Deeply Trapped: My Paranoid Uncle's Private Property

The autumn rain in New York always carried a refreshing chill.

Elena Vance stood in front of the heavy mahogany door of the Sterling mansion, her thin shoulders trembling slightly. The washed-out school uniform she was wearing was already soaked through by the rain, clinging to her body and making her look even more slender and weak, like a willow branch that would break with a single snap.

"Miss Elena, why don't you go in?" Butler Mark walked over with an umbrella, a hint of pity flashing in his eyes.

Elena bit her lip and asked in a low, timid voice, "Is Uncle... home?"

Hearing the word "Uncle," Mark's expression straightened, and his tone became respectful: "Master Julian just returned and is handling official business in his study. Old Master Sterling has instructed that if you return, you should wait in the living room first."

Elena's heart tightened.

The Sterling family was a top-tier wealthy family in New York, and she was an orphan adopted by Old Master Sterling when she was ten years old. Although she held the title of the Sterling family's adopted daughter, in the eyes of the true Sterling descendants, she was just a poor creature living under someone else's roof.

And Julian Sterling was the youngest power-holder of the Sterling family and the most outstanding third son of Old Master Sterling. He had absolute authority in the Sterling family, being cold, strict, and unfeeling—a presence everyone feared and respected.

Elena changed her shoes and walked inside along the spiral staircase. Several younger members of the Sterling family were sitting in the living room, gathered together and laughing.

"Oh, the little beggar is back?" The speaker was Vanessa Lin, the niece of Mrs. Sterling. She squinted her eyes and looked at Elena's disheveled appearance, sneering, "What, didn't bring an umbrella? Or did you get soaked so miserably on purpose, hoping to win someone's sympathy?"

"I didn't..." Elena lowered her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"Didn't? I see your seductive look and know you have bad intentions." Vanessa stood up, walked to Elena, and fanned the air in disgust, "A poor smell of rain, stay away from me."

Elena's nails sank deep into her palms. She was used to this kind of humiliation.

Just then, a low cold snort suddenly came from upstairs.

"What's the noise."

The voice wasn't loud, but it carried a pressure that allowed no questioning. The living room instantly became so quiet that a needle could be heard falling.

Elena looked up abruptly, only to see a man slowly walking down from the second floor. He was wearing a dark gray silk shirt, with two collar buttons undone, revealing a cold white collarbone. Those eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses were deep and sharp, as if they could see through people's hearts.

It was Julian Sterling.

Vanessa immediately changed to a smiling face and called out delicately: "Uncle, you're off work."

Julian didn't even give her a look, walking straight to Elena and stopping.

Elena felt her breathing was about to stop. The man's shadow enveloped her, and that cold, high-end woody fragrance mixed with a faint tobacco scent instantly occupied her senses.

He looked down at her wet school uniform, his brow furrowed slightly.

"What happened?"

"On the way back... the rain suddenly got heavier." Elena didn't dare look into his eyes, answering in a small voice.

Julian turned to look at the butler, his tone as cold as ice: "In the future, on rainy days, send a car to the school to pick her up."

"Yes, Master Julian," Mark quickly responded.

Julian withdrew his gaze, and as he passed Elena, his voice was barely audible but carried an unquestionable command: "Go upstairs and change your clothes, then come to my study."

Half an hour later, Elena Vance had showered, changed into a clean cotton nightgown, and stood awkwardly at the study door.

The nightgown was a conservative style, but it still couldn't hide her already beginning-to-take-shape exquisite curves. She held a bowl of freshly cooked ginger soup in her hands, which Mark had instructed her to bring up.

"Knock knock."

"Come in."

The man's steady voice sounded. Elena pushed the door open and entered. Only a warm yellow desk lamp was on in the study. Julian Sterling was sitting on a leather swivel chair, gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, looking through documents with a focused expression.

Elena walked over and placed the porcelain bowl gently on the table: "Uncle, drink some ginger soup to get rid of the cold."

Julian didn't look up, just giving a faint response. Elena put down the bowl and was about to turn and leave when she heard the man speak unexpectedly.

"In school, is someone bullying you?"

Elena's steps suddenly stopped, her fingertips nervously twisting together. She indeed wasn't doing well in school. Vanessa Lin and those people often did small things behind her back, even deliberately throwing her schoolbag into the pool.

But she never mentioned it, because she knew Julian was busy. The Sterling family was a business to him, and she was just a negligible decoration in that business.

"No... no." She lowered her eyelashes and lied guiltily.

Julian finally put down the pen in his hand, took off his glasses, rubbed his brow, and then looked up at her. Those deep eyes carried a power of scrutiny.

"Elena, look into my eyes."

