For the first time, Helen’s aloof mask slipped, revealing some doubt in her eyes. Seeing how unfazed Julian was, despite his life being on the line here, she wondered why? What was he planning? No, a better question was who was this man?“Is that supposed to be believable?” she began, her voice laced with sarcasm.Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of heavy footsteps filled the air. Julian turned to see more than a dozen men entering the terrace. At their center, walking with them into the terrace was an imposing and intimidating figure: the mayor himself. His presence commanded respect, but his sharp gaze was filled with suspicion as he shot julian a look.“Father,” Helen said, her voice shifting to relief. She felt relived knowing that she didn have to deal with this assassin, the mayor would take care of it.The mayor didn’t acknowledge his daughter because his attention was locked on Julian. And, with a single hand gesture from the mayor, his men pointed their weapo
Master Julian? Who the hell was that? Helen had no idea who the new woman was talking about but she couldn’t help being intrigued because the title meant he was important.The mayor, despite not being in control here, had a dark expression as he asked. “Who are you, how dare you…” “Quite, mayor Sullivan.” Celeste demanded sharply as she stopped beside Julian and Nyx.Julian finally stepped forward, addressing the mayor directly. “I can assure you that I'm not here to cause harm. “ He promised.The mayor and Helen both seemed to ease slightly at his words, but Helen’s expression quickly hardened into a scowl. “What do you want, then?” she demanded, her voice sharp. “And did your friend really have to kill our security team?”Julian’s gaze drifted briefly to the bodies on the floor. He couldn’t suppress the faint chill that ran through him at the sight. Nyx’s methods, while undeniably effective, were far from ideal. He didn’t approve of the bloodshed, but he also understood the reality
The mayor’s eyes widened in alarm. “What… what are you talking about?” His eyes darkened slightly as he gritted his teeth. “The Sterlings again…they’ve been relentless. But they won’t win. Not this time.” His tone hardened, as though trying to convince himself as much as anyone else. The Sterling family had long been fierce rivals of the Sullivans in both business and politics. When Wendell Sterling had lost the mayoral election, he had apparently stooped to drastic measures, resorting to attempts on his opponent’s life. Julian couldn’t help but wonder if the same Sterlings the mayor was talking about had any connections to this organization. And if they were connected—and it also turned out that the old woman, Elizabeth Sterling, whom he had met at Harper & Co. Headquarters had ties to them, then Julian would need to be wary of her intentions. Helen sighed, exasperation evident in her words. “Don’t worry, Master Julian. We’ve set up enough security to handle the Sterlings. There’s
The mayor sighed, his voice heavy with regret as he continued,“At first, they seemed harmless. Backroom deals, a little influence here and there, some people to help me push policies. But as time went on, the favors got… darker. They wanted things that went against everything I believe in: dirty money, shady deals.” He paused, taking a shaky breath. “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t be controlled like that.”Julian’s eyes narrowed, understanding dawning on him. “And they couldn’t have that. They needed someone they could control.” It was easy for juliam to understand what the mayor was saying and what the organization was hoping for in return for helping the mayor. After all these were tactics Julian was all too familiar with. Growing in a powerful family he had witnessed firsthand how the same practices the organization was using were used by his grandfather and father to control people in key positions.In fact, Julian vividly remembered one of the lessons his father had imparted about
Julian? Her mind raced. What was he doing here… with Helen? Did the two of them know each other already? She watched how close Helen was standing to him, as if they were very familiar with one another, and it didn’t sit well with her. Perhaps it was jealousy she was feeling. After all, who would be happy to see their friend acting so close to their husband?Deep down, Scarlett knew it herself: the reason she was this uncomfortable seeing Julian so close to Helen was because she had started to develop a soft spot for Julian…. And maybe even feelings for him. She wouldn’t admit it to his face, though.Her expression shifted briefly, but she quickly masked her surprise,or the jealousy. “Hi,” she said, her tone smooth, her lips curving into a controlled smile. “What are you doing here?” she asked, directing her question at Julian.Julian smiled slightly. “I’m here on business.” he said casually.Helen didn’t pay that much attention to their exchange as she was eager to introduce them. Sh
The man was unconscious, stripped down to his boxers and vest. Julian’s eyes narrowed in surprise. But, it didn’t take long for Julian to put together what was happening; the man who had left the room wasn’t a real waiter. He had overpowered the actual staff member and taken his uniform as a disguise.Julian crouched beside the unconscious man, checking his pulse. It was faint but still beating . Letting out a sigh of relief, he quickly activated his earpiece. “Celeste, the situation is worse than I thought. The suspect has incapacitated a real staff member and is disguised as a waiter. He just left the room heading toward the gala.”Celeste’s voice came through, calm but urgent as usual. “Understood. I’ll alert the team to keep an eye out for anyone acting suspicious. We’ll tighten security immediately.”Julian returned downstairs where the gala was taking place. His eyes scanned the crowd, searching for the suspect. The waiter’s disguise should have made him easier to spot, but ther
