Chapter 464

Judy stood there, utterly speechless.

For a second, she genuinely considered turning around and walking right out of the villa.

Joseph, meanwhile, looked up in surprise, eyes lighting up. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

She held up a bag in her hand and shook it slightly. “You left your jacket at my studio last time. I figured I had some free time today, so I thought I’d drop it off at the villa. Didn’t expect you to actually be here.”

Joseph’s face lit up even more. “You came all this way just for a jacket?”

Judy frowned. “Why not? It’s not a big deal. I was passing by anyway. Had nothing better to do.”

But Joseph didn’t buy it completely.

Deep down, he felt smug, almost giddy. “Really? Because the last time I came to see you, you said you were swamped.”

As he leaned in closer, the clean, warm scent of his shower drifted toward her, hitting her all at once.

Judy felt a faint blush creep up her neck.

Even her voice faltered a bit. “That client… you saw it yourself. I was busy. I just happened to have a break today, that’s all.”

“Oh, well then. Thanks a lot!” he said, grinning.

Judy didn’t even know what the two of them were anymore.

Everything felt odd and undefined.

And now, seeing him like this, cleaned up and polished, she had to admit that Joseph still looked damn good.

That had always been part of the appeal.

He was rich, clueless, and stupidly attractive.

But she straightened, ready to put some distance between them before things got messy again.

“No,” Judy reminded herself. “Stick to your path. Don’t get distracted.”

“I should get going.”

“Judy, wait,” Joseph stepped toward her, a hint of urgency in his voice. “We never finished our conversation from last time.”

The moment he called her Judy—with that tone and familiar warmth—her skin broke into goosebumps.

She hadn’t realized how much that nickname had grated on her until now.

It sounded all wrong.

“How did I even survive being called that all the time?” she thought with a shudder.

“I’ve said everything I needed to say. No matter how long we talk, nothing’s going to change. I’m leaving.”

Joseph’s eyes widened the moment he realized Judy was actually about to leave.

“Hey, wait, don’t go yet!”

He’d put in the effort today, styled himself for once, and now she was here.

How could he waste the moment without making use of his looks?

Judy was already starting to feel impatient, but when she glanced back at that freshly groomed face of his, her tone softened just a little.

“What is it? I really do have things to do. I only came by to drop off your jacket. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

Joseph watched her rattle off every word like she was on a timer, shutting him down before he even had the chance to speak.

He stood there, momentarily at a loss.

“Alright, alright… I get it. You’re just here to drop off a jacket,” he mumbled.

With her repeated insistence, he finally gave in and acknowledged that she was here to deliver his jacket, nothing more.

Still, he couldn’t hide the sting in his voice.

He reached out and gently tugged at the fabric of her sleeve. “You really don’t want to stay? Not even for a little while?”

And truthfully, Judy hesitated.

The way he looked at her—those slightly messy bangs, those dark eyes that suddenly seemed so vulnerable it was almost disarming.

For a split second, it tugged at something in her.

He did look heartbreakingly pitiful right now…

But just then, a cold gust of wind swept in through the door, snapping her out of it.

“What the hell am I doing?”

She couldn’t believe she’d just let herself waver like that.

Feeling sorry for a man was the fastest route to disaster.

“No. I’m going,” she said firmly. “This isn’t the place.”

Joseph opened his mouth to protest again, but she cut him off with a single sentence that shut the door on everything.

“You know your parents never liked me. If they find out I’ve been here, it’ll just make things worse. And let’s be honest, whatever chance we had will only shrink even more.”