He rarely called her that.

Elena was forced to meet his gaze, which reflected her uneasy figure.

"I heard what Vanessa Lin said in the living room." Julian leaned back in his chair, his slender fingers rhythmically tapping the table, "I said, once you enter the Sterling family's door, you are a member of the Sterling family. You don't need to endure when you're wronged. The girl I, Julian Sterling, raise is not for others to vent their anger on."

Elena's eyes instantly turned sour, and tears welled up in them. She bit her lip, her voice carrying a trace of restrained trembling: "Uncle, will you believe me? If I say... I didn't deliberately win sympathy, will you believe me too?"

Julian stood up and crossed to her in two steps.

The man's tall figure carried a heavy sense of pressure, yet it made Elena feel an unprecedented peace of mind.

He reached out, seemingly wanting to pat the top of her head, but the moment his fingertips touched her hair, the movement became exceptionally gentle. He tucked a strand of stray hair behind her ear, his voice low and firm.

"I believe."

He paused, a trace of restraint in his tone that even he hadn't noticed.

"With me, you never need evidence. Go rest, no one will dare to bully you in the future."

Elena's heart trembled violently, and she left the study as if escaping. What she didn't know was that after she left, Julian looked at the bowl of ginger soup, his eyes dark and unreadable, and he didn't move for a long time.

Time flew by, and under Julian Sterling's almost harsh yet meticulous protection, Elena Vance welcomed her nineteenth year.

At nineteen, Elena had shed her former youthfulness and thinness, growing into a blooming gardenia—cold, pure, yet carrying a soul-stirring charm.

That night, it was a celebration banquet held at the Sterling mansion to celebrate the successful completion of the Sterling Group's overseas project.

At the banquet, glasses clinked. Elena wore an ivory white evening gown, like an elegant swan, but she stayed quietly in the corner, her gaze following the spirited man in the center of the crowd.

Julian Sterling wore a pure black suit tonight. The gold-rimmed glasses made him look increasingly refined and abstinent, but Elena knew how decisive and ruthless the means hidden under that skin were.

He was surrounded by many socialites and ladies. Elena felt a panic in her heart watching this, so she quietly left her seat, preparing to go to the back garden to get some air.

While passing the corridor, her wrist was suddenly tightly gripped by a burning palm.

"Mmm—!"

She let out a soft cry, and in a whirl, she was pushed into the lounge at the end of the corridor.

The door closed with a "bang," isolating the noise of the banquet outside.

Elena's back was against the cold door panel, looking at the man in front of her with lingering fear.

"Uncle?"

Julian wasn't wearing his glasses. His eyes were full of red bloodshot, his breathing was heavy, and he carried a strong scent of alcohol. His hands were propped on either side of Elena, strictly imprisoning her in his arms.

That was a Julian Sterling Elena had never seen—crazy, paranoid, and even carrying a trace of... vulnerability.

"Elena..." He bowed his head, resting his forehead against her shoulder hollow. His burning breath puffed against her collarbone, bringing waves of trembling.

"You're drunk, I'll go call Mark to come over..." Elena wanted to reach out and push him away, but found the man's body was hard as iron.

"Don't call him." Julian suddenly looked up, his large hand pinching her waist, the strength so great it felt like he wanted to rub her into his own flesh and blood, "And don't call me Uncle... please."

Elena was stunned, somewhat confused: "Don't call you Uncle... then what should I call you?"

Julian stared fixedly at her red lips. The love and desire suppressed for thousands of days and nights deep in his eyes completely burst at this moment.

"Call my name, Julian Sterling."

Before Elena could react, the man's burning breath swept over her overwhelmingly.

That was Elena's first kiss.

Julian's kiss was not gentle; it carried a kind of almost predatory madness. Between his lips and teeth, Elena could even taste the bitter wine and extreme deep affection.

"Julian..." In her oxygen-deprived daze, she subconsciously murmured these two words.

Feeling her response, the man's body shook violently, as if he had received some kind of pardon. He kissed even more uncontrollably, almost wanting to tear her apart and eat her.

That night, the Sterling family's taboo was personally broken by him.

That night's kiss became Elena Vance's lingering nightmare and the most secret shame in her heart.

Waking up the next day, Julian Sterling was still that cold and noble Master Julian, as if the person who frantically plundered in the lounge last night and forced her to call his name wasn't him at all.

But Elena had changed.

She began to avoid Julian.

At the dining table, as long as he was there, she would bow her head and say nothing, hurrying through her meal and leaving; in the living room, hearing his footsteps, she would immediately turn and go back to her room; even the finance major she originally planned to apply for, she changed to a school in another city far from New York.

