Vanessa looked around her house, scrutinizing it. Julianne had a few ideas about what’s going on in her mind and she’s guessing none of them were good.
“Why are you here?” Julianne asked.
Vanessa raised a brow at her. She looked at her from head to feet, unashamedly scrutinizing her look.
“Miss Bernard, please. Can you get down to business? I have places to go.”
“Of course, you have,” she said in a heavy French accent. “You’re working extra hard to support your son, aren’t you?”
“Excuse me. I don’t see why that’s any of your business.”
“You made it my business when you started seducing my fiancé!”
Julianne blinked back at her. “Excuse me? What are you talking about?”
“You know well what I’m talking about, Miss Sanders,” she said. “You’re my fiancé’s other woman
Monday morning, the Adams private jet took Julianne and two of Adams Industries legal counsels to Detroit. They checked in at The Majestic, a five-star hotel owned by Starck Corp.They spent the whole afternoon meeting with the Japanese clients from Miyako Tech and working on the terms and conditions of their future partnerships. Julianne and the legal team had spent the whole weekend checking their contract offerings, all possible loopholes and all other alternatives.She had been relentlessly working since that evening that Vanessa Bernard paid her a visit. It was her best way to cope with the twisted pain she felt in her heart.Jin had been texting her but she didn’t even read most of his messages. He called plenty of times, but she simply ignored all his calls. She didn’t want to talk to him. Not yet. Her mind was confused and her heart was too broken. She couldn’t decide what to do with him when she was this emotional. She needed to decide
Thud!She was sure she just heard her heart drop to the floor.The room fell silent as everybody took time to absorb what Jin just said. Everybody was looking at him, studying his face, deciphering his revelation.“Starck?” Edward echoed. He looked at Jin in wild confusion.“Yes! That boy that you were calling a bastard… is my son!”Julianne closed her eyes as tears fell from her eyes. She heard gasps from the others in the room. Everyone seemed to have stopped breathing.It was Gian who recovered first. “You fucking asshole! It was you, huh!” Gian went at Jin, pushing him against the wall. “I did think Jared was a spitting image of you, and I found that really creepy! I just didn’t think you’d have met my sister before!”Jin held his hands up in the air in surrender. He looked at Gian and said, “Go. Knock yourself out. I know you’ve been
Jared was sleeping when Jin and Julianne left the Adams Mansion. Julianne sent a text message to Adrienne, apologizing for everything and then asked her to take care of Jared for another day.They drove the first ten minutes in complete silence. She had a lot of questions she wanted to ask him. But she didn’t know how or where to begin.She felt him reach out for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.“Are you sure you’re alright, love?” he asked.“No. I’m not sure,” she replied. Then she sighed and asked, “You knew?”He glanced at her and gave her a gentle smile.“About Jared? Of course, I knew,” he replied. “I had been waiting a long time for you to tell me yourself. But today, I couldn’t hold it back anymore.”“How long have you known?”“That same night I met you again in Paris, at my mother’s party,” he replied.
“I couldn’t destroy it,” Jin said behind Julianne. “After what happened between us there, I just couldn’t bear the thought of breaking it down.”She turned around to face him. His eyes looked teary as well.“Like you, The Arabella belongs here,” he whispered.Julianne stared at the familiar glasshouse that used to sit in the gardens of White Rock Hotel.She couldn’t find the words. She turned around and threw herself in Jin’s arms. He wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace.“Why?” she asked looking up at him. “Why are you doing this?”“Is it not obvious?” he asked back. “I’m making it easier for you to have a life with me. This is going to be our home here in Chicago. I want you and Jared to be here. And if you will allow it, I would like to live here with you.”“Why? Why me?”He took her hand in
Jin lay on the rug in front of the fireplace, dressed only in his boxers. He was waiting for Julianne to come out from the shower.He stared at the ceiling with a big smile on his place.It’s over, Jin. Your dark days are finally over.He didn’t know what happened to him these past years. It was like he was living in a limbo. He owned his body but somebody else was driving it, controlling his thoughts and his actions.He’d been rude, ruthless, relentless. True, he’d been very good in business. Starck Corp. had made a lot of money since he took the reign from his father. But now, he realized what’s been missing in the way he ran business. It had all been logic, math and probabilities. It lacked heart. And in the hospitality business, you have to have plenty of heart.He realized that he didn’t have to be the rude, brutal man he was. His heart was no longer broken and he had nothing to be mad about anymore
The next day, Jin drove Julianne to work. Then he went to one of their hotel properties to do some work and to call his parents.He remembered the last day he was in Paris. He just came back from speaking to Arthur Bernard and Vanessa. He finally told them that the deal was off. He could not marry Vanessa. Both father and daughter were beyond upset. Vanessa wailed like little child whose favorite toy was taken away from her. Arthur shouted all sorts of profanity against him, vowing to kick him out of Round Ten.“Is she worth it?” Vanessa asked him, her smudged mascara and foundation left black lines from her eyes to her chin. At that point, it was hard to take her seriously.Suddenly, Jin realized he had never seen Vanessa without thick makeup. He wondered if he would recognize her at all without the powder foundation, fake lashes and ruby red lips.“Excuse me?” he asked.“Julianne Sanders,” Vanessa said. “
That afternoon, Jin walked with Julianne towards the gazebo in the Adams Mansion.“Are you ready?” he asked Julianne.She looked up at him. “Are you?”He caressed his jaw with his fingers. “Yeah, I think I can take a few more punches. As long as you take care of me tonight.” He winked at her naughtily.She laughed. “I don’t think Justin will beat you up in front of Adrienne.”“Even if he does, I don’t care. Right now, I’m the King of the World! I have everything I ever wanted.”They reached the gazebo where Justin and Adrienne were, drinking wine. Justin had his arms around his wife, and he was whispering something in her ear that made Adrienne laugh and blush to the roots of her hair.Jin cleared his throat so they would notice them standing in front of them.“Oh my God! Jin! Ian!” Adrienne exclaimed in surprise.Jin saw tears in A
Julianne entered the lavish ballroom of Jardin Estates, one of the hotels owned by Starck Corp. in Paris. Jin’s mother had another bestselling book and as part of tradition, she threw a party to celebrate it. It was also a chance for the Starck Family to get together with family, friends and business partners.It had been one week since she and Jared had arrived in Paris. Although she had met Jin’s parents before, it was a different meeting this time around. Julianne could still remember how Arianna Starck rushed to greet them and how hard she cried when she hugged Jared.“My baby. Do you know who I am?” she tearfully asked Jared.“Yes. You’re Jeffie’s grandmother,” Jared replied.“Yes. But do you know that I am your grandmother too,” Arianna said.“Really?”“Yes. Because I’m your father’s mommy. You can call me grand-mère.”Jared sm