Chapter 2

The rumors always said Julian Vance was a saint who kept his hands to himself. I only wanted to make him uncomfortable to vent my frustration.

But I never expected him to actually follow me home.

The moment the door closed, he pressed me against it and kissed me.

He kissed me so hard I couldn't breathe, making my head spin. I tried to push him away weakly. "Wait..."

He gripped my waist, lifted me up, and sat me down on the entryway console table. One of his knees wedged between mine, pressing close.

"Isn't it a bit too late to back out now?"

His hot kisses trailed down to my neck, tracing the small veins pulsing beneath his lips.

His hand slipped down, untying the strap of my dress. "Do you prefer the living room or the bedroom?"

I shrank back slightly. "The bedroom."

He smirked. "My thoughts exactly."

He carried me inside and showed me entirely new ways to use every piece of furniture in my bedroom.

It wasn't until dawn was breaking that I finally fell asleep, completely exhausted.

I slept until noon, awakened by my ringing phone.

I groped around with my eyes closed and answered. Marcus's sneering voice came through.

"You sounded so final yesterday, yet today you're already stealing Chloe's brand deals behind my back."

"Sera, when did you learn to be so fake?"

I frowned. "If you're sick, go see a doctor. Don't call me to get yelled at."

Those few words made my throat burn with pain.

Marcus asked, "Why is your voice so raspy? Do you have a cold?"

Before I could reply, the bedroom door opened.

Julian walked in wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. His abs were perfectly defined, and the fresh scratches on his lower stomach were incredibly eye-catching.

He pointed at my phone, silently asking who it was.

I mouthed, "Marcus."

He gave an understanding nod.

Just when I thought he would step outside to give me privacy, he knelt on the edge of the bed and handed me a glass of warm honey water.

"You screamed too much last night. Drink some honey water to soothe your throat."

Why I had screamed so much, we both knew very well.

My face instantly flushed red.

Before I could say anything, Marcus exploded on the other end of the line.

"Sera! Who is that? Who are you with? What did you do?!"

I snapped out of it. "Does it have anything to do with you? A good ex should act like they're dead. Stop haunting me."

Julian chuckled softly. "Nice comeback."

His tone was so natural, as if we had spent the night just chatting under the blankets.

I was so shocked I forgot to hang up.

Marcus's voice yelled through the speaker.

"Flirting without even hanging up? Are you trying to make me jealous on purpose? Sera, you're pathetic."

His voice was dripping with condescension and contempt.

A wave of disgust washed over me. Before he could say anything viler, I hung up.

Julian held the glass of honey water to my lips, his dark, mesmerizing eyes locked onto mine.

He had beautiful, deep-set eyes.

Being stared at like this made my heart race.

I hurriedly took the glass and gulped down the water, trying to break the silence. "Aren't you leaving?"

Julian raised an eyebrow. "Are you really going to use me and throw me away?"

Well, what else?

We were both consenting adults. It's not like I had to take responsibility, right?

Perhaps my reluctance to commit was too obvious. Julian grit his teeth in a mix of annoyance and amusement.

After a brief pause, he suddenly asked:

"Your grandfather's will—the one with the marriage clause—how much time do you have left?"

I froze.

After my stepmother brought her secret daughter into our home, my grandfather wanted to ensure the family fortune wouldn't fall into their hands. Before he passed, he left a will leaving everything to me.

But fearing I was too weak to stand alone, he stipulated that I had to marry before twenty-five to inherit.

Until then, the assets were held in a trust.

But this was my private family matter. How did Julian know about it?

He clearly had no intention of explaining. He continued, "You put up with Marcus partly because of this, right?"

I hesitated, then nodded.

That was only a tiny part of the reason.

Mostly, it was because my mother had died early, and Marcus had been the only warmth in my life when my stepmother abused me.

Julian's tone shifted. "If you need someone to back you up after marriage, I'm a much better choice than Marcus."

I chuckled. "What? The great billionaire Julian Vance is eyeing my inheritance?"

Julian smiled half-heartedly. "Just consider it my payment for last night."