She thought as long as she ran far enough, the absurdity of that night could be forgotten.

"Elena, you insist on going to such a far place for school?" Julian finally blocked her in the study during the winter break of her sophomore year.

Elena lowered her head, not daring to look at him: "The major there is better."

Julian let out a cold laugh, pressing closer step by step: "The major is better? Or because you want to avoid me?"

He grabbed her chin and forced her to look up. Deep in those eyes was a stormy sea that Elena couldn't understand.

"It's been two years, Elena. In these two years, you've avoided me like the plague, even feeling disgusted to say a word to me?"

"I didn't..." Elena's voice trembled, "Uncle, you are my elder, we can't..."

"Elder?" Julian seemed to have heard some joke, the strength in his hand increasing, "What kind of elder? My last name is Sterling, is yours Sterling too? Elena, put away your set of ethics and morality. You clearly know what intentions I have for you."

Elena's tears welled up in her eyes, and she shook her head desperately: "I don't know, I don't know anything! Let go of me!"

Julian looked at her eyes filled with terror, and a sharp pain shot through his heart.

He finally let go of her hand, his voice returning to its usual coldness.

"Fine, you want to hide, then hide to the end."

In the following two years, Julian indeed did not take the initiative to appear in front of her again. Even for the Spring Festival, he stayed overseas on the grounds of official business.

Elena thought she was free, but whenever it was late at night, she would always think of that kiss with the scent of alcohol, and think of the restraint and madness when he called her "Elena."

She originally thought they would forget each other in the world for the rest of their lives.

Until the eve of her graduation from senior year, she experienced a complete betrayal.

At that time, she had a boyfriend named "Dominic," and originally thought she had found someone to rely on. But unexpectedly, at the graduation party, she personally heard Dominic say to his fair-weather friends: "Elena Vance? She's truly beautiful, but unfortunately, she's a piece of wood, won't even let me touch her. If it weren't for the Sterling family's resources, who would care to coax this adopted daughter?"

At that moment, Elena felt the whole world collapse.

She rushed out of the hotel, into the heavy rain, and finally pushed open the door of the largest bar in New York.

She wanted to get drunk, to make herself completely numb.

Dim flickering lights, deafening heavy metal music.

Elena Vance sat by the bar, three empty martini glasses already in front of her. She never drank, and at this moment her brain was starting to become sluggish, the world in front of her spinning.

"Another glass..." She propped her chin and said to the bartender with blurred eyes.

At this time, several ruffian-looking men approached, maliciously looking at Elena's cheeks which were flushed because of drunkenness.

"Little sister, drinking alone is so boring? How about I accompany you?" One of them reached out to touch her face.

"Get away!" Elena pushed, but her voice was soft and had no lethality.

"Oh, quite a temper? Take her away, we'll take you to do something interesting."

Just as the man's dirty hand was about to grab Elena's arm, a powerful wrist suddenly stretched out from the side, tightly gripping the thug's hand.

With a "crack" sound, the sound of bones breaking was still clear amidst the music.

"Ah—!" A scream sounded.

Elena looked up hazily.

A man stood in front of her against the light. He wore a black trench coat, his figure tall and slender, his whole person emitting a suffocating aura of killing.

It was Julian Sterling.

How could he be here? Wasn't he abroad?

Julian didn't even look at the begging thug, backhanding him away. His special assistant Mark immediately brought bodyguards forward, quickly clearing the scene.

Julian walked to Elena step by step, every step feeling like it was treading on her heart.

He took off those gold-rimmed glasses, and the eyes revealed were now filled with terrifying gloom.

"Elena Vance, you're quite something." He spoke through gritted teeth, his voice low as a beast's roar.

Elena, dazed from drunkenness, looked at the man in front of her and suddenly gave a silly smile. She reached out her finger and hooked his tie, leaning in close, her warm breath puffing against his Adam's apple.

"Julian Sterling... why are you so handsome..."

The man's originally overwhelming rage, because of this slurred "handsome," actually got stuck in his throat.

His Adam's apple bobbed violently. His large hand suddenly embraced her waist, picking her up horizontally.

"Elena, since you dare to come back, don't think about running away again."

He carried her out of the bar, and amidst a crowd of fearful gazes, sat in that black Rolls-Royce that symbolized his status.

Elena Vance woke up from her hangover and found herself lying in a familiar room in the Sterling mansion.

Sunlight shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto the down quilt. She rubbed her aching temples, and the memories of the bar last night flooded into her mind intermittently.

She seemed to have... hooked Julian Sterling's neck and praised him for being handsome?

"Awake?"

A cold voice came from the door. Elena was startled and sat up abruptly, only to see Julian Sterling wearing a crisp dark blue suit, leaning against the door frame, holding a cup of black coffee.

