Chapter 20 Past Lies
Elena was frozen on the spot.
She hadn’t expected to see anyone familiar in this corner of the city, let alone someone from her past.
And yet, there he was. Francis, standing by the bathroom doorway, casual, almost smug, and looking right at her.
“What are you doing here?” Elena asked sharply, her voice tight.
Francis smirked, taking a slow step toward her. “Come on, Elena, you and I both know we have unfinished business.”
Elena’s stomach twisted. “Unfinished business? Did you follow me here? Are you stalking me?”
But he didn't reply and simply shrugged.
“Get out of my way!” she snapped and shoved past him and into the hallway of the café.
Her voice rose slightly, drawing curious glances from nearby tables.
He laughed, a little too softly. “Acting innocent won’t work on me. You went and married another man, Elena. Don’t even try to play dumb. You should be apologizing to me.”
Elena’s hands tightened on her bag strap, but she kept her composure. “Apologize? For what? You really think I’m going to fall for that line? Don’t forget, I know everything you did with my sister.”
For a second, Francis looked stunned.
His eyes widened, and a faint flicker of guilt crossed his face. “You’re lying,” he said quickly. “You’re making up lies against me. You know I love you. I would never cheat on you or sleep with your sister.”
Elena interrupted him, her voice rising. “I didn’t say anything about sleeping, and I didn’t say anything about cheating. If you claim to be innocent, how did you know that’s what I meant?”
Francis froze for a second, and Elena knew she had hit the right spot.
“Cat caught your tongue now?” she scoffed. “I thought so.”
Then she whipped around.
But he rushed forward. “Elena, you have to listen to me,” he said, stepping closer and grabbing her arms. “I would never lie to you. What your sister and I shared was just a joke. I—”
Elena pulled sharply, yanking herself out of his grasp. “A joke? You’re joking about your betrayal? You loved my money, Francis. You loved the privileges I brought into your life. You loved the wealth my family afforded and everything. And now you act like this is about love? You’ve had everything handed to you, and you had the audacity to pretend it meant something!”
His hands dropped slightly. “That’s not true, I never meant—”
“Save it,” she snapped. “We are done. I’m married now, and my life has moved on. You can go ahead and be with my sister Eva if you want. That’s your world now.”
She turned to walk away, her chest pounding with anger, but Francis wasn’t done.
He grabbed her wrist with a strength that made her stumble. “Wait! You can’t just leave like this. I’m your first boyfriend! I am entitled to you! I made you who you are!”
Elena’s eyes blazed with fury. She shoved him back, hard. “Get off me! You psychopath! You cannot tell me who to be with!”
At this time, everyone was interested in the old lovers’ quarrel.
She raised her hand, letting the sparkling wedding ring glint in the light. “And don’t forget this. I’m married to Julian Thorne. You have no right to touch me.”
Francis blinked, momentarily stunned, as Elena stopped by her table and dropped some money there.
Heads turned, and she could hear the whispers. She could feel their eyes on her but ignored them, her focus entirely on the man who had haunted her past.
“Do you really want to do this now?” Francis called after her, his voice low, smooth, dangerous. “We can just sort this out quietly, just you and me, like old times.”
Elena’s hands clenched into fists at her sides. “I would never do anything with you, Francis. Never!”
His smile twisted. “Don’t forget some of the little videos we used to make,” he said, leaning closer so his voice was near her ear. “I wouldn’t think twice before releasing them to the blogs. You know people have been looking for a scandal against you and your new husband.”
Elena froze. Her heart hammered in her chest. “There are no tapes! You wouldn’t—”
“Darling, did you really think I’d be stupid enough to have a love affair with a billionaire heiress and not keep some kind of documentation?” he said, the smirk returning.
She stepped back instinctively, panic rising. “Francis, please, we’re over. Just walk away.”
He didn’t budge. “Never. If you don’t want this going public, you’ll come to my hotel room at the Pittman Tower within the next two days. Don’t delay.”
Elena’s pulse raced, and her stomach turned.
The audacity and shamelessness of the man stunned her.
Before she could respond, a commanding voice boomed right inside the café.
“Get your hands off the lady, right now! Or I will make sure you no longer have hands!”
Both of them turned toward the voice.
Julian stood a few steps away, looking like a murderous gorilla.
Francis’ grip loosened immediately. “Hey! I was just saying hello to an old friend!” he blurted and patted her on the shoulder.
Julian moved swiftly. In an instant, he grabbed Francis by the collar, yanking him up from his feet and slamming him against the wall.
Elena could see the arrogance vanish from Francis’ face, replaced by a flash of fear. His legs trembled as he tried to regain his balance.
People in the café screamed and backed away, some taking out their phones, recording every second.
“Elena, please! Let’s go,” she whispered, trying to pull Julian back, fearing the scandal that would come if this went viral.
Julian didn’t loosen his grip. His eyes never left Francis’. “I don’t care how they record it,” he said coldly. “If he lays a hand on you again, I will make sure he leaves this city. Permanently.”
Elena’s body went rigid as Julian’s hand released Francis, and the man crumpled to the floor, scrambling back like a frightened child.
Julian turned to her, his face unreadable, and extended his hand. “Are you alright?”
She nodded, still shaken, but managed to smile faintly. “Yes. I’m fine. Thank you.”
The café was quiet now, the previous murmurs fading into a tense silence.
Francis stumbled onto one of the chairs, looking defeated, but Elena could see a small smirk tug at his lips before she made it out of the café.