Julian sat behind his massive mahogany desk, his eyes fixed on the collection of framed photographs scattered across the polished desk surface.
His gaze lingered on one particular picture, a candid shot of his wife, taken during her time in Valtania.
He remembered the day he received that picture, sent to him by one of his trusted men who had been keeping an eye on her.
Two weeks after she had left, Julian had been frustrated and down himself with worry.
He had gone to her grandfather, pleading with him to send her location to him but Donald refused saying he had hurt her enough.
Donald had refused, telling Julian to stay with Mattie instead. He wasn't ready to forgive Julian easily.
Julian's jaw clenched at the memory. He had not argued, knowing that pushing the issue would only lead to more problems.
Instead, he had used his connections to find out where she was and had traveled to Valtania under the guise of business.
