Chapter 97

The wind was bitingly cold that night. Julie shivered, subconsciously shrinking into her clothes. She stretched out a hand, exhaled a breath of warm air, and watched the white cloud dissipate quickly. “It might snow tonight,” she mumbled. Before she finished speaking, thin snowflakes began to fall. A snowflake landed on her outstretched hand, instantly melting from its warmth and leaving behind a momentary coldness. Seeing this, Lucian walked up, took her hand, and said gently, “Let’s head in. It’s too cold outside.” He tossed his keys to the valet, then walked into the clubhouse hand in hand with her. Julie’s eyes were unconsciously drawn to their entwined hands. His hand was big and warm… her hand, still a little cold, warmed instantly. As she felt the warmth from his palm, a sudden thought occurred to her: If she could hold his hand like this forever, would she be happy? She probably would. For a moment, Julie completely forgot to retract her hand and silently allowed Lucian to continue holding it. “We’re here,” Lucian said, interrupting her train of thought. Julie quickly pulled her hand back, feeling embarrassed by her own thoughts. For a moment, Lucian’s palm felt empty, and he sighed helplessly. Was Julie that afraid of being seen holding his hand? He chose not to comment and pushed open the door of the VIP room.

Julie had assumed that when young men from such a social circle gathered, they would be smoking, drinking, or with women. However, the sight was completely different from what she had imagined. The room was filled with the sounds of games and poker; occasionally, she heard someone call out, “Three of a kind.” There wasn’t a single woman present. Julie immediately felt nervous. Suddenly, someone called out, “You’re finally here, Luce!” In an instant, the room became dead silent. A man in a black sweater walked quickly toward them, smiling widely as he greeted Lucian. “Here I was, thinking you weren’t coming, Luce. I didn’t think Blaine was telling the truth.” His gaze landed on Julie, and he paused in surprise. He looked from Lucian to Julie, then asked, “Who are you, miss?” Julie felt embarrassed, but before she could reply, Lucian said, “I brought her here.” The man was struck dumb, staring at Lucian with astonishment. “W-what did you say, Luce?” he stuttered. “You brought her here?” Julie greeted him awkwardly. “Hello, my name is Julie Somers. I’m—” The man interrupted, “Wait! What did you say your name was?” Slightly startled, Julie repeated her name. The moment the man heard it, he became excited, his voice rising as he exclaimed, “Oh, shit! It’s you! You’re that woman our Luce can’t stop thinking about!” Julie felt embarrassed and subconsciously turned to look at Lucian.