Chapter 3

Julianne got out of the Adams’s limo in a hurry. It was not like her to be late for a meeting, but today, she couldn’t help it. The whole house was in a chaos. Almost everybody in the Adams’s mansion was preparing to travel to Paris and she was no exception. She promised Adrienne weeks ago that she would go with them this time and Jared was already looking forward to it. She couldn’t afford to disappoint her son, or her cousin-in-law.

However, Justin had some last minute requests that she also couldn’t say no to. Today, of all days, was the only time she could meet with River Jefferson so she could assess the possibility of a partnership with Adams Industries. She had to finish all her meetings as Adrienne requested her undivided attention for a full week while they’re in Paris. She had to move her meeting with Mister Jefferson until after office hours. Justin informed her that Mister Jefferson could only be available at seven in the evening and as a courtesy for moving it so late, Justin arranged for it to be a dinner meeting instead.

“Reservations for Mister Jefferson,” she told the lady at the reception.

The lady smiled brightly at her. “Sure. Mister Jefferson is already here.”

“Shoot,” she muttered under her breath.

“Sweetheart, you may wanna check your hair,” the lady whispered to her.

“Sorry, it’s windy outside,” Julianne said. “Thanks.”

She stole a quick look at the mirror beside the counter. Her hair was disheveled, which was so much unlike her. She was always organized, always on time. She quickly combed her hair with her fingers as best she could.

She followed the lady as she led her to the VIP section of the restaurant. A guy with dark blonde hair was sitting on one of the tables, reading something on his phone.

“Mister Jefferson?”

The guy looked up at her with his beautiful green eyes. He blinked for a while, as if he was not expecting her at all. When he quickly recovered, he stood up and held out a chair for her.

“I’m sorry. You must be… Ian? Justin’s VP for Corporate Strategy?”

“Yes. Julianne Sanders,” she replied.

“River Jefferson,” he held out his hand to her.

She shook his hand and sat the on chair opposite him.

“I’m sorry, I have been expecting somebody else,” River said apologetically.

“What did Justin tell you?”

“He didn’t say much. But he was quite adamant that I meet with his Head of Corporate Strategy tonight.”

“I’m sorry. I’m leaving for Paris tomorrow. This is the only time I have this week. Otherwise, you would have to wait until next week.”

“Next week, I’m in Italy. And I won’t be back until end of the month,” River said.

“Well, that’s why Justin insisted we see each other tonight.”

River looked at Julianne for a moment and he shook his head slightly. There was amusement on his face.

“Excuse me, is something wrong?” Julianne’s voice was cold. She knew that her hair fell short of VP for Corporate Strategy material at the moment, but she’s here to let River Jefferson know she meant business.

River shook his head. “Nothing, really.”

“No, seriously, tell me,” she insisted.

River smiled at her brightly. Although she already looked irritated, he didn’t seem intimidated or even slightly discouraged. It seemed that nothing could dampen this guy’s spirit.

“Julianne Sanders, you said, right?” he asked and Julianne nodded. “Any chance you’re related to Gian Sanders?”

“He’s my twin brother.”

“So, you’re related to Justin.”

“Yes. We’re cousins.”

The amusement on River’s face seemed to spread even more.

“Is something funny, Mister Jefferson?”

He shook his head. “I’m not sure yet. But we’ll figure it out together,” he replied. Then he opened his laptop for his presentation.

Although Julianne was slightly irritated, she was obliged to listen. She wasn’t used to guys saying cryptic things to her. Most of the guys she met recently were pretty straightforward. And they always made their interest in her quite obvious. But River Jefferson didn’t do that. Moreover, he seemed to be enjoying his own private joke.

After the presentation, Julianne was disappointed to hear that River Jefferson’s Asian operations would only be fully up and running by end of the year. They had a very strong portfolio in the container shipment business in Europe, but not yet in Asia.

How could Justin not foresee this? This was just a waste of her time.

It took a moment for her to realize that River was already finished with his presentation. He was looking at her thoughtfully. Julianne shook herself back to reality.

“Does Justin know that your Asian business is not yet operational?”

“Yes, of course he does,” River said, quite amused.

“Well, I was sent here to look at your Asian container business portfolio.”

“Which I assure you, does not exist.” River said smiling at her.