The room froze, it was like everything happened in slow motion. Some couldn’t believe what they had just witnessed; had the mayor been shot right in front of them? Others, too terrified to think beyond their own survival, scrambled for safety.Panic erupted in the ballroom. Screams filled the air as chaos took hold. Guests scrambled for cover, tables overturned, and a stampede surged toward the exits. Julian’s heart beat rapidly, worrying for the mayor's life, but his focus never got affected by this. His eyes were still locked on the shooter, who was already making his escape.But Julian wasn’t going to let him get away, he walked through the terrified crowd chasing after the shooter. It wasn’t easy because bodies pressed against him, some ducking behind overturned tables, others panicking as they rushed for the exits. But he still pushed forward relentlessly. By the time Julian burst out of the ballroom and into the narrow corridor beyond, the assassin had gained significant groun
“Where is he?” the mayor demanded as Julian approached him and Helen. He rose from the stretcher, his face was a mask of anger and determination. “Where is the son of a bitch who dared to shoot me? Bring him to me.”Julian was taken aback by the mayors sudden behavior. All of a sudden he was acting like this? Julian expression remained calm, almost indifferent. “He’s in my custody,” he replied, his voice showing how much he couldn’t care less about the mayor's outburst, “I’ll interrogate him and let you know what I find out.”But Mayor Sullivan frowned after hearing Julian’s words. He glared deep into Julian’s eyes as if trying to scare him into giving up custody of the shooter. The mayor didn’t agree with Julian because he wanted to do the interrogation himself. Actually, he didn’t need to interrogate the shooter because he already knew who had sent him and why. But that wasn’t the point. He wanted to use the shooter to send a message to the organization, letting them know that the
The shooter had a fearful look for half a second after he heard Julian’s words, but then he chuckled dryly, shaking his head. “Yeah? And what are you gonna do, tough guy? Older you lackeys to beat me until I pass out again?” He tilted his chin up, his smirk resembling that of someone filled with arrogance, despite the fact that he had no control here,“You’re wasting your time. I’m not saying a damn thing. So do what you gotta do.”Julian exhaled audibly, a hint of irritation flashing across his face. He was already getting fed up with this person. He was playing tough, but that wouldn’t last, not with what Julian had planned out for him. One way or another, Julian had to make him speak, and so he needed to shift tactics. Julian’s expression darkened as he shot a look at Nyx. No words were needed from Julian, Nyx already understood the assignment.Without hesitation, she stepped forward and grabbed the man’s hand, twisting it at an unnatural angle. A loud crack echoed through the holdi
Julian laid down on his bed, thinking about his and Scarlett’s relationship, eventually sleep overtook him before he even knew it.The following day in the morning, Julian arrived at a warehouse where he was keeping the person who had shot the mayor. He walked through the warehouse entrance with Nyx and a bunch of armed security personnel following behind him.He made his way into the holding area with Nyx, while the armed men remained outside, securing the perimeter for any danger. If the shooter’s associates, or anyone else, tried to interfere, they’d be ready. Inside there were about five guys dressed in tactical gear, watching over the shooter to make sure he didn't escape.Julian gave a small signal with his fingers, and one of the guards yanked the blindfold off the captives head. The man blinked rapidly, his eyes adjusting to the dim light, before they shifted slowly to stare at Julian and Nyx who stood before him. His eyes lingered longer on Nyx, remembering that she was the
After leaving the hotel, Julian returned home. In the evening around 10 pm as he lay on his bed, scrolling through his phone, trying to find some public Information about his enemies . His eyebrows arched when it suddenly vibrated. Seeing that Scarlett was calling, he paused for a moment.He had forgotten that Scarlett was in the hotel ballroom during the shooting. He wondered if she had made it out safely amidst all the chaos and panic.He answered the call and pressed the phone to his ear.“Hey, Julian,” Scarlett’s voice came through, soft but concerned.“Are you okay?” she asked. “How are you feeling?”Julian couldn’t help but grin, leaning back on his bed. She asked how he was doing. Was she worried about him now? He didn’t expect that. Honestly, Scarlett had always been aloof and cold toward him at first. It was hard to believe that now she could tolerate him like this. It was almost as if… she cared about him all of a sudden.“Aw, look at that,” he couldn’t stop himself from te