"Un... Uncle." Elena subconsciously changed back to the title.

A hint of displeasure flashed in Julian's eyes, and he stepped inside, placing the coffee casually on the bedside table.

"Since you've graduated, don't mess around outside all day." He took out an entry notice from his suit's inner pocket and threw it lightly on the quilt, "On Monday, report to the Sterling Group."

Elena picked up that piece of paper, which was clearly printed: CEO's Office, Special Assistant Intern.

"Special Assistant?" Elena was stunned, "I studied law, shouldn't I go to the legal department?"

"A special assistant can learn more things." Julian leaned down, his hands propped on either side of her body, approaching her face, "Or, do you still want to avoid me?"

Elena looked at the handsome face close at hand, her heart beating like a drum. She knew that in New York, if Julian Sterling wanted to keep someone, that person couldn't fly away even with wings.

"I know." She lowered her head, her voice muffled.

Monday morning.

Sterling Group building. Elena was wearing a professional small suit skirt, with a neat high ponytail, looking capable yet charming.

However, she didn't expect that the so-called "special assistant internship" would follow her like a shadow to this extent.

Julian's office was large, and in front of his huge desk, another smaller desk had actually been added, which was prepared for her.

"Sit here." Julian pointed to that position and instructed without looking up, "Help me organize the financial reports for the second half of the year, and the legal terms of this multinational contract."

Elena sat down and started working. The office was very quiet, with only the sound of a fountain pen gliding over paper and the occasional sound of keyboard typing.

But this quiet didn't last long.

Elena found that Julian's work state was very focused, but his gaze always fell on her inadvertently when she wasn't paying attention.

Even when she got up to get coffee, he would call her.

"Elena."

"Hmm?"

"Get me a glass of water."

"Oh, okay."

Elena walked over to get water. When she handed over the water glass, Julian's fingers inadvertently brushed across the back of her hand.

That burning touch made Elena almost drop the glass.

"Uncle..."

"What did you call me?" He took a sip of water, his gaze deep.

Elena bit her teeth and changed her address: "Mr... Mr. Sterling."

Julian let out a low laugh. Although still stern, there was an extra hint of determined playfulness in his eyes.

This so-called "personal" internship had just begun.

The office culture of the Sterling Group had always been rigorous, but in this top-floor CEO's office, the atmosphere gradually became treacherous.

Elena Vance was burying her head in proofreading a contract, the dense legal terms making her dizzy.

Suddenly, a slight knock on the door sounded, and the marketing director came in to report work.

Elena was about to get up to avoid it, but Julian Sterling spoke faintly: "Continue with your work, no need to leave."

So, Elena could only sit awkwardly behind that small desk very close to Julian, trying to reduce her sense of presence.

The director was a middle-aged man in his forties, currently handing over the PPT with fear and trepidation: "Mr. Sterling, regarding the mall site selection for the next quarter, we have initially drafted these three plans..."

Julian listened while casually flipping through the documents.

Elena lowered her head, and just as she was about to turn a page, she suddenly felt her leg being lightly touched by something.

She froze, thinking it was her hallucination.

However, the next second, the touch became clearer. It was a high-quality suit trouser fabric, accompanied by the powerful muscle lines of the man's leg, which had unknowingly stretched under her desk.

Elena's face instantly turned red.

That's Julian Sterling! He's listening to the director's report!

She wanted to pull her leg back, but Julian's long leg seemed to have eyes, following her and entangling with her.

The man's legs were very long and powerful. Under the cover of the large solid wood desk, the two people's legs rubbed against each other under the table, neither lightly nor heavily, carrying a suffocating sense of taboo.

"Mr. Sterling... Mr. Sterling?" The director, seeing Julian hadn't spoken for a while, asked cautiously, "Do you think this plan is feasible?"

Julian's hand still steadily held the Parker gold pen, signing a flamboyant name on the document, his tone steady as usual: "There's a problem with the data here, redo it."

Elena was almost going crazy.

On the surface, he was strict and cold, like an unapproachable king. But under the table, his toe was actually moving up along her ankle, lightly hooking the edge of her skirt.

Elena's palms were full of sweat, and she couldn't see a single word on the contract.

She looked up and happened to meet Julian's gaze.

His gaze was still deep and calm, even carrying a trace of business-like seriousness. But in the depths of that fleeting gaze, Elena clearly saw a pleasure of a successful prank that was too strong to dissolve, and... deep-seated desire.

"Elena." He suddenly spoke.

Elena was so scared she almost screamed: "Here!"

"Why is your face so red?" Julian asked seriously, and the director beside him also turned his head curiously.

