MasukAfter a while, Julian finally moved. He didn't yell. He didn't raise his fist or slam his hand against the luxury car. Instead, he reached out, grabbed the handle of the passenger door, and pushed it closed, sealing Valeria inside the quiet, safe interior of the vehicle. He turned his full, massive frame toward his mother and Ariel, crossing his broad arms over his chest. "Julian," Clara tried again, her voice cracking slightly as she attempted to pull together her fading authority. " We don't want to make a scene. Let us go home and talk about this like civilized adults. Whatever lies someone has fed you..." "I haven't said a single word, Mother," Julian interrupted softly, his voice dangerously smooth. "Why are you already defending yourself against lies?" Clara’s lips parted, but no sound came out. She had walked right into her own trap. "I was going to wait," Julian continued, taking a slow, deliberate step toward her. Clara instinctively took a step back, her expensive he
Julian stood frozen by the passenger door of the sports car, his chest rising and falling with a heavy, deeply frustrated sigh. Just how the hell did his mother know he was here? His mind immediately flashed with irritation. He didn't want to see or speak to her anytime soon, especially not now. He was still extremely pissed off after recently discovering the disgusting truth, that all the years he was away in England sending letters to Valeria, his mother had intercepted and hidden every single one of them, intentionally ripping his love away from him. He had just wanted to stay away and cool off for a while before he finally approached her about the matter, purely so he wouldn’t out of raw anger end up saying or doing something completely unhinged. It was clearly unknown to him that the split second picture the fan had posted earlier was exactly how she had pin pointed his location. Julian didn't want to make a scene in the open loading bay. He kept his composure, moving smoothly t
The head cashier’s hands began to tremble violently as she stared down at the matte black titanium card. Her eyes darted from the raised silver lettering of the name up to the towering, broad shouldered man standing right in front of her. Even with the dark mask and the low baseball cap covering most of his features, those piercing, cold grey eyes were completely unmistakable."Oh my god," she whispered, her voice cracking as a wave of pure shock and fan adoration hit her all at once. "You're... you're really him. You are Julian Vane!"The second sales girl at the counter gasped loudly, clutching her chest as her jaw dropped. The entire VIP desk instantly turned into a scene of chaotic excitement. The head cashier, who was a massive fan of the legendary athlete but had never in her life had the opportunity to meet him in person, completely forgot about her jealous attitude toward Valeria. Her face flushed bright red, and she began to profess her deep adoration right there on the spot.
After spending some more time talking with Ken, Julian finally stood up from his seat, preparing to take his leave alongside Valeria. He gave his teammate another firm, brotherly handshake and a reassuring tap on the shoulder."Take care of yourself, man. I'll check in on you again soon," Julian said, wishing his brother a quick and smooth recovery."Don't worry about me, bro. Go take care of your girl," Ken replied with a knowing grin.Julian pulled his dark protective mask back over his face and adjusted his baseball cap low over his forehead. Holding Valeria's hand firmly, he guided her out of the hospital room. They moved quickly down the private corridor, ensuring they didn't pull any unwanted attention from the hospital staff or visitors, and hurried straight back into the waiting Lamborghini.The moment the heavy car doors clicked shut, shielding them from the outside world, they were supposed to head straight to Dr. Richards' private laboratory to pick up the toxicological res
Two days later, in the warm afternoon of a quiet Tuesday, the heavy silence of the penthouse suite was broken by the sharp ring of Julian’s phone. He answered it quickly, his face hardening as the voice of Dr. Richards confirmed that the laboratory results from the water bottle were finally ready. The doctor asked if the documents should be delivered directly to the penthouse address. But Julian, ever cautious and not wanting the critical results to be intercepted or tampered with decided he would go pick them up himself. He also realized that he and Valeria had been completely cooped up indoors for almost four days now, wrapped away from the chaotic world. He figured he could use this necessary trip into the city to finally go visit Ken at the hospital, killing two birds with one stone. Julian walked into the bedroom and told Valeria to get ready. Within thirty minutes, they stepped down into the secure underground garage and climbed into the plush leather seats of one of Julian’s
With Valeria's words, the final pieces of the puzzle began to click together in a terrifying way. Julian’s grey eyes widened slightly before narrowing into dangerous slits. He was now absolutely sure that indeed this was some huge, deep conspiracy. Whoever was involved didn't just stumble into his locker, they had direct, high level access to the stadium's central security control room. They had the power to orchestrate a real time blackout and manipulate the cameras. Julian couldn't help but wonder if all of this was directly connected to that ruthless Russian syndicate guy as the man’s subtle words from the other day kept ringing in his ears like a broken record, dropping heavy hints about unexpected accidents on the ice. His playfulness and romantic side immediately vanished as a deeply unsettling, cold feeling washed over his entire body. The grim reality of the situation hit him like a physical blow. If truly his water had been poisoned with something lethal or a dangerous drug
I stood with my back pressed against the heavy door, my fingers still trembling as they let go of the cold handle. The vip lounge was a testament to his wealth, sleek, expensive, and filled with the kind of high end technology that signaled he was no longer the boy from my past, but a global icon
As I walked through the backstage corridor of the North Am Arena, every rhythmic click of my heels echoed against the walls, sounding less like footsteps and more like a count down to a confrontation five years in the making. My heart was hammering an uneven rhythm against my ribs, but I forced m
Ever since I received the news that I was the one assigned to the Julian Vane exclusive, the very air in the Apex Media building seemed to have thinned, leaving me lightheaded and breathless. I sat at my desk in the bustling newsroom, my fingers hovering uselessly over the keyboard of my laptop. E
The mid morning sun hung like a polished coin over the city, its heat a familiar weight on my shoulders as I stepped out of the international terminal. Yet, despite the warmth, everything felt foreign. Five years of chasing headlines across Europe and North America had forged me into someone unreco







