Chapter 20 But Sloane had no interest in his excuses. Seeing no way forward, Julian reluctantly stepped out of the room. "Rest for now, Sloane," he said before closing the door. "I'll prove it to you. I'll prove my feelings are real." And so, she was forced to stay. Her days weren't exactly harsh. Julian didn't restrict her from moving around the villa, and anything she asked for appeared within an hour, no matter how unreasonable. He never refused her, except for two things: she was never left without maids and guards shadowing her, and she was forbidden from contacting anyone outside. In every other respect, she wielded more authority in the villa than Julian himself. But as the days dragged by, her frustration only grew. She had been missing long enough. How was Elias now? Was he eating? Sleeping? He must be blaming himself, she thought. Blaming himself for failing to protect her. Maybe she shouldn't have gone out that day. If only she hadn't gone to buy those cakes, maybe they wouldn't have been separated. The thought rose, then she pushed it down. This wasn't her fault. Malice hadn't come from her. No one could guard against a thief forever. Even if she had avoided that moment, Julian would have found another chance to take her. The change came a week later, in the early morning. Sloane was startled awake by loud cries downstairs. She went down, irritation in her voice. "What's going on?" She hadn't expected her casual question to freeze someone in their tracks. The woman in the middle of the commotion lifted her head slowly, revealing a face both familiar and strange. Lena Grant. The same woman who had once thrived under Julian's protection, who had schemed against her again and again, was now a shadow of her former self. Her hair was disheveled, her complexion sallow, and fine lines spread from the corners of her eyes. Lena hadn't expected to see Sloane either. Her wailing cut off, leaving her stunned and speechless. Shock gave way quickly to raw resentment. Five years ago, she had been giddy when her schemes with her mother began to succeed, certain she would Chapter 20 13.16% soon replace Sloane as Mrs. Shaw. But Julian had overheard it all. Overnight, her favor was gone. He had cast her aside, and worse, he had used the Shaw family's reach to blacklist her from every industry. It was a brutal fall. Once, she had been just a struggling waitress, barely scraping by. Life had been hard, but at least she could endure it. Then came that fateful night at the gala, when she first laid eyes on Jullan. A wealthy heir with a powerful family, brilliant yet shackled by a disorder that made him easy to manipulate. Every encounter after that had been orchestrated. She played the innocent ingénue, even knowing he was married. And once she learned who Sloane really was-a girl with no family, no standing-Lena's determination only. grew. If someone like Sloane could become Mrs. Shaw, then why couldn't she? She had never believed she was wrong. Everyone looked out for themselves. She wanted wealth, power, status-what was so wrong with reaching for it? For a while, it worked. Bit by bit, she took Sloane's place. In her mind, she could already see the money pouring in, the people who once sneered at her bowing low to beg for her favor. But just as her dream was about to come true, Julian had cast her aside. And everything had shattered. Chapter 20 13.16% Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!