“I’m sorry… I don’t get it,” Julianne said, wildly confused. “Why would Justin insist I consider your company for something that you… well, something you do not do?”

“Maybe for the same reason, he told me I was meeting his VP for Corporate Strategy named Ian Sanders. I said it wasn’t that urgent or necessary since your contract with your Europe shipping company will only expire in two years. I’d love to have your EU contract, but I know I’m zero on Asia as of the moment.”

“So what was the point of this meeting?”

River simply shrugged. “Oh, by the way, Justin conveniently left out the fact that Ian Sanders is a woman.”

Julianne stared back at River Jefferson for a moment. This guy is only a couple of years older than her, maybe Justin’s age. With his dark blonde hair, green eyes and strong built, he was actually smoking hot by every woman’s standard. He’s a young businessman who obviously came from a decent background. Suddenly, Julianne realized that Justin didn’t send her here for a business meeting at all.

“Son of a gun, I’m going to kill him!” She couldn’t help muttering under her breath.

River Jefferson blinked back at her and then suddenly, he burst out laughing. Julianne raised a brow at him.

“And you find this amusing, why?” she asked him crossly.

River cleared his throat. “Well, actually I’m flattered. I know Justin very well. I know how protective he is with his family. To set me up with his own flesh and blood actually says a lot about how much he trusted me.”

“I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m gonna have to go.”

She started to gather her things but River reached forward to gently touch her hand.

“Come on, Ian. We’re already here,” he said. “I’m sure you’ve had a long day. You might as well let me treat you for dinner. For your trouble.”

Julianne raised a brow at him, ready to decline his offer.

River shrugged. “We can plot Justin’s murder, if that will make you feel better.”

She wasn’t inclined to stay. In fact, she usually automatically turned down potential date invitations. But she must admit that she’s been working non-stop for more than twelve hours. Besides, River seemed like a genuine guy. He must be trustworthy if Justin trusts him enough to set them up on a blind date. Moreover, she’s quite famished.

“Okay fine. Let’s order food first.”

“Good.”

Julianne ordered steak with lobster and vegetable salad. She found River staring at her when she finished dictating her order to the waiter.

“Is there a problem?” she asked.

He shook his head. He turned to the waiter and said, “I’ll have exactly the same as her order.” Then he looked back at her. “I’m sorry, I know your time is precious. I hope the food would be good so I could at least make up for wasting your time.”

“You didn’t waste my time, Mister Jefferson. Justin did. And I’m sure you’re a busy man too. So, in a way, he wasted both our times.”

“But we both know we love him too much to really murder him, right?”

“You two sound really close,” Julianne said, watching River curiously.

“We went to Harvard. Became roommates for some time,” River replied. “I guess, yeah, we’re pretty tight.”

“Justin doesn’t trust easily. He must trust you a lot to set us up.”

River chuckled. “Well, maybe this is the first time he’ll have a lapse of judgment. I have a secret identity he doesn’t know about,” he winked at her. “I could be a psychopath for all he knows. He just got you in deep trouble.”

Julianne narrowed her eyes at him. “Or, he’s actually sending you to your doom. Didn’t he tell you I just escaped from a mental institution?”

“Well, in that case, he couldn’t have chosen a better woman for me.”

Julianne raised a brow at River and looked at him skeptically. “You’re kidding, aren’t you? Justin wouldn’t send me to a psychopath.”

River laughed. “Of course, I’m kidding,” he said. “Like you wouldn’t really be an escapee from a mental institution, would you?”

She shrugged, and then she shook her head slightly as she sipped her wine. “Oh, that is true. Have you ever wondered why Justin didn’t talk about me before? Or why you’ve never seen me in our family photos, or family celebrations?”

River blinked back at her for a moment. Then he asked, “How… long exactly were you in for?”

“Seven years, at least.” She kept her face straight, she didn’t even blink.

River looked thoughtful for a while. Then he leaned forward and whispered, “Is it true they torture patients in those asylums?”

Julianne narrowed her eyes at him. “Let’s just say that if you went in there with your sanity intact, you certainly will leave without it.”

“You sounded like you survived that place quite well.”

“I did. Although… sometimes, I have… episodes.”

“What happens during those episodes?”

