Chapter 4 - The Golden Invitations
I walked calmly downstairs to the gourmet kitchen and poured myself a generous glass of expensive red wine.
I took a very slow sip, letting the rich, bold flavor coat my dry tongue.
I could faintly hear Julian pounding aggressively on the bathroom door upstairs.
His muffled, desperate shouts of my name echoed faintly through the house's air vents.
I ignored him completely and utterly.
I pulled out my phone and began to draft a specific group text message.
The chosen recipients were Julian's mother, Beatrice, and his younger sister, Clara.
I knew these two women better than they even knew themselves.
I knew they were greedy, status-obsessed individuals who always expected a lavish handout from me.
I typed the text message with absolute, calculated precision.
I told Beatrice and Clara to please come over to the estate immediately.
I explained that I had a massive, unbelievable tenth-anniversary surprise planned for Julian.
I insisted that I desperately needed his beloved family here to witness the big reveal.
I made sure to mention that there were lavish, expensive gifts involved for everyone who attended.
I hit send and waited patiently by the kitchen counter.
Within thirty short seconds, Beatrice replied to the group chat.
She enthusiastically announced that they were already on their way to the house.
She added that she could not wait to see what expensive items I had bought for them this time.
I smiled a very humorless, bitter smile in the empty kitchen.
I finished my glass of red wine and carefully rinsed the crystal glass in the sink.
I made absolutely sure the downstairs living area looked entirely perfect and welcoming.
I plumped the velvet cushions on the expensive living room sofa.
I adjusted the beautiful floral arrangements sitting on the grand dining table.
Upstairs, Julian's pounding had become incredibly frantic and loud.
He was screaming for someone, anyone, to please help them escape the sweltering room.
I walked back up the grand staircase and stood quietly right outside the bathroom door.
He yelled my name repeatedly, finally realizing I was standing on the other side.
He begged me to please open the door immediately.
He cried out that it was all a giant misunderstanding and swore he could explain everything.
I leaned my face very close to the thick, warm wood of the door.
I calmly told him to save his breath because he had a very important audience arriving soon.
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I warned him that I would not want him to lose his voice before the main event began.
I walked away down the hall, leaving him to drown in his own mounting terror.
