Chapter 3

I sat in the corner for a while. Julian had closed his eyes again, pretending to nap, occasionally leaning an ear to listen to someone talk. The woman beside him sat obediently.

The sight was actually quite pleasant.

I let out a self-deprecating laugh, grabbed my bag, and got ready to leave.

After all, I’d already made up my mind to quit. My presence here today was just a momentary lapse of emotion.

Before I could take a single step, a hand suddenly landed on my shoulder.

There were always a few clueless people around Julian who’d bump into me. Today, it was another one.

A drunk man suddenly leaned in, his eyes raking over me, a light, teasing smile on his face.

“Ms. Harper, long time no see?”

I narrowed my eyes slightly, unable to place him for a moment.

He familiar wrapped an arm around my shoulder, then subtly tilted his chin, gesturing toward the woman next to Julian.

“Do you know who she is? The Zhao family’s heiress. Beautiful, from a family perfectly matched with Mr. Julian’s, and so gentle and sweet.”

The Zhao family’s heiress?

My gaze snapped to the woman, and my heart felt like it was punctured by a needle, deflating, a wave of bitterness spreading through me. I was momentarily stunned.

I didn’t notice the man leaning closer, his mouth moving. I could barely hear him:

“Honestly, after all these years, you’ve been on call, always putting in the effort, and Mr. Julian has never even truly looked at you.”

“Why don’t you… find a new target?”

As he spoke, he suddenly touched my hand, his voice laced with insinuation. “Whatever Mr. Julian can give you, I can give you too.”

That flirty tone and look almost made me sick. I finally snapped back to reality, just as I was about to pull away.

A powerful force suddenly yanked me into Julian’s embrace.

Julian’s expression hadn’t changed, but the ruthlessness in his eyes was barely contained. He kicked the man who’d put his hands on me.

He simply waved his fingers in the air, not even frowning. Out of the shadows, several hidden bodyguards emerged, dragging the man away.

The man seemed to sober up then, crying out in despair, “Mr. Julian! Mr. Julian, please forgive me! I was drunk, Mr. Julian! Please, have mercy!”

His figure was dragged further and further away, his voice fading until it completely disappeared into the noisy background music.

No one dared to look over, no one dared to stop what they were doing. The music, the lights, the swaying dancers – everything continued. In just a few minutes, it was as if nothing had happened.