The Rose He Showed Off Is Putting Down Roots in a Garden of Her Own novel Chapter 1

Elara Vance's marriage was falling apart.

She and Julian Sterling had been married for seven years, a union that began in their youth. He was the Sterling heir, and she was the eldest Vance daughter, marrying him when the Vance Group was at the absolute height of its power. Unfortunately, the end of their story was never going to live up to its beginning.

Today, Elara found herself the target of thinly veiled mockery at another high-society luncheon. The instigator was Mrs. Lowery, the wife of a powerful state governor. She spoke with a calculated subtlety, casually bringing up the Vance Group's abandoned shopping mall project just to make the conversation a little more entertaining.

These political wives always knew exactly how to twist the knife without drawing blood.

The other wealthy women eagerly took the bait, their voices overlapping as they gossiped about the Vance family's struggling business. Over the past two years, the Vance Group had abandoned multiple real estate developments, liquidated assets, and even leased out floors of their own corporate headquarters. The business was in a steep, undeniable decline.

Elara had only one mouth against a dozen, and her voice was quickly drowned out by their polite cruelty. Seizing the opportunity when her phone buzzed with a message from the estate staff regarding dinner, she used it as an excuse to flee the suffocating luncheon.

She hadn't wanted to be there in the first place, but as Mrs. Sterling, she had no choice. The Sterling family needed to maintain their political connections, which meant her attendance at Mrs. Lowery's events was strictly mandatory. The quiet humiliation of it all was something she could never explain to an outsider.

Upon arriving at the Sterling Estate, Elara forced a warm, perfectly composed smile, knowing she lived under the same roof as her in-laws. A housekeeper took her designer bag and helped her step out of her heels.

That evening, after finishing her skincare routine, her husband finally walked into the bedroom.

"Did you have a few drinks?" Elara asked, stepping forward to support him.

"Not much," Julian muttered, looking exhausted and ready to collapse.

Elara gently caught his arm. "Take a shower first."

"Already did," he replied, loosening his tie.

"A conference at a hotel?" she asked, knowing certain industry summits were held in hotel ballrooms, which would explain him showering there.

Julian's hand stalled on his tie for a fraction of a second before he gave a low hum of confirmation.

Seeing how exhausted he was, Elara guided him to sit on the plush bench at the foot of the bed. She leaned over to carefully slip off his tie, unbutton his shirt, and help him out of his slacks. Once undressed, Julian crawled under the covers and shut his eyes.

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