CHAPTER 5

Julian's POV.

"I wish I had you," I whispered quietly to myself.

Sitting alone in my office, I held a picture of her in my hand. My chest ached with how much I missed her.

I wanted her so badly, wished she could be mine, but she belonged to someone else.

I thought about her so deeply that I didn’t even notice my assistant enter the room.

“Sir? Sorry to interrupt, but we have work to handle,” he said, pulling me back to reality.

I let out a heavy sigh and stood up, placing the picture gently on my desk. The photo was in plain view now, and my assistant’s eyes immediately caught it.

“Still thinking about her, sir?” he asked quietly, staring at the photo.

I stayed silent, unsure how to answer him. What could I say? As I reached for my suit jacket, he spoke again, and this time, his words hit a nerve.

“You know you can’t have Mrs. Ruby, sir. She’s married. Maybe... maybe it’s time to move on.”His words made sense, but they cut deep.

Move on? How could I? Ruby had married Logan, someone I couldn’t believe was good enough for her.

“Sir?” my assistant’s voice pulled me back once more.

“I didn’t hire you to give advice about my personal life, so watch what you say,” I muttered, feeling a sharp edge in my voice.

“I’m sorry, sir. I’ll go get everything ready,” he said softly.

He turned to leave, but suddenly, a strange noise echoed from outside. It was loud and chaotic.

We heard people shouting, their voices coming from every direction.

These weren’t joyful shouts. No one was celebrating. The screams were filled with fear. It felt like something horrible was happening.

My assistant stopped in his tracks, looking back at me with wide eyes, clearly confused and shaken. His face was pale, and his hands trembled slightly.

“What could be happening out there?” I muttered, my voice barely steady.

The panic outside was growing, and it was getting harder to ignore. My assistant’s fear was contagious.he stood there, visibly shaking now, like he could sense the danger..

I quickly grabbed my phone off the desk, my heartbeat speeding up. I had to see what was going on. Something was very, very wrong, and the fear in the air was impossible to ignore.

“No, sir… I’ll go. Just stay back here,” my assistant stammered, his voice shaking with fear.

I hesitated for a moment but decided to let him go check things out. He nodded, trying to show some courage, though it was clear he was terrified.

Just as he was about to leave, the door suddenly burst open with a loud crash.

“Hands up!” one of them shouted aggressively.

Three men dressed in black stormed into the room, their faces cold and unreadable.

My assistant, trying to be brave, started to approach them. I could see the panic in his eyes, but before he could get too close, I shouted for him to stop.

“Don’t move!” I warned him, but it was too late.

“Move back!” one of the men barked, and without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.

The sound of the gunshot echoed in the room. My assistant crumpled to the floor, lifeless.

I froze in shock, unable to believe what had just happened. My heart pounded in my chest as I quickly ducked behind my desk.

I could feel my hands trembling as I tried to make sense of the chaos around me.

Who were these men? Why were they here? My mind raced, searching for answers, for someone who might want me dead.

“You disgrace the Thompson family, Julian!” one of the men sneered.

“Thompson?” I whispered, feeling the pieces click together in my mind.

It had to be Logan. He had always hated me, always wanted to destroy me. From the very beginning, he had seen me as a threat.

Now, it made sense. He was behind this, trying to bring me down, and I was trapped, unsure if I would make it out alive.

I couldn’t believe it.my own family, turning against me, all because of wealth. And now he has sent his men to end me.

“What do you want?” I asked, my voice shaking, still crouched behind my desk, trying to steady my racing thoughts.

“We want you dead, you fool!” one of the men spat, his voice full of venom.

The words hit me like a punch to the gut, and I felt my heartbeat speed up, pounding so hard I thought my chest might explode.

I knew in that moment I had to act fast if I wanted to survive. They were here to kill me, and they weren’t going to hesitate.

Then it hit me.I had a gun hidden beneath my desk. I had put it there for moments like this because I never felt completely safe, not even in my own company. Especially from my own family.

This wasn’t the first time I had faced danger. Another family member of mine had tried to take me out once before, but they hadn’t been armed. This time was different.

These men had guns, and they were ready to use them. Which I had witnessed.

I knew I had no choice,I had to fight fire with fire. Slowly, I shifted to the left, inching my way towards the gun.

My hands were sweaty, and my heart pounded in my ears as I heard their footsteps coming closer. They were closing in, and I didn’t have much time.

My fingers finally found the cool metal of the gun beneath the desk. I gripped it tightly, the weight of it giving me a small sense of control. I couldn’t wait for them to make the first move. I had to act.

With a sudden burst of energy, I sprang up from behind the desk, gripping the gun tightly in my hand. Without thinking, I squeezed the trigger.

The gunshot echoed in the room, and I watched as one of the men crumpled to the ground, his body going limp.

For a brief moment, I felt a bit of relief,but it vanished almost as quickly as it came. There were still two of them.

Before I could even take another breath, one of them fired back. The bullet hit me hard, slamming into my right chest with a force I couldn't believe.

A sharp, fiery pain exploded inside me, spreading like wildfire. My legs gave way, and I fell backward, hitting the floor.

The pain was unbearable, like nothing I'd ever felt before. Every breath was a struggle, my lungs fighting for air.

I looked down and saw my shirt turning dark red, soaked with my own blood. The warmth of it was sickening.

I gasped, desperate to breathe, but all I felt was the burning agony ripping through my chest.

One of the men stepped closer, looming over me. His gun was pointed directly at my face, and I could see the cold, merciless look in his eyes.

He ripped the gun from my hand and tossed it to the guy standing behind him like it was nothing.

“You killed my brother,” he hissed, his eyes burning with rage. “So, it’s only fair that I do the same to you. Right now.”

He leaned in closer, his breath hot with anger, and pressed the cold barrel of the gun against my forehead.

“Make sure you remember my face when you get to hell,” he sneered, his voice dripping with hatred.

At that moment, I knew it was over. My heart pounded as fear gripped me, and I could feel the darkness closing in.

I slowly closed my eyes, accepting my fate. I braced for the end.

The sound of the gunshot echoed in my ears, and pain shot through me like a bolt of lightning.

I gasped, my whole body trembling. I could feel warm blood pouring from me, but strangely, it wasn’t from my head. I hadn’t been shot there.

Suddenly, I realized I was lying on a hard surface,the ground,but not in my office. I was on the street.

Confused and disoriented, I blinked, my vision blurry, and saw people gathering around me, their faces filled with shock and worry.

“Julian!” someone screamed my name from the crowd.

Someone rushed over to where I lay, crying bitterly. Through the haze of pain and confusion, I looked up, struggling to focus.

My vision was blurred, but the figure’s face seemed familiar.

It looked like her. Ruby. I could hear her voice too, soft and full of sadness. But how could that be?

“How is this possible?” I thought, my mind spinning.

The last thing I knew, Ruby had been in a wheelchair ever since her wedding day. She had been unable to walk for years, so how could she be here now, holding me?

And why was she here, with me, in this terrible moment? Had she arrived right after I was shot?

None of it made sense. My head was pounding, my thoughts all tangled up. I couldn’t figure out what was real.

Was this a dream? A hallucination? Or was something else happening?

Before I could get any answers, everything went dark.