Chapter 10

“Jules, you’re here. Grab a seat,” Blaine greeted Julie warmly, even standing to pull out her chair. Julie, a little surprised, murmured, “Thank you,” as she sat. Blaine patted her shoulder. “No need for formalities.”

He’d barely finished speaking when he felt Lucian’s cold gaze. Lucian’s eyes were locked on him, a palpable chill emanating from him. Blaine shivered, awkwardly withdrawing his hand and sitting down. Julie handed Blaine the coat. “Thank you for last night, Mr. Chandler.”

Blaine glanced at Lucian and replied, with a chuckle, “No need to thank me. I just did my duty as a friend.” He immediately stood. “Um, I’ll have to excuse myself to the bathroom. It’s urgent.” Before Julie could react, he was gone, leaving an awkward silence.

Julie stood. “Um, since I’ve returned the coat, I should—”

“Sit down and have a meal with us,” Lucian interrupted.

Julie shook her head. “It’s okay. I have places to be.”

“Do you really have an appointment, or are you just avoiding me?” Lucian asked frankly.

She lowered her eyes. He sighed. “Still have that temper of yours, huh? Forever ignoring others whenever you’re upset.”

“And is my temper any of your business?” Julie retorted.

Silence fell. When her emotions threatened to overwhelm her, she lowered her eyes. Lucian stood before her. “Are you still angry at me for leaving the country? I—”

“What right do I have to be angry over that?” she interrupted.

He tousled her hair. “Why wouldn’t you? You’re the only one in the entire world who has the right to.”

Julie was speechless. “Why don’t you just sit down and join us for lunch? I’ve ordered your favorite filet mignon.”

“I don’t like it anymore. It’s been a long time since I disliked it,” she said angrily.

Lucian paused. “Jules, how have you been these past few years?”

“It’s not important anymore. Please excuse me. I have to go,” she said, heading for the door. After five years of anticipation, she realized it had all been a deception. She didn’t know how to face Lucian.

… Zayn scrolled through his phone, bored, during his blind date in the restaurant’s main hall, responding to Anna’s questions minimally.

“Zayn, I heard from your mother that you became an intern at your family’s company during your sophomore year in university. Is that right?”

“My mom made me do it. I didn’t want to,” he replied half-heartedly. Anna felt his disinterest. Objectively, Zayn was ideal—family background, appearance—so she decided to be proactive.

“By the way, a new movie just came out. Why don’t we go to the movie theater tomorrow?”

This reminded him of Julie suggesting the same thing. He’d gone, but with another woman, leaving Julie waiting until the movie ended. He’d then gone to a love hotel with the other woman, making Julie get condoms. He couldn’t recall her reaction clearly, only that she’d been angry, yet compliant. She clearly cared deeply for him. But the agreement between Julie and Martha always angered him, leading him to ignore Julie for days. They’d broken up a half-month ago—the longest break in three years. This panicked him. He regretted the blind date; he wasn’t interested in Anna.

He interrupted Anna’s chatter. “I’m sorry, Ms. Fuller. Something came up with one of the projects, so I have to head back to the company for a while.” He stood abruptly. “I’ll get the bi—”

He saw Julie descending the stairs. He blinked. It was her. A smug smile curved his lips. She’d claimed not to care, yet here she was. He’d teach her a lesson.

As he considered this, he saw a man approach her from behind—Blaine Chandler. He couldn’t hear their conversation, but saw Blaine tousling Julie’s hair affectionately. Enraged, Zayn ignored Anna and strode toward them.

He overheard Blaine say, “Don’t be angry at Blainey, alright? The great Mr. Fuller was the one who wanted to tag along.”

“Blainey”? Julie’s affection for other men contrasted sharply with her reserve around him. Zayn was furious.

From the bottom of the stairs, he mocked, “And here I was thinking how you could break up with me so easily. Turns out that you’ve already hooked up with someone else, huh?”

Julie glanced at him, then looked away. Blaine looked down at Zayn. He placed an arm around Julie, teasing, “Dear mighty Mr. Peyton, you must think that Julie’s an easy target, huh?”

Zayn’s eyes narrowed, fixated on Blaine’s arm. “Blaine, don’t be fooled by this woman. She’s just after your money.”

Blaine looked surprised, then flattered. “Jules, is that true? What I have is money. Feel free to fool Blainey, alright?”

Julie’s mouth twitched. She slapped his arm away, repulsed. Zayn’s jaw clenched. Was Blaine insane?

Before Zayn could speak, Blaine continued, “Jules, you know I’m different from those cheap and disgusting men, right?” He glared at Zayn.

“Yeah, yeah. You’re different. I have to go, so see you next time,” Julie dismissed him, ignoring Zayn completely and walking to the entrance.

Zayn’s expression froze. Her audacity stunned him. He glared at Blaine before chasing after Julie. Blaine watched, pondering the clear tension between them. Something was definitely going on.