LOGINJulian stared at Serena as though he couldn't believe what he had just heard. His lips twisted in annoyance as he thought about what she had just said and the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. "W-what...Do you even hear yourself?" How asked, his voice low and dangerous as he rose slowly from his chair. "Do you realize that's your sister you're talking about?" Serena rolled her eyes at how ridiculous the question sounded. Leaning against the door, she folded her arms across her chest and let out a scoff. "Oh, please. Don't start that nonsense with me," she said dismissively. "You know very well that we're not real sisters. You of all people shouldn't be asking that question."Julian frowned at her. Even after everything he had learned about Serena over the years, her ability to speak about Sophia with such contempt still managed to surprise him. He couldn't believe he hadn't seen this side of her years ago when he was stupidly in love with her. "Real sisters or not, I
Julian stared at her with a confused expression, a frown slowly making its way to his face. "Why?" Serena looked at him like he was asking an obvious question. "What do you mean ' why?" She asked innocently and giggled. "To discuss the wedding plans, of course!" The office instantly fell silent.So silent that Serena could hear the quiet hum of the air conditioner. Julian stared at her for a few seconds before slowly sitting upright. "You did what?" "Informed my parents that we will be coming over so that YOU can make your intentions known and get started with the preparations." She repeated just in case he missed it the first time. Julian shut his eyes, taking in deep breaths to calm himself.It didn't work. "Have you completely lost your mind, Serena?" He asked, his tone firm, showing just how serious she was. The smile on Serena's face disappeared quickly. "Why are you shouting?" "You didn't even ask me! Why on earth would you set up a meeting without informing me first?" J
Fifteen minutes after Sophie left...Julian sat behind his desk staring blankly at the papers scattered across the surface and on the ground. The reports in front of him had been untouched since Dan came in ten minutes after his horrible meeting with Sophia. Dan, bless him, entered and saw the papers scattered across the office but asked no questions. That was exactly why Julian loved him more than he loved himself. Dan had been going on about the board wanting to know the next move concerning the Australian project, but Julian had barely heard a word he said. All he could think about was how he had once again messed up his chances with Sophia. Dan cleared his throat and glanced down at his tablet. He had already repeated the same point twice and was beginning to suspect his boss had not heard any of it."Mr Vale?" He called after a while, his voice a little louder than usual. "I said, the board of directors would like to know if we can have a follow-up meeting regarding the partne
Julian didn't know when the question left his lips or why it even left in the first place. One second he was happy to see Sophia, the next, he was hearing her talk about returning to Australia, and before he knew what was happening, he was staring at her with a raging heart. His mouth opened before he could stop it. "A-are you returning to Australia because you have a man waiting for you there?" The moment the words left his lips, he regretted them. Even he could hear how ridiculous they sounded. If he could take it back he would but the deed had already been done and for some strange reason, his lips didn't seem ready to utter the words 'I didn't mean that'.Sophia had already gotten halfway to the door when she stopped walking. Slowly, she turned around and looked at him, her eyes filled with nothing but coldness. He expected anger or rage from her but seeing how calm she was made him more nervous than he had been when he entered the office. "What did you just say?" She asked qui
Julian's heart skipped as soon as Dan spoke. He had spent the entire morning anxious about the meeting and wondering what he would say to her when he actually saw her, but hearing that she was there sent him into a full panic mode. "Mr Vale?" Dan called politely, standing by the door. Julian immediately cleared his throat and sat up straighter in his chair. He adjusted his tie, ran a hand through his hair, and then quickly stopped himself before he looked too eager. "Show her in," he said, forcing his voice to remain calm.The second Dan left the office, Julian grabbed a ransom file on his desk and opened it. He lowered his head and pretended to be engrossed by whatever was in the documents, acting like he had been working the entire time.A few seconds later, the door opened. He didn't look up at first, still absorbed in his act. Then, a familiar scent drifted through the room, causing him to pause. His grip tightened around the file. Even after all these years, her taste in per
After sitting there for a while, Julian finally forced himself to lie back down. He desperately wanted sleep to take his mind off everything for a few hours.But just as he reached for the lamp beside the bed, his phone suddenly dinged. Julian frowned and picked it up.It was a message from Dan.Dan: [Reminder: Your meeting with Sophia King from LuminaTech is scheduled for tomorrow at 2PM.]The moment he read the message, his heartbeat changed instantly.He would see Sophia again tomorrow.A strange mix of nervousness and excitement filled his chest so suddenly that he sat upright again without realizing it. Julian stared at the text for several long seconds.Part of him couldn’t wait to see her again. The other part dreaded it completely.Their first interaction at the gala had gone terribly and he still couldn’t forget the coldness in her eyes whenever she looked at him. It was like she genuinely saw him as nothing more than a stranger now.And honestly? He deserved it.Julian exhal
Julian's eyes widened as soon as the words left the maid's lips.Even though Sophie had said she would be leaving, he didn't expect her to actually go through with it.He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair as he tried to shake the feeling away. Sophie had left before. This wouldn't be
Sophie sat quietly in the living room, her hands resting on her lap as she stared at nothing in particular. The dining table was set a few feet away, the food long gone cold. She had prepared everything hours ago, carefully arranging each dish the way she always did, even though a part of her alrea
Sophie didn't have to turn to know who it was. Her body had already reacted before her mind could catch up.It was that same voice that haunted her for over twenty years.She didn't turn. Not yet. Instead, she looked at Julian. Her heart shattered into a million pieces when she saw the look in his
His name appeared boldly on her screen. Julian. She stared at it for a while before turning to Lara and then holding out her phone to show her the screen. "What do you want to do?" Lara asked, hoping her friend wouldn't forget everything she had been through and return to Julian all in the name







