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
Julianne Arabella Sanders walked the streets of the city she loved the most—Paris. Her family owned a glass factory here and her father often came. Sometimes, he took them with him. And every time she went, she would fall in love with the city over and over again. But this particular visit to Paris was special. This time she was all by herself. She was free to be who she wanted to be and do whatever she wanted. She only had two weeks left of life as she knew it. She could have an adventure, assume a different identity, make mistakes, fall in love and make her dreams come true. But once her time was up, she would no longer be free to decide her own fate. She would pledge all her days, all her tomorrows—her present and her future—to a man she had only met twice, and didn’t really like. She would follow her stupid family tradition of arranged marriages and be miserable for all eternity. She tried to fight her fate, but her father had always
Get out of my face!” Edward Sanders bellowed. His voice vibrated in every corner of the tea room where he sat with his wife, his son and his daughter. “Get out of our lives! Consider yourself banished! You cannot expect any form of financial support from this family from now on!” “Dad!” Julianne heard her twin brother plead. “That is too harsh a punishment! She made a mistake but she’s still my sister, she’s still your daughter! And the baby she is carrying in her tummy is every bit our flesh and blood! Do you really want your grandchild to grow up without a family?” “What difference does it make? It will grow up without a father, right? Its poor excuse of a father chose for him to become a bastard! And its mother chose to smear this family’s name! Generations of good reputation, wealth and grace… gone because of your sister’s indiscretion!” “I know she caused you grief. But I guarantee you it would break your heart even more if you choose to banish her
Tu es ravissante… J'adore… Je chériraice moment pour toujours… Restez avec moi… Julianne sat up from bed, waking up from a deep sleep. She looked at her bedside clock. It was only four in the morning. She reached out for her ankle, to rub the tattoo that was permanently etched there. Seven years ago, in a small studio apartment in Paris, she was sneaking out quietly, trying her best not to wake him up so he couldn’t stop her from leaving… so she could let go of this fantasy life and face the nightmares that were waiting for her at home. She thought she would forget him—the only man she’s ever been in love with. Jas Mathieu. But even now, he still haunted her dreams. And oftentimes, in the middle of the night, she would lie in bed, thinking about him. She wanted to fall in love. She did. And he was perfect. An aspiring painter waiting for his time to shine. He
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 s
As expected, she had to dress elegantly. It had been seven long years since she last dressed up for a ball as grand as this.She was wearing an elegant soft pink strapless gown, adorned with floral appliques on its tight bodice, and Swarovski crystals on its asymmetrical skirt. Her skirt displayed her long legs and her silver high-heeled sandals showed her perfectly pedicured toes. Her hair was neatly tied in a bun, with a few curled tendrils framing her pretty face.She was sure that the dress she was wearing was expensive, especially since it was a gift from Adrienne. Adrienne knew she would never spend money on a designer dress. She was saving as much as she could for Jared’s future. An expensive dress she’d wear only for a night was definitely out of the question.In fact, many things were out of the question for Julianne these days. She only had enough clothes on her closet. Many of her expensive ones either came as a gift from Adrienne or a han
Tu es ravissante… J’adore… Je chériraice moment pour toujours… Restez avec moi…The words kept coming back to her as if she only heard them yesterday. Julianne would never forget that handsome face, that dark brown hair with reddish streaks and those riveting eyes. The look of devotion he used to give her, changed to a look of confusion and then finally to a look of anger.Julianne quickly sat up from the couch, scared that she would see that murderous look on the face of the man she once loved, the man she might still love until now.She struggled to catch her breath as she realized that she was surrounded by Gian, Justin and Adrienne. All had looks of worry on their faces. She scanned the rest of the room and relief washed over her when she realized that he was not with them.“Are you okay, Ian?” Adrienne asked her with teary eyes.&ldquo
Julianne felt desperate now. She needed time to figure things out. She was certain that she would face Jin Starck once again, but she needed to compose herself first. She needed to think straight and plan ahead.God, what if he realizes that Jared is his son?She could almost taste panic in her mouth.Jin was already quite fond of Jared. He’s been calling the boy almost every other day.What if he realizes that his resemblance to Jared was no coincidence?Adrienne painted Jin as a very formidable man, who always got what he wanted. He was heartless. And tonight, he looked like he was ready to murder her.What if he realizes that he was Jared’s father and takes him away from her?Oh God! Please no! Julianne fought the urge to cry at the thought.Desperate for an escape, she dialed River’s number as soon as she entered her hotel room.“Make up an emergency and I wi