“Where is he?” the mayor demanded as Julian approached him and Helen. He rose from the stretcher, his face was a mask of anger and determination. “Where is the son of a bitch who dared to shoot me? Bring him to me.”Julian was taken aback by the mayors sudden behavior. All of a sudden he was acting like this? Julian expression remained calm, almost indifferent. “He’s in my custody,” he replied, his voice showing how much he couldn’t care less about the mayor's outburst, “I’ll interrogate him and let you know what I find out.”But Mayor Sullivan frowned after hearing Julian’s words. He glared deep into Julian’s eyes as if trying to scare him into giving up custody of the shooter. The mayor didn’t agree with Julian because he wanted to do the interrogation himself. Actually, he didn’t need to interrogate the shooter because he already knew who had sent him and why. But that wasn’t the point. He wanted to use the shooter to send a message to the organization, letting them know that the
The room froze, it was like everything happened in slow motion. Some couldn’t believe what they had just witnessed; had the mayor been shot right in front of them? Others, too terrified to think beyond their own survival, scrambled for safety.Panic erupted in the ballroom. Screams filled the air as chaos took hold. Guests scrambled for cover, tables overturned, and a stampede surged toward the exits. Julian’s heart beat rapidly, worrying for the mayor's life, but his focus never got affected by this. His eyes were still locked on the shooter, who was already making his escape.But Julian wasn’t going to let him get away, he walked through the terrified crowd chasing after the shooter. It wasn’t easy because bodies pressed against him, some ducking behind overturned tables, others panicking as they rushed for the exits. But he still pushed forward relentlessly. By the time Julian burst out of the ballroom and into the narrow corridor beyond, the assassin had gained significant groun
The man was unconscious, stripped down to his boxers and vest. Julian’s eyes narrowed in surprise. But, it didn’t take long for Julian to put together what was happening; the man who had left the room wasn’t a real waiter. He had overpowered the actual staff member and taken his uniform as a disguise.Julian crouched beside the unconscious man, checking his pulse. It was faint but still beating . Letting out a sigh of relief, he quickly activated his earpiece. “Celeste, the situation is worse than I thought. The suspect has incapacitated a real staff member and is disguised as a waiter. He just left the room heading toward the gala.”Celeste’s voice came through, calm but urgent as usual. “Understood. I’ll alert the team to keep an eye out for anyone acting suspicious. We’ll tighten security immediately.”Julian returned downstairs where the gala was taking place. His eyes scanned the crowd, searching for the suspect. The waiter’s disguise should have made him easier to spot, but ther
Julian? Her mind raced. What was he doing here… with Helen? Did the two of them know each other already? She watched how close Helen was standing to him, as if they were very familiar with one another, and it didn’t sit well with her. Perhaps it was jealousy she was feeling. After all, who would be happy to see their friend acting so close to their husband?Deep down, Scarlett knew it herself: the reason she was this uncomfortable seeing Julian so close to Helen was because she had started to develop a soft spot for Julian…. And maybe even feelings for him. She wouldn’t admit it to his face, though.Her expression shifted briefly, but she quickly masked her surprise,or the jealousy. “Hi,” she said, her tone smooth, her lips curving into a controlled smile. “What are you doing here?” she asked, directing her question at Julian.Julian smiled slightly. “I’m here on business.” he said casually.Helen didn’t pay that much attention to their exchange as she was eager to introduce them. Sh
The mayor sighed, his voice heavy with regret as he continued,“At first, they seemed harmless. Backroom deals, a little influence here and there, some people to help me push policies. But as time went on, the favors got… darker. They wanted things that went against everything I believe in: dirty money, shady deals.” He paused, taking a shaky breath. “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t be controlled like that.”Julian’s eyes narrowed, understanding dawning on him. “And they couldn’t have that. They needed someone they could control.” It was easy for juliam to understand what the mayor was saying and what the organization was hoping for in return for helping the mayor. After all these were tactics Julian was all too familiar with. Growing in a powerful family he had witnessed firsthand how the same practices the organization was using were used by his grandfather and father to control people in key positions.In fact, Julian vividly remembered one of the lessons his father had imparted about
The mayor’s eyes widened in alarm. “What… what are you talking about?” His eyes darkened slightly as he gritted his teeth. “The Sterlings again…they’ve been relentless. But they won’t win. Not this time.” His tone hardened, as though trying to convince himself as much as anyone else. The Sterling family had long been fierce rivals of the Sullivans in both business and politics. When Wendell Sterling had lost the mayoral election, he had apparently stooped to drastic measures, resorting to attempts on his opponent’s life. Julian couldn’t help but wonder if the same Sterlings the mayor was talking about had any connections to this organization. And if they were connected—and it also turned out that the old woman, Elizabeth Sterling, whom he had met at Harper & Co. Headquarters had ties to them, then Julian would need to be wary of her intentions. Helen sighed, exasperation evident in her words. “Don’t worry, Master Julian. We’ve set up enough security to handle the Sterlings. There’s