Chapter 68 Factory Setting
When morning finally came, Elena hadn't slept at all. She had spent the entire night sitting in a stiff wooden chair, watching the door, waiting for the version of Julian that her father had promised would be "recalibrated."
When the knock finally came at 7:00 AM, Elena’s heart skipped a beat. She stood up, smoothing out her rumpled clothes. The door opened, and Julian walked in.
He looked perfect. His suit was crisp, his dark hair was combed back precisely, and his skin was no longer cold and gray.
But as he stepped into the room, Elena noticed something immediately. His blue eyes were even more blue. She couldn't explain it but the color was so vivid it was almost surreal. They looked like glass.
"Good morning, Elena," Julian said smoothly. "I hope you slept well. We should get moving. I have a few meetings this afternoon that I can’t push back any further."
Elena stared at him, her mouth hanging open. "Julian? Are you okay?"
"I’m fine," he said, giving her a polite, distant smile. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Elena rushed over to him, grabbing his arms. She looked for the marks on his neck, but his high collar hid everything. "What happened at the hotel, Julian? Do you remember the remote? Do you remember falling? You lost consciousness. My father did something to you!"
Julian gently unpeeled her hands from his sleeves. He didn't look angry; he looked confused in a very detached way. "The hotel? Elena, we stayed at the hotel because you were tired after our trip. I think you might have had a nightmare. I don't recall any remote, and I certainly didn't fall."
"You’re lying!" Elena yelled. She began to shake him, her frustration boiling over into a scream. "You almost died! You were shaking on the floor! You told me you were Samson Miller! You told me my father hired you! Think, Julian! Try to force yourself to remember!"
Julian just stood there, letting her shake him.
He didn't react. "Elena, you’re getting worked up over nothing. We didn't have a fight. We just spoke with your father. I think the stress of the travel has been hard on you."
"Is that what you’re going to do?" she shrieked. "You're just going to act like none of it happened? What did they do to your brain?"
Right then, before she could begin to hit some sense into him, the door to the bedroom swung open again.
Marcus walked in, looking refreshed in a new suit, a smirk playing on his lips.
He looked at the scene, Elena screaming and Julian standing there like a statue, and let out a short, satisfied hum.
"Elena, that is no way to talk to your husband," Marcus said with fake concern. "He’s had a rough couple of nights, and he needs to get back home so he can rest. You should be helping him, not yelling."
Elena spun around to face her father. "What did you do to him? Did you wipe his memory? How are you doing any of this? It’s not legal! You’re messing with his head, you’re giving him some kind of sickness! I’m going to call the police. I’m going to call Silas!"
"Silas?" Julian interrupted, looking at Elena with a blank face. "Why would you call a detective? We haven't committed any crimes, Elena. Your father and I have been very close these past few hours. We’ve been discussing the merger. I don't know what virus or fight you are talking about. We haven't had a single disagreement."
Elena felt like she was losing her mind. She looked back and forth between the two men.
They were a team now. The man who had protected her was gone, replaced by this version that was perfectly aligned with her father.
"You almost killed him at the hotel!" Elena shouted at Marcus. "I saw the device! I saw what it did to him!"
"Elena, honey, you really need to calm down," Marcus said, stepping closer. He looked at Julian and nodded. "She’s been very emotional lately. I think it’s the kidnapping scare or just the whole of the new marriage. Julian, why don't you take her home? I’m sure once she’s in her own environment, she’ll stop seeing ghosts."
Julian walked over to Elena and took her hand. His grip was firm, but it felt cold. "Elena, I think you're just tired. You need to come home with me so you can rest. We have a lot of work to do."
Elena looked at her father.
Marcus leaned in, his voice dropping to a low, lethal whisper that only she could hear. "Good. Go home with your husband, like a good little girl. Have a happy life. And don't even think about running away again, Elena. I’ve got my eyes on you now. Every move you make, every word you say... I’ll know."
He straightened up and smiled brightly. "Safe travels, you two."
Elena felt a cold chill settle deep in her bones.
She looked at Julian, who was waiting patiently by the door. She realized she had no choice. She was trapped between a father who had erased her identity and a husband whose mind was being edited in a basement.
They walked out of the bedroom and down the staircase.
Clinton was already waiting at the front door like nothing had changed. He had the black sedan pulled up to the entrance, the engine running. He didn't say a word as he took Elena’s small bag and placed it in the trunk.
Julian led her to the car and opened the door for her. Elena hesitated, looking back at the Vance estate one last time. It didn't feel like a home. It felt like a factory.
"Come, Elena," Julian said softly. "You're safe. This is our home we're going to."
She stepped into the car, and the door closed. Julian sat beside her, staring straight ahead, his hands folded neatly in his lap.
As Clinton drove them away from the estate and back toward the Thorne mansion, Elena looked at the man she had married. He looked perfect, but she knew the truth.
The Julian she had started to love was locked away somewhere inside that "recalibrated" brain, and she was the only one left who knew he even existed.