Julianne shrugged. “I don’t know. I usually… black out.” She managed to give him an evil smile and a wink.

Instead of being fazed, River raised his glass to her. “To Ian Sanders. My kind of woman.”

Dinner was served and for a while they both ate in silence. Julianne was glad to finally have a decent meal after the longest day of her life.

Her phone rang. It was from home.

“Hello,”

“Mommy. All my things are packed.” Jared told her on the other line.

“That’s good, sweetheart. Did Nanny pack enough clothes? Did she pack everything I wrote on the list?”

Jared spoke to his nanny on the background, then he said, “Yes. She said everything’s ready. What about you, Mommy? You haven’t packed yet.”

“I will pack as soon as I get home, sweetheart.”

“Will you bring a nice dress? We’re having a party! I brought a suit.”

“Yes, sweetie. I will bring a dress, don’t you worry.”

“What time will you get home? We might miss our flight.”

“We have plenty of time still. Don’t worry.”

“Come home soon, Mommy!”

“Mommy’s just having dinner, sweetheart. I will be home soon.”

“Okay. Goodnight.”

“Night, sweetheart.”

When she hung up, River was looking at her thoughtfully. “Your kid?”

Julianne nodded. “The love of my life.”

“How old?”

“Six. He’s making sure I make it in time for our flight.”

“I’m keeping you, I guess.”

“No. I’m actually here for the food.”

“Right. I’m here for the wine,” he said evenly. He took a sip of his wine. Then he looked at her thoughtfully. “I’m assuming that since Justin is trying to set you up, you and your kid’s father are no longer together?”

Julianne nodded and took another sip of her wine. She felt a little tipsy. The wine was a bit too strong for her and she had very low alcohol tolerance.

“That would be correct,” she replied.

“Can I ask why?”

“Can I ask you why you wanna ask why?” she countered.

River shrugged. “Maybe I’m just bored. I love chatting over dinner.”

“I don’t really tell details of my personal life to total strangers, but I don’t think I’ll see you again after tonight, so what the hell, right?” She took another sip of her wine.

“Are you sure you can handle the wine?” There was genuine concern on River’s voice.

“Sure. I’m a psychopath, remember?”

“That’s what I was afraid of. You know… the black outs.” River pretended to be scared.

Julianne laughed. “You have a weird sense of humor, Mister Jefferson.”

“So do you,” River said, smiling at her. “Anyway, you were going to tell me about the father of your son.”

“Him? Well, he’s gone. I don’t know where he is.”

“He abandoned you?”

“Nope,” Julianne shook her head. “I had a whirlwind, fairy tale romance in Paris. I assumed a different identity. Fake-named a guy. Fell in love. Spent a magical night together and then left the morning after to go back to reality.”

River watched her thoughtfully. “Seriously? You gave him a fake name?”

Julianne nodded and took another sip of her wine.

“Must be the worst time to fake name someone, huh.”

“Tell me about it,” Julianne muttered. “And Justin and my brother wanted to hunt him down and make him pay for abandoning me. They swore to actually cripple him. For years it’s been their mission to find out who my son’s father is, so they can make him pay. I couldn’t even tell them that he didn’t deserve whatever they planned to do to him.”

“Didn’t you go to find him? Tell him that one night with him bore you a son?”

Julianne shook her head. “I thought about it. But I always chickened out. I mean, what do I say to him? ‘Hi, my real name is Julianne Sanders. I’m sorry I gave you a fake name. And oh, just in case you’re interested to know, we have a son together?’”

“Yeah, something like that,” River said matter-of-factly.

“I couldn’t. I was ashamed of what I did, but I didn’t have a choice. I was engaged to somebody else—an arranged marriage. My life was complicated. He was just a simple guy, making something out of himself.”

“If he loved you, he would understand.”

“He was struggling to make his dreams come true. I didn’t want to burden him with the responsibility of a son. And besides, I was banished by my own family. I didn’t know how I’d take it if he rejected me and my baby too.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I guess I never will,” Julianne sighed. “I did try to locate him on social media after a couple of years. I couldn’t find him either. After a while, I just stopped.”

“I’m sure your son pretty much makes up for his father’s absence in your life.”

“True. My son is the only man I need in my life.”

River chuckled. “Message received. I will tell Justin to stop setting us up.”

