro, do you think Dads made a will yet?”
Marcus stayed calm. “He’s still in decent shape. It’s too early for that.”
Julian leaned back, relaxed, lips curling. “Even healthy people can die in an accident.”
Marcus’s face hardened. “Julian, no matter what, he’s still your father.”
Julian said slowly, “My name’s Julian.”
“Changing your last name doesn’t change your blood,” Marcus replied. “He’s tried more than once to bring you back from the UK.”
Julian stared at him. “And you? Do you even want me back?”
Marcus softened a little. “Of course. You’re my brother.”
Julian smiled, but his eyes stayed cold. “Aren’t you scared I came back to steal the inheritance?”
The table looked calm, but the tension was thick.
Marcus answered evenly. “You’re his son and my brother. You have every right to it.”
“Yeah, no,” Julian said lazily. “If I ran the company, I’d be as busy as you. Then I wouldn’t have time to hang out with my baby.”
His eyes flicked toward Elena.
She glanced down, pretending she hadn’t caught that.
Julian’s words made Marcus think of what he had seen outside that room the other night.
“Don’t you already have someone?” he asked.
Julian suddenly looked wronged. “I wish. She won’t have me. I’m stuck being her loyal dog.”
Marcus went quiet.
So did Elena.
“I’m done. Thanks for the meal.”
Julian wiped his mouth and stood up. “I’ll get the next one.”
Only after his tall figure disappeared did Elena finally feel like she could breathe again.
The weight in her chest finally dropped.
“Elena.”
Marcus’s voice cut in, sharp. “You look awful. What’s going on?”
Her heart jumped right back into her throat.
“I…”
The idea of confessing flashed through her mind, then died. Marcus didn’t look like he’d take it well.
“I feel a little dizzy,” she said.
He still didn’t look convinced.
He pulled out his phone. “Have Dr. Smith come over.”
Ten minutes later, the doctor was there.
Elena quietly went through the exam.
Once her lipstick was wiped off, her lips were pale as paper.
“Nothing serious,” Dr. Smith said. “Just low blood sugar.”
She’d been tense all day and barely eaten.
The doctor handed her a piece of candy. “Keep some sweets or chocolate in your bag. They help when this happens.”
Marcus looked at her. “Why didn’t you eat?”
She lowered her head, looking miserable.
Since coming to New York, she’d been stuck in nonstop classes and brutal workouts.
Marcus had hired a trainer and put her on a crazy strict diet.
At five-six, she had to earn under a hundred pounds.
With all that training and barely any food, she could hardly remember what meat tasted like.
She still wasn’t at the target weight.
So she barely dared to eat.
Even with Marcus, she only picked a few leaves in her salad.
Marcus knew it all.
In front of the doctor, he gently brushed her hair. “You don’t take care of yourself. People might think I’m mistreating you.”
She shook her head. “No, it’s me. I just… don’t like getting fat.”
He smiled softly, eyes full of affection.
He loved how obedient she was.
The doctor left.
Even after they walked out, Elena still didn’t touch the candy.
Outside, Marcus suddenly changed plans. Julian’s joke about the inheritance had put him on edge, so he went back to the family estate.
He had the driver take Elena home instead.
The driver watched her go inside before leaving.
Only then did Elena step back out.
She was starving.
Dieting was torture, both body and mind.
She couldn’t understand why Marcus was so obsessed with her weight. He knew she was getting low blood sugar, yet he still played the caring boyfriend while pushing her this hard.
He didn’t love her.
He just wanted a perfect version of Elena.
The more she thought about it, the worse she felt.
Today, she was done holding back.
She went to the nearby supermarket and filled her cart with all the snacks she never dared to buy.
On the way home, she passed her usual milk tea shop. After a few seconds of hesitation, she went in.
She needed something sweet.
The clerk smiled. “Miss Elena, the usual sugar-free Americano?”
She shook her head. “Pudding milk tea. Full sugar.”
“Coming right up.”
It was just the clerk today.
Elena asked casually, “Where’s the guy named Tom?”
“Oh, him? He got fired. Heard he got into a fight, broke his leg and his arm. Pretty bad.”
Elena froze.
She remembered him. Last time, he’d brushed her hand on purpose.
She’d just pulled away and ignored it.
A broken leg. A broken arm.
The sweet smell of milk tea suddenly made her feel sick.
She remembered Marcus’s and Julian’s drivers waiting there for her.
An icy chill shot up from her feet and spread through her whole body.
- Writer