"I... I'm a little hot." Elena bit her teeth and kicked him hard under the table.

Julian raised his eyebrows slightly, withdrew his long leg without changing his expression, but the corner of his mouth curled into an extremely subtle arc.

"Is that so? Then go open a window for me."

Elena fled in panic.

Old Master Sterling's birthday banquet was approaching, and New York's celebrities gathered.

In addition to the birthday celebration, the Sterling family had a more important agenda: selecting a well-matched fiancée for Julian Sterling, who was still single at thirty.

"Elena, what do you think of this one? The eldest daughter of the Lin Group, just back from the Ivy League." Mrs. Sterling (Julian's sister-in-law) pulled Elena, excitedly pointing at the women on the list.

Elena looked at those bright and moving photos, only feeling like her chest was stuffed with a mess, bloated and suffocating.

"Quite... quite good." She said against her will.

On the day of the birthday banquet, the Sterling mansion was decorated with lanterns and streamers. Elena wore a low-profile black Hepburn dress, standing in the corner, watching Julian surrounded by a group of flamboyant socialites in the center.

He wore a formal suit tonight, appearing increasingly abstinent and charming. Those women were doing their best to please him, and although his expression was faint, he didn't directly refuse with a cold face as usual.

"It seems Uncle also wants to start a family." Vanessa Lin walked to Elena's side at some point, smiling maliciously, "When the aunt enters the door, you, this adopted daughter, probably won't be able to stay for long, right?"

Elena tightly clenched her palms and ignored her.

Midway through the banquet, Elena really couldn't stay any longer and wanted to go to the restroom to hide.

Passing by the side hall, she happened to hear two wealthy ladies discussing.

"I see Julian Sterling chatting quite well with the one from the Lin family, the marriage will probably be settled soon."

"Yeah, the Sterling family should have a mistress too..."

Elena's heart felt like it was pricked by a needle, a dense pain. She ran into the garden, and when the cold wind blew, her head, which was already a bit warm, became even more dizzy.

To suppress her emotions tonight, she secretly drank a few sips of wine.

Suddenly, a tall figure blocked her way.

"Why run out alone?" It was Julian Sterling.

Elena looked at him, a layer of mist gradually rising in her eyes. Fueled by alcohol, she shouted at him for the first time: "Aren't you on a blind date? Why did you come out! Go back and look at your Miss Lin!"

Julian frowned, taking a step forward wanting to pull her hand: "Elena, you're drunk."

"I'm not drunk!" Elena pushed him away hard, tears finally bursting, "Julian Sterling, didn't you say you liked me? Why are you looking at other women! Why are you going on a blind date! You're a liar..."

Julian's gaze instantly became unfathomable.

He suddenly reached out, ruthlessly rubbing the little girl who was crying like a pear blossom into his arms, his voice low and crazy: "Elena Vance, say it again."

"I hate you... I hate you for going on a blind date..." Elena cried even louder.

Julian suddenly laughed. That was his most sincere smile in a long time.

"Elena, this is the first time you've shown possessiveness toward me."

He leaned down, a burning kiss falling on her moist eye corner.

"That list, I didn't look at a single one. I came out to find you because I found that my little niece seemed to be in a bad mood."

After that garden farce that night, Elena Vance fell ill.

Perhaps it was the cold wind, or perhaps it was the long-suppressed emotions that suddenly erupted, she developed a dangerous high fever.

Sterling mansion.

Elena lay on the bed, her face flushed, her breathing rapid. She was trapped in a nightmare, constantly murmuring something.

"Elena?"

Julian Sterling sat by the bed, having kept watch all night. He wasn't wearing a jacket, his white shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbows, his eyes full of anxiety and heartache.

He held a wet towel, gently wiping the sweat beads on her forehead.

"Don't... Uncle, Julian Sterling... don't go..." Elena unconsciously grabbed the man's hand, the strength surprisingly great, her nails leaving white marks on the back of his hand.

Julian let her grab him, leaning in close to her lips, wanting to hear clearly what she was saying.

"I... I like you... I think I like you..."

The man's whole body stiffened, his heart feeling like it was hit hard by something, soft and sour in a mess.

"Elena, say it again." His voice was extremely hoarse, speaking in an enticing way.

Elena seemed to feel the familiar embrace, her whole person burrowing into his arms like a kitten, eyes closed, tears sliding down from the corners of her eyes: "But... you're Uncle... they will scold me... I'm so afraid..."

"Don't be afraid, Elena, I'm here, no one dares to scold you." Julian held her tighter, that desire to integrate her into his bones and blood reached its peak at this moment.

"Julian Sterling..." Elena called his name again.

