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Chapter 9
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2021-12-14 15:29:18Julianne stood frozen on her feet as she watched the tall, lithe, figure approach her slowly.
Her heart stopped beating, and she forgot to breathe for the longest moment of her life.
She took a step back until her back hit the door. He continued to walk towards her until he was only a few feet away and she could almost feel the heat emanating from him.
She couldn’t look at him. She felt more scared of him now than when she was about to tell her father that she was pregnant.
Jin put his hands on either side of her face, trapping her. She could almost hear him breathing as he stared down at her.
“Hello again… Arabella.”
Julianne closed her eyes for a moment as she heard him call her by the fake name she gave him. Finally, she gathered the courage to look up at his face.
“You… you’re not who you said you were either!” she tried her best to keep her voice steady as she looked at him evenly.
“Who said I wasn’t who I
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All The Wrong Places Chapter 10
Jin Starck sat on the floor, leaning against Julianne’s door. He could hear her crying on the other side. He heard every whimper, every sob… and each one felt like a knife cutting through his heart… a heart he forgot he had.He could barely breathe as he fought every urge to open the door again and crush her into his arms and comfort her… tell her that everything was going to be okay. They were going to be okay.How could he do that? For years, he harbored this cold anger against her… the woman who broke his heart, crushed it into a million pieces and made it incapable of being fixed by anyone.He remembered those days in Paris. How helpless she had looked, arguing with that saleslady, desperately trying to purchase the antique glass bottle that was not even supposed to be for sale. Then how he stepped in to help her.The moment she looked up at him, and he saw her crystal blue eyes framed with
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2021-12-14All The Wrong Places Chapter 11
Jin Starck stood on the balcony of the mezzanine floor of the elegant ballroom of White Rock Mansion, one of the estates owned by Starck Corp. in Illinois. He was dressed in a black tuxedo and a black leather mask over his eyes. His dark copper brown hair was combed back neatly, without a strand of out of place. Like everything he does… nothing must be out of place.The Morgan-Murphies, a prominent political family in Chicago, held an exclusive masquerade party in honor of its matriarch’s sixtieth birthday and the privacy of their hotel property was most suitable for the event. It was outside the city, large enough to house its two hundred guests privately, but not too big to have to share it with other people.Some of the guests who could not travel back to the city opted to stay in one of the hotel rooms.The family hosting the event was too important, with their patriarch aiming for the presidency, Jin could not leave anything to chance. He had t
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2021-12-14All The Wrong Places Chapter 12
Jin Starck placed a heavy arm on the guy’s shoulder, which startled the latter. The guy looked up at him. He was a few inches shorter than him. But Jin immediately recognized him.She was engaged to Patrick McAllister? Well, I can’t say that wasn’t a good match.Patrick McAllister was one of the most eligible bachelors in the country. He belonged to a powerful, political clan. His family had been in politics for decades and he was eyeing a seat in the senate himself. He was rich. He was powerful. He was a good-looking guy.And yet she still chose to cheat on him with a small-time painter in Paris, struggling to sell his arts for a living? What was she thinking?“Excuse me?” Patrick McAllister raised an irritated brow at him.“I think you’ve already had too much to drink, Mister McAllister,” Jin said. “And it’s my turn to ask the lady to dance.”Patrick McAlli
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2021-12-14All The Wrong Places Chapter 13
Julianne gathered her bags very early in the morning. Outside her window, wind, rain, thunder and lightning were having a showdown. It was pitch dark outside, like it was only midnight.Her phone’s signal slowly dwindled due to the thunderstorm. If only she had woken up earlier, she could have made it home. But it was already late, and the storm had hit town. If she sends for the car, her driver might get stuck somewhere.She had planned to leave early—before the sun was up. But as a result, she fell asleep and did not wake up until after noontime.This is all Jin Starck’s fault!He had the nerve to kiss me! Knowing now that she was who she was… Gian Sanders’s twin sister, Justin Adams’s cousin… Adrienne’s cousin-in-law. He dared ravage her lips…Julianne sighed in frustration.How dare I kiss him back?Shit!While Jas Mathieu was every
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2021-12-14All The Wrong Places Chapter 14
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Julianne asked him angrily.“You were difficult to find, Julie Anne. I had my people check every room in this hotel. This was the last one we checked and I knew you’d be here,” he said. “I was hoping we can have lunch together.”“Who told you I would have lunch with you?”“You’ve always been rude to me, even before. I’ve been quite tolerant,” Patrick said, but it was obvious that he’s not going to be tolerant of her anytime soon.“Please, Mister McAllister,” she said firmly. “This is my hotel room. You are not supposed to be here.”Patrick looked around her huge luxurious room and smirked.“Wow. Your room is a lot bigger than mine. And I told the hotel staff I will pay for the best,” Patrick remarked. “Are you sleeping with Jin Starck? Maybe that’s why you got the only suite i
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2021-12-14All The Wrong Places Chapter 15
True to his word, the hotel reception called Julianne to tell her that it was clear to open the door. Room service was outside with a cart containing her food.“Mister Starck would like you to know that Mister McAllister had already left the property,” the room service staff informed her.She breathed in relief. It’s good to know she doesn’t need to be a prisoner in this room for the rest of her stay.Only when she saw the sumptuous food on the cart did she realize that she was famished.“This is a lot? Who arranged for this much?” she asked when she saw that they had given her a piece of almost everything on the menu. There was fish, chicken, beef, vegetables, and a lot of dessert. There were at least three choices for beverage, plus wine.“Mister Starck wanted to ensure you were given the best choices in the house.”“Okay, thank you.”She watched the news while she ate. The
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2021-12-14All The Wrong Places Chapter 16
“A-are you s-serious?” she stammered.“No. Because I like to joke about these things,” he said sarcastically. He fished his phone from his pocket. “Fuck!”“What?”“I think the whole city’s power is out. I can’t get a signal. Check your phone,” he told her.She shook her head. “I left mine in the room.”“Great!” he muttered. He reached for her hand again and gently pulled her towards one corner of the room. There was a telephone there. He checked if he could get a dial tone. But it seemed that the phone lines were also out.She stared back at him. Clueless of what they would do next. He was eyeing her from head to feet.“What?”“Are you warm enough?” he asked.“Yeah. Why?”“Because it seems we’re gonna be stuck here for a while.”“Are you freaking kidding
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2021-12-14All The Wrong Places Chapter 17
Julianne slowly turned around to face Jin. He was standing too close. She could feel his warm breath against her face.“I named this place The Arabella when I was building it,” he continued. “And that’s also why I have to tear it down.”She bit her lip as tears rolled down her cheeks. She felt his hands on both sides of her cheeks. His face descended towards hers as he took her lips in one chaste kiss.“Jin…” she started saying.“Arabella…” he whispered against her lips. His voice was low, but thick with emotions. “Just this once. Please… choose me.”He sounded sincere… and desperate. And it broke Julianne’s heart even more. She remembered the time that she would have given everything to stay with this man. If she had the freedom then… if she hadn’t been scared of what her father or McAllister would do to him… she w
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2021-12-14
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All The Wrong Places Epilogue
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
All The Wrong Places Chapter 44
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
All The Wrong Places Chapter 43
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. “
All The Wrong Places Chapter 42
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
All The Wrong Places Chapter 41
“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
All The Wrong Places Chapter 40
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.
All The Wrong Places Chapter 39
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
All The Wrong Places Chapter 38
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
All The Wrong Places Chapter 37
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
