It had never occurred to him that there might be other facts he was unaware of. If what Jube said really was the case, then had he not misunderstood her all these years? “My mother threatened you?” he asked urgently. “When was this?” Instead of replying, Hilie asked, “Regardless of whether I saw you as a substitute, I haven’t treated you badly in the past three years, have I, Zayn?” Zayn stared dazedly at her, saying nothing. Jube had undoubtedly treated him very well over the last three years. So well, in fact, that he had wondered if there were some other feelings involved. At first, it had only been a suspicion. It was not until later, when he personally witnessed Julie and Martha walking out of a restaurant side by side, that he became certain. Julie had ulterior motives for being nice to him. Seeing as Zayn was maintaining his silence, Hilie decided to speak again. “In the three years that I’ve been by your side, I haven’t spent a single cent of your money, nor have I caused you any loss. I’m begging you, please don’t appear in front of me anymore. Let’s just sever all ties here and now, alright?” Zayn came back to his senses and turned down her suggestion without a moment’s thought. He could not imagine how long the days would be without Julie in his life from now on. Just in the short amount of time since they had broken up, he was already feeling extremely unaccustomed to not having someone unconditionally and meticulously taking care of him and keeping him in check. Julie was speechless for a while. She muttered inwardly that the lunatic in front of her was just far too pigheaded. She was honestly unwilling to waste any more time on Zayn, so she turned on her heel and walked toward the VIP room’s door. Just as she reached the doorway, Zayn’s deep voice rang out from behind her. “If you don’t want Lucian to find out everything that happened between us, either stay away from him or come back to my side.” Her hand paused over the doorknob. She turned to look at Zayn, a hint of disbelief in her eyes. “You actually dare threaten me?” she asked. The corners of Zayn’s mouth lifted slightly, and he revealed a crafty smile. “Tell me, Jules. How do you think Lucian will react if he finds out? Will he still accept you?” Julie froze. She had never thought about being together with Lucian. After all, her hard edges had already been whittled down over the years. She no longer had the energy to fight for someone’s affection. Now, all she wanted to do was work hard to earn money and hope that her father would be able to recover as soon as possible. “He’s not you,” she said softly. Zayn’s expression darkened instantly, but his voice was nonchalant as he continued, “Even if Lucian can accept you, what about the Fullers? Can they accept a family background like yours? Lucian just returned to the country and has yet to establish himself within the Fuller Group. Do you think that he has the ability to protect you properly? Don’t be foolish, Jules. Lucian will walk the same path as me in the future. He’ll find a noble lady who matches him well to marry and not…” Before he could finish speaking, Julie cut him off without hesitation, “Since you’re already sure of the path that you’re going to take, then why are you still clinging onto our relationship, Zayn? Don’t you find yourself really contemptible?” Zayn did not get angry at Julie’s ridicule, instead asking patiently, “Are you done venting your anger? If you’re not, feel free to keep cursing at me.” Julie felt speechless. Just as she was about to say something, her phone rang inside her bag. She took her phone out and looked at the display. It was Lucian calling. When Zayn saw the caller ID on the phone screen, he took advantage of her moment of inattention to snatch the phone out of her hand.