This time, it was on the edge of sobriety and chaos. She opened her eyes slightly, her misty eyes meeting the man's eyes that were affectionate to the point of almost paranoid.

"I know... this is a dream..." She gave a silly smile, stretched out her burning small hand, and touched his cheek, "Only in a dream do I dare say I love you."

Julian felt his sanity completely collapse at this moment.

He bowed his head and fiercely kissed that small mouth that made him both love and hate.

"It's not a dream." In the gaps of the kiss, his voice was low and crazy, "Elena Vance, remember it for me, this is not a dream."

That night, in the high fever, Elena completely handed over her heart. And Julian, in the silent guardianship, made the most insane vow of his life.

He would not let go.

Even if he carried the shackles of ethics, even if he was spurned by the world, he would never let go.

Elena Vance's illness recovered quickly, but the atmosphere in the Sterling mansion quietly changed.

Those servants and juniors who used to mock Elena, after seeing Julian Sterling personally bringing medicine to her and guarding her door all night, all shut their mouths tight.

Julian was still that unapproachable Master Julian, but in the gaze he looked at Elena, there was fire hidden.

It was a kind of desire fire that could start a prairie fire at any time.

Afternoon.

The corridor of the mansion was extremely quiet. The elders were all taking a nap, and the servants had also dispersed.

Elena was carrying a plate of cut fruit, preparing to send it to the study for Julian.

While passing the corner, a hand suddenly appeared out of nowhere and pulled her into a small cubicle nearby.

It was a storage room used to stack sundries.

"Ah—" Elena let out an exclamation, and the fruit in the plate almost spilled all over the floor.

The next second, she was pressed behind the door. The man's body, with unquestionable strength, tightly held her.

"Did you miss me?" Julian bowed his head, his thin lips against her ear, his voice hoarse enough to make one's heart tremble.

Elena's face was so red it was about to drip blood, her heart beating extremely fast: "Uncle... there are people outside."

"No one." Julian's large hand moved up along her waistline, pinch her soft flesh punitively, "That night, didn't you call me Julian? What, the illness is cured, and your courage has shrunk back?"

Elena was ashamed and angry, the fruit plate in her hand became her last shield.

Julian let out a low laugh and directly snatched the plate and placed it on the shelf next to it.

He leaned down, and in the dim light, that impactful handsome face constantly enlarged.

His kiss first fell on her forehead, then the tip of her nose, and finally, lingered on her full lips, but delayed falling, just a kind of seemingly non-existent seduction.

"Elena, say you love me." He induced.

Elena felt the strength of her whole body was drained, and she could only lean softly in his arms, her lips trembling: "Julian... I... I like you."

Julian was finally satisfied, and a violent and affectionate kiss instantly fell.

In this small, dark, dust-filled storage room, under the legal status of uncle and niece, the two people were engaged in the most secret and intense soul entanglement.

Elena heard her drum-like heartbeat and also heard Julian's heavy breathing.

That was their hidden palpitation that couldn't see the light.

"Elena." When Julian let go of her, his eyes were full of thick possessiveness, "Wait a little longer, Elena, grow up a little more."

Twenty-one, the legal marriage age, and also the age when Elena Vance completely transformed.

On her birthday, Julian Sterling booked the most luxurious revolving restaurant on the top floor in New York. But after dinner, he didn't take her to any party, but drove her to one of his private villas by the sea.

There were no Sterling family spies here, no secular disturbances.

The villa was filled with rose aromatherapy, and outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was the quiet night sea, the moonlight sprinkling on the sea surface, sparkling.

"Elena, happy birthday."

Julian walked over with two glasses of red wine. He wasn't wearing a suit tonight, just a soft silk bathrobe, the collar slightly open, revealing a large expanse of firm chest.

Elena took the wine glass, her fingertips trembling. She knew what tonight meant.

It was her voluntary, and long-craved sacrifice.

After three rounds of wine, Elena's eyes became blurred. She put down the wine glass, took the initiative to step forward, and hugged the man's neck.

"Julian... can I?" She looked up, her gaze clear and resolute.

Julian's breathing stopped abruptly. He had been waiting for this moment, waiting until he was almost going crazy.

"Elena, you must know, once it starts, I will never let go." He pinched her waist, his knuckles turning white because of the force, his eyes blood-red like blood, "Even if you regret it later, I will lock you by my side, understand?"

"I don't regret it." Elena leaned in and kissed his Adam's apple.

This kiss completely ignited the man's ten years of restraint.

Julian suddenly picked her up and walked with large strides to the bedroom.

The bed was soft, and the moonlight was seductive.

