Duncan was not involved with Liberty romantically, and neither was she dating anyone. That was a good thing. Oh, the drunkard wanted to pursue Liberty. The man went to Liberty’s restaurant to meet her when Duncan let his guard down once. Now that Duncan knew about his rival, he stopped the drunkard from ever getting close to Liberty again. Duncan had been watching over Liberty for more than a year. There was no way he would allow someone else to swoop in and take her away. “It’s cloudy today. Why is your face burning up?” Liberty asked. Duncan replied, “Really? I might have practiced walking a little too long. I’m exhausted. My face must be red because I need air.” He refused to admit that he blushed because she wiped away his sweat. Duncan was pushing forty. Although he had never been intimate with anyone, he had imagined what it would be like. Besides, he had seen a lot in his rebellious stage, so he was not completely green. He believed he was not an innocent man for h
Meanwhile, Julian, who had never let alcohol get to him, got wasted for once and he did it at Zachary’s wedding. He was now at Wiltspoon Hotel. It was good liquor. Julian was having the time of his life with Quinn by his side, so he drank a lot. He kept talking about how great the alcohol was while drinking. The strong liquor packed a punch, and he ended up intoxicated. He opened his eyes, but he had to close them due to his headache. Julian had not had enough sleep. His head would not hurt if he slept longer. Soon, Julian opened his eyes again. He realized he was lying in an unfamiliar room. Where was he? He was not at his family home or his villa. Julian hoped nobody had picked him up from the streets and had their way with him after he passed out drunk. The scenario was unlikely. He was drinking at Wildridge Manor. Nobody would have the guts to do that even if he was drunk unless they wanted to cross him. Ignoring his throbbing head, Julian jolted up fro
Thank goodness Josh was married and Jasmine was pregnant, so Julian had nothing to worry about. Besides, Quinn only admired the strong, and Josh was a strong character in everybody’s eyes. It was normal that Quinn would admire and praise Josh. Julian’s headache did not feel so bad when he saw that Quinn was calling. He quickly picked up the call. “Ms. Crawford.” “You’re up, Mr. Bucham. Did I wake you? You’ve been asleep for long. It’s almost ten o’clock now. I called to check whether you were awake.” Quinn did not drink, so she got up early. She was out because she could not work out in her room after waking up. She went jogging along the streets bright early, then returned to the hotel for a shower. Feeling refreshed, she went to the restaurant on the first floor to enjoy a buffet. She did not disturb Julian and went to have breakfast alone since he passed out drunk. The restaurant on the first floor of the hotel was the best in all of Wiltspoon. People from everywhe
Quinn smiled. “I don’t come often. Do you have a headache? Do you want something to eat?”She already had her fill. “My head hurts. It’s my first time getting drunk and hungover. It feels like my head is being torn apart.”Julian rubbed his temples as he spoke. At the same time, he thought, ‘The alcohol Zachary prepared was so good that it actually got all of us drunk.’Zachary would have felt accused. Clearly, Julian’s alcohol tolerance was the issue.“I don’t have an appetite because of the headache, but I still feel hungry.”Julian made himself sound pitiful to gain Quinn’s sympathy. Naturally, Quinn did not feel bad for him because she had no feelings for him. However, she still showed concern out of courtesy. “I’ll ask the receptionist if they have anything that can relieve your headache. If it doesn’t work, we can go to the hospital to get some medication from the doctor.”Quinn added, “You should eat something despite the headache. It’s bad to leave your stomach em
Quinn headed out to get Julian breakfast. He mentioned that he wanted something light, so she went to the bakery and got sandwiches for him. Afraid that the sandwiches would not suffice, she bought a banana and orange juice before returning to the hotel. Ten minutes later, Quinn stood in front of Julian’s room and knocked on the door. “Mr. Bucham.”Julian opened the door. Quinn handed him the breakfast and asked out of concern, “I requested the receptionist to send you some meds. Have you taken them?”Julian accepted the food and allowed her inside. Quinn did not want to enter the room. However, seeing that Julian had already made way for her and was in proper clothes, she entered after some hesitation. She was the one who brought him back to his room last night anyway. Fortunately, she had been strong enough to support him all the way back to his room because of her training. If it were any other ordinary girls, they would not have been able to keep Julian upright. H
Julian suddenly understood why Zachary fell in love with Serenity after their marriage. He must have experienced a simple life that he never did before, and the fresh excitement soon turned into addiction. That was probably why he kept his identity a secret from Serenity. Julian pondered on when he should tell Quinn the truth. He could not possibly follow Zachary’s footsteps. Even Serenity, who was mild-tempered, got so furious that she wanted to get a divorce after discovering Zachary’s lie. He had a nasty shock. Quinn always had a clear stand on her likes and dislikes. Although she looked easygoing, she could be destructive if someone offended her. Deception was definitely not an option. Zachary’s brothers and cousins dared not hide their identities like he did when pursuing their future brides. They were honest from the get-go out of fear of ending up like Zachary. “Mr. Bucham?” Quinn called Julian, puzzled, as he was staring straight at her without even blinking.
As Quinn mentioned, it was best to keep up a lie forever once it started. Otherwise, one must come clean as early as possible and ask for forgiveness to prevent the lie from snowballing. Julian could never deceive her for his entire life. After all, he had to manage the Buchams’ business. Quinn would also have to meet his family after getting married to him. There was no way the lie could last forever. Quinn asked curiously, “Did that friend of yours lie to the person he likes or a friend?”“He lied to the woman he fell in love with at first sight. He opened up to me because he didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what to tell him. He lied to her, fearing she might leave him after finding out that he would constantly be in danger or targeted.”“My advice is not to lie about feelings. Although I’ve never dated someone, I think I’ll beat my boyfriend up and never contact each other again if he deceives me.”Julian was shocked. Quinn was more ruthless than Serenity. After swal
Upon giving it some thought, Julian agreed with Quinn. He said, “Being honest with the person you love is crucial. Thank you, Ms. Crawford. I’ll talk to my friend and tell him not to keep a secret anymore.”Quinn smiled. “You don’t have to thank me. I was just sharing my thoughts. Everyone has differing opinions. There may be people who think lying is acceptable. Some of them are used to living in a lie.“You can talk to your friend. If he doesn’t accept your suggestion, you don’t have to continue persuading him. You can't wake a person who is pretending to be asleep.”Julian felt awkward. What would Quinn think of him if he were to tell her the truth?He needed her to discover his true identity in the most natural way possible. He could explain everything to her afterward. Upon finishing his breakfast, Julian felt much better. Quinn asked, “Do you need more rest, Mr. Bucham?”“It’s almost noon. I think I’ll head out for a stroll instead, and only take a nap afterward. My he