Julianne smiled at him. She was surprised because she felt relaxed. River Jefferson was very easy to talk to. She was amazed about how well he managed their awkward blind date, how smoothly he had asked her to stay for dinner and how easy he made it for her to speak about Jared’s father.

“You should be a shrink, you know,” Julianne couldn’t help saying.

“I wanted that. But I’m afraid, that will strain my relationship with my father even more.”

“Why?”

“I’m not exactly a product of an ideal setup. I was born in sin, so to speak. Never met my father until I was in high school. By then he’d lost his wife and only son in an accident. He was left without a legal heir. After all those years, he realized he had me.”

“What happened after?”

“He had me checked. Found out I was smart. He paid my mother a huge amount of money so she would let me live with him.”

“Sounds like you had a good life after that.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that I had a rough childhood before he paid attention to me.”

“So, you’re still mad at him?” Julianne asked.

“Not really. He knows how to be a mentor, but not really how to be a Dad.”

“Well, I haven’t spoken to my father in seven years. His last words to me were, ‘When I get back from my golf game, you better be gone!’” Julianne felt a knot in her stomach and she remembered the pain she thought she had long forgotten.

Tears peered in her eyes and she tried to blink them back so River wouldn’t notice. But it was too late. He was staring at her sympathetically.

“What are you doing to me, Mister Jefferson? I just met you,” she muttered, fanning her hand in front of her eyes.

River simply laughed, like it wasn’t the first time a complete stranger opened up her soul to him.

“See? I feel like we’re best friends now.” He smiled at her reassuringly.

Despite his own revelation about his broken relationship with his father, River’s face remained jolly and his aura positively bright. Suddenly, Julianne realized why Justin was trying to set them up. She needed an extremely positive and contagious person to bring back her old sunny disposition.

“Well, it certainly is a surprise, but you aren’t too bad, Mister Jefferson. I could understand why Justin would regard you in high confidence,” Julianne took a last sip of her wine. “But I’m afraid, I have to go. A six-year-old boy is waiting for me at home and he’ll be extremely disappointed if I’m late and reeking of alcohol.”

“Well, unless he’s an alcoholic himself, I’m sure he wouldn’t know the difference.”

“I hope. But he’s an extremely smart boy. I don’t want to risk it.” Julianne motioned for the waiter to bring her the check.

“I got this,” River said.

“No way. You pay for yours and I’ll pay for mine.” She may not have tons of money to spare, but she was no free rider.

“A gentleman never lets a lady pay.”

“This is not a date, Mister Jefferson.”

“Perhaps. But I’m the one who insisted you stay.” River was quite persistent. “And I never let a lady pay when I dine in the same table as her.”

“Well, okay. If you insist then,” Julianne said in defeat.

“I insist.”

After a couple of minutes, River escorted her to the lobby.

“Can I offer you a ride?”

“No thanks. Justin made the limo wait for me. You know… just in case I decide to run off earlier than expected.”

“I’m sure he knows you well.”

“He does. I almost did run off early, if I hadn’t been starving.”

“I guess I should thank whoever kept you from lunch. It was a pleasure to have your company, Julianne Sanders.”

“Surprisingly, you’re not too bad yourself, River Jefferson.”

The limo parked in front of them and River opened the door for her.

“Perhaps, next time, we can have dinner again. One that wasn’t arranged without our knowledge and consent by the meddling Justin Adams,” River said.

Julianne realized he was giving an indication that he will ask her out again someday. And to her surprise, she didn’t find that completely repelling.

However, she chose not to reply. She simply smiled and said, “Have a good night, Mister Jefferson.”

Inside the limo, when she was hidden behind the well-tinted windows, she stole a full glance at River Jefferson. He was very handsome. His features were aristocratic but soft and angelic. She usually fancied guys with rough edges. The first guy she in love with, Jas Mathieu, was as handsome as the devil and as hot as hell. He was the complete opposite of River.

But with all the trouble she’d been through, all the pain and all the hardships that her first love had brought her, maybe Justin was right after all. Maybe a softer, brighter and less dangerous looking guy like River Jefferson was what she needed.

But even if she did entertain the possibility of a romance with River, there was just one problem.

I think I’m still in love with the father of my son.