The man's movements were wild and barbaric, carrying a kind of explosive power suppressed for many years. His palms were hot as fire, gliding over every inch of her delicate skin, causing waves of trembling.

"It hurts..." In the extreme sense of strangeness, tears overflowed from the corners of Elena's eyes.

Julian stopped, sweat sliding down his strong abdominal muscles. He leaned down, gently kissing away her tears, his voice hoarse beyond recognition: "Baby, bear with it... I'll be gentler."

He was really trying his best to exercise restraint.

But when the last line of defense symbolizing the "uncle and niece" status was completely broken through, he still lost control.

Elena felt like a lonely boat, floating and sinking in the stormy waves created by Julian.

That night, the sound of the waves covered all the moans and gasps.

In the pain and extreme pleasure, she finally changed from an adopted daughter to Julian Sterling's woman.

That touch of red on the white bedsheet, like the most enchanting gardenia, announced the formal end of their forbidden relationship and the beginning of another deep love.

The morning light was faint.

Elena Vance woke up in soreness. Before she even opened her eyes, she felt a warm and solid chest pressing against her back.

A large hand was across her waist, extremely possessive.

Thinking of the madness last night, Elena's face instantly turned red to the root of her neck. She was about to get up quietly, but the arm around her waist suddenly tightened.

"Awake?"

Julian's voice carried the hoarseness of waking up, exceptionally sexy. He buried his head in her neck hollow, taking a deep breath of the scent on her.

"Uncle... it's dawn." Elena reminded in a small voice.

"Hmm." The man didn't let go, but instead bit her earlobe even more aggressively, "In the future, you're not allowed to call me Uncle, especially in bed."

Elena was so ashamed she wanted to crawl into a hole.

Julian turned her over to face him. He looked at her swollen eye corners and messy hair, his eyes full of tenderness that couldn't be dissolved.

"Elena." His expression became serious, and he took out a beautiful small box from the bedside table.

Opening it, inside was a huge pigeon blood red diamond ring, shining brightly in the sun.

"This was originally intended to be given to you on your graduation day." Julian took her hand and pushed the ring onto her ring finger without allowing any refusal, "Elena Vance, I will be responsible for you to the end. Not just a status, what I want is the rest of your life."

Elena looked at the ring, and tears once again burst from her eyes.

"But... the family side..."

"I'll handle the family." Julian grabbed the back of her head and sealed her lips, "You just need to stay by my side obediently, leave the rest to me."

At this moment, Elena felt that even if she really had to be an enemy to the whole world, she would accept it.

Because of the excessive exhaustion last night, Julian rarely skipped work today.

He stayed with Elena in the seaside villa for a whole day, doing nothing, just holding her to watch the sea and feeding her, as if to make up for all the missing intimacy of the past ten years.

However, they both knew that this tranquility was just the dawn before the storm.

The one in the Sterling mansion was not that easy to deal with.

After returning to the Sterling Group, Elena Vance was still that low-profile special assistant intern.

But behind people's backs, in that CEO's office where only the two of them were, everything changed.

"Mr. Sterling, this is the financial department's report." Elena walked into the office in a business-like manner.

However, the next second the door closed, she was pulled into Julian Sterling's arms and sat directly on his lap.

"Let me kiss you." The man buried his head in her neck, sniffing greedily.

"Julian, don't mess around... Mark will come in at any time." Elena pushed while trembling with fear.

"The door is locked." Julian answered vaguely, his large hand already dishonestly exploring up along her skirt.

That sense of excitement from conducting an underground affair in an abstinent office made Elena feel both ashamed and a strange sense of pleasure.

Sometimes, while he was having a video conference, she would quietly hold his hand under the table.

Sometimes, while he was answering an important customer's call, she would be forcibly trapped between the desk and his body, forced to listen to him steadily and skillfully discussing business worth hundreds of millions, while his other hand was constantly starting fires.

"Elena, you're truly a vixen."

After a lunch break that almost went out of control, Julian calmed his breathing, looked at Elena's lips that were bitten red from kissing, and said through gritted teeth.

This sweet and heart-pounding underground affair lasted for more than a month.

Until one day, Vanessa Lin accidentally barged into the office.

Although Julian had already cleared all the hidden dangers in the office, Vanessa smelled the scent of an affair from Elena's slightly messy clothes when she walked out of the office, and Julian's gentle gaze that he had never shown to anyone.

She secretly took a few photos of the two of them entering and leaving the same hotel and the same car, and directly reported it to Old Master Sterling.

An unprecedented family earthquake erupted.

Sterling mansion.

The atmosphere was terrifyingly gloomy.

Old Master Sterling sat in the main seat, leaning on his dragon-headed cane, his face ashen. Several photos were scattered on the floor. Although blurry, anyone could see how intimate the two people in them were.

