At that moment, Lily felt powerless. Julian always had a way of making everyone follow his lead, willing or not. It had always been this way; she could never accomplish anything he disapproved of. Her first instinct was to leave, unwilling to entangle herself further.
The sudden, loud "thud-thud-thud" echoed in the small classroom. Julian leaned against the piano, his slender fingers childishly roaming the black and white keys, his deep eyes fixed on Lily. His expression was smiling, but his tone was cold, “Hey, I paid a lot of money for private piano lessons here, to teach my son in the future. Why does the teacher want to leave as soon as she arrives? I remember you signed a contract, didn’t you?”
It was clear to anyone that Julian was behind this. Besides, he was already proficient at the piano; he didn't need le
Hearing her concern, Julian’s tense expression softened. He held her hand reassuringly, “It’s nothing serious, just a shallow cut. The fabric of my coat took most of it. No need for a hospital.” He wanted nothing more than to be alone with her; everything else was secondary.“Still, we should at least clean and bandage it,” Lily insisted, leading him towards the stone bridge to the right bank of the moat.Julian didn’t correct her, letting her hold his hand. Especially when he saw the name of the bridge, his heart leaped with joy – Lover’s Bridge. If only this bridge would bless him with a smooth journey to marrying her, he vowed to doubly maintain and cherish it.They stopped in front of an old house with a vintage woode
Henry Parker, expressionless, blocked his wife's attempt to shoo Julian away. He ignored Julian and instead asked his daughter, "Lily, did you suddenly say you don’t want to go to work because of him?" Henry was a smart man; after thinking through the events, everything made sense. Julian must have interfered.Julian boldly admitted, "Yes, it was my idea. Lily is pregnant and shouldn't be overworking. Just yesterday, she was robbed on her first day back at work. Luckily, I was there, or who knows what might have happened. I admit I might not have thought this through completely, but my intentions were for Lily’s well-being. I hope you can understand...""Understand? Understand what? Understand your repeated bullying and taking advantage of us?" Margret Parker, reminded of the previous incident with the Sterlings, was furi
April arrived in a blink, bringing with it a season of persistent, fine rain. Julian Sterling had been absent from the company for nearly two months. Chaos reigned in the Lorehaven office, forcing Lucas Hartley to reluctantly become his scapegoat. Mountains of paperwork piled up on his desk, and he was so overwhelmed that he half-joked about firing Julian before resigning himself. He even proclaimed a hefty reward for anyone who could bring Julian back, but who would dare provoke the ire of Julian Sterling? Meanwhile, Julian himself was not having an easy time. Despite his daily visits to the Parkers, laden with fruits, supplements, and all sorts of items for the expectant mother and baby, not a single member of the family showed him any kindness. Whatever he brought w
The next day, every book on her list was delivered to her home, along with the usual supplements, but Julian himself didn't appear again, not even a phone call. By then, she was nearly twenty-five weeks pregnant, easily fatigued, with severely swollen hands and feet, and her mood fluctuated constantly. There was no one to nag her about what she shouldn't do or eat.Wasn't this what she had wanted? Why did she feel a sense of loss then? Before she could figure out what she truly wanted, an unexpected visitor arrived – Julian's elder sister, Charlotte Sterling.Their meeting was a "coincidence."Lily had heard of Charlotte's experiences, but seeing her in person was different from the image she had formed from photographs. Charlotte, with her neat, chic short hair and el
Julian Sterling was watching a cartoon program with his young son, Alexander. After an episode ended, a commercial break aired. Julian, who was feeling a bit sleepy, suddenly heard his son ask, "Daddy, what are they doing?" Julian squinted at the TV screen, and instantly, his drowsiness vanished.Little Alexander, innocently pointing at the TV, was referring to a commercial where a young man and woman were kissing – a rather common and normal scene in this era. However, for young Alexander, it was a bit too mature.Julian racked his brain for the right words and finally came up with what he thought was the perfect answer. "Son, you like sweet things, right?" "Yes, very much!" Alexander replied crisply, nodding his round little face vigorously. Julian, trying to educate him, said, "The girl in the ad has honey on her lips, and t
Two days passed.Lily Parker's right eyelid twitched continuously, as if she had a premonition about something.The caller ID on her phone showed Julian Sterling's number, but it was Lucas Hartley speaking in a loud, brash tone, sounding both angry and helpless: "Miss Parker, no, sister-in-law, can I call you that? Please forgive Julian, will you? Look at what he's been reduced to. He's been drowning his sorrows in bars every day, and just now, he even dared to drink and drive. Do you want him dead?"Her palms felt as cold as if they had been dipped in ice water. Biting her lip, she asked, "How is he?""He's not dead, but might as well be," Lucas exaggerated a bit, sounding annoyed. "His car ran out of gas, and he w
After that, life seemed to return to normal.Julian's forehead wound hadn't yet healed when he shamelessly started showing up at the Parkers' again. Henry and Margret Parker still treated him as if he were invisible, but they no longer sent him away or returned his gifts. Over time, Margret would occasionally say, "There's too much soup tonight; it'll just go to waste."Julian would then volunteer, "I'll have it. Don't waste your mother's cooking; I'll finish it all."Margret would pretend not to hear him, leaving him hanging. Soon, an empty soup bowl would appear on the table.Sometimes, Julian would boldly challenge Henry to a game of Go. Julian, having inherited his grandfather's skill, often outplayed Henry. How
Julian had always known about her fear of thunderstorms. Back when they lived in the high-rise apartment in Lorehaven, she would curl up in her room under a blanket, like a child, whenever she heard thunder. It always took him a long time to calm her down. How could he be at ease knowing she was alone at home?"Don't worry, it's just a thunderstorm. My place didn't lose power, so it's probably just a tripped breaker here. Where's the toolbox? I'll check the fuse box," he said, patting her back to comfort her. After making sure she was seated safely on the sofa, he added, "Stay here and don't move."Following Lily's directions, Julian found the toolbox in a wall cabinet. With a flashlight in his mouth, he quickly fixed the burnt-out fuse, and the lights came back on, brightening the room. After washing his hands, he found Lily clutchi