Elena Vance knelt in the center of the living room, her body trembling.

Vanessa Lin stood aside, adding fuel to the fire with a smug face: "Grandpa, I really didn't see it wrong, Uncle and Elena actually... actually did such things that violate ethics! If this gets out, where will our Sterling family's face be!"

"Shut up!" Old Master Sterling slammed the table, the dragon-headed cane thumping on the floor.

He looked at Elena, his eyes full of disappointment: "Elena, I adopted you back then because I felt you were alone and miserable. Our Sterling family hasn't treated you poorly, is this how you repay me?"

"Grandpa... I'm sorry." Elena cried, not knowing what else to say besides apologizing.

"Is apologizing useful!" Old Master Sterling roared, "You seduced your elder, this is incest! This will be struck by lightning!"

"Who said she seduced me?"

A voice cold as ice came from the door.

Julian Sterling rushed back through the night. He didn't even take off his coat, directly rushing to Elena's side, pulling her up from the floor and shielding her behind him.

"Julian, let go of her!" Old Master Sterling trembled with anger.

"I won't let go." Julian looked directly into the old master's gaze, his eyes frighteningly firm, "Dad, I took the photos, I wanted the person. From beginning to end, I was the one forcing her, it has nothing to do with her."

"You..." Old Master Sterling pointed at him, "For a woman, you don't even want the Sterling family's reputation?"

"How much is reputation worth?" Julian let out a cold laugh, "I've been law-abiding for thirty years in this life, the only thing I want is Elena Vance. Dad, if you want to punish, punish me. If you want to kick her out, step over my dead body first."

"You think I don't dare to destroy you?" The old master raised his cane and smashed it hard toward Julian.

Julian didn't even dodge, taking the blow hard.

With a "crack," the cane broke, and Julian's shoulder instantly collapsed, blood soaking through his white shirt.

Elena screamed, holding him tightly: "Julian! Please stop hitting! Grandpa, I'll go! I'll go, okay!"

"Elena Vance, dare to take one step and see!" Even though Julian was seriously injured, that crazy energy still made everyone present shudder.

He tightly gripped Elena's hand and looked at the old master: "Dad, this blow counts as me repaying the Sterling family's upbringing. From today on, I'm taking her away. I don't want a single cent of the Sterling Group's shares or the Sterling family's property."

Amidst the shock of the whole family, Julian picked up Elena, who was already crying like a tearful person, and resolutely walked out of the Sterling mansion.

Life after leaving the Sterling family wasn't as difficult as imagined.

A man like Julian Sterling, even after leaving the Sterling family, was still New York's top predator. He already had his own secret assets and business map. This "leaving with nothing" was just a play for the old master, to completely exchange for freedom.

Six months later.

On an island in the Aegean Sea, a low-profile yet extremely luxurious wedding was being held.

No media, no idle people, only a few close friends witnessed.

Elena Vance wore a custom-made wedding dress, the hem inlaid with 9,999 fine South African real diamonds, sparkling in the sun so much that one couldn't open their eyes.

She slowly walked toward the man standing at the end of the flower sea.

Julian was breathtakingly handsome today. Those eyes that were usually cold now only held Elena's figure.

He took her hand, and without waiting for the priest to speak, he directly took out a piece of paper from his pocket.

It was the adoption agreement when Elena first entered the Sterling family.

Under everyone's gaze, Julian took out a lighter, and with a "click," a flame rose.

That piece of paper symbolizing their "uncle and niece" status quickly turned to ashes in the fire.

"Elena Vance." Julian took her hand, printed a kiss on her fingertip, his voice low and affectionate, "From today on, you are no longer the Sterling family's adopted daughter, nor are you my niece."

He paused, his gaze burning as if to swallow her.

"You are my, Julian Sterling's, wife, and the only life of mine in this life."

Elena choked and nodded, taking the initiative to kiss her groom.

After the wedding.

In the new room, outside the floor-to-ceiling window was a quiet sea view.

Julian pinned Elena against the windowsill, his large hand impatiently pulling off his tie.

"Mrs. Sterling, I've endured very hard for the past six months to let you recover your body." He bit her earlobe, his voice full of the restraint of desire.

Elena hugged his neck, smiling shyly: "Then what does Mr. Sterling plan to do?"

"What to do?" Julian directly picked her up and threw her onto the large bed covered with rose petals, "Of course... collect the interest of these six months all at once."

Outside the window, the waves rose and fell, and inside, the spring scenery was boundless.

Elena knew she would never escape this man's palm in her life.

But the cage he gave was the warmest and most affectionate harbor in this world.

(The End)