"Hello, is this Julian Blackwood?" a smooth, feminine voice inquired. Furrowing his brows, Julian Blackwood replied, "Yes, it is." Standing just outside the mansion’s front door, he paused and asked in a curious voice, "Who’s this?" The feminine and professional voice on the other end of the line, sounded relieved to hear his confirmation. "Hi, Master Julian, I'm Vera Turner. Our firm has been trying to reach you for a while now," the woman explained. "I'm calling to remind you that you don't have much time left to claim your inheritance. If you don't act soon, the government will step in and seize everything." Julian frowned, realizing who was calling him. "Oh, it's you people again. I thought I made it clear the last time that I have no interest in inheriting anything. Let the government take it." His frustration was understandable. He’d changed his number to avoid these persistent calls, yet they’d somehow managed to track him down again. "Master Blackwood," Vera continued, he
Julian froze as he saw someone who looked like Claire disappear into the corridor with a man. His heart skipped a beat. Was it her? he wondered to himself. No, it couldn’t be. But that laugh was definitely hers. And the figure? No doubt about it. But what was she doing with that man she was with, walking hand in hand, like two people in love? Curious, Julian's feet moved before his mind could catch up, and he started moving towards the corridor, ignoring Gabe and everyone He walked through the corridor, hesitating as he wondered if perhaps he was mistaken and it was not Claire and his boss. The last thing he needed was to make a fool of himself, by badging in on people having a private moment. Deciding to confirm he followed the way they went. After walking on the opulent corridor, he turned a corner, and there it was the bathroom door. The door was slightly opened, and he could hear voices coming from inside. As Julian got closer, the voices became clearer. He recognize
Julian stormed out of the building, the sound of their laughter fading behind him. The feeling of betrayal was sharp, the worst of all the emotions coursing through him. How could she do this? He had trusted her, believed she was different—someone who could see beyond his scars. But now, as he replayed her cold, indifferent expression, he wondered if any of it had ever been real. Had she always been this heartless, or had he simply been blind to the truth? He wished it were all just a dream, that he could wake up and find everything back to normal. But it wasn’t. Julian’s thoughts wandered back to the haunting emptiness he’d carried since he was a boy. From the moment he lost his family at seven, that void had never left him. For years, the only family he’d known was the butler who had taken him in. But even that was taken away, and after the butler’s death, Julian was left alone, sinking deeper into darkness. Then he met Claire, and for a brief time, she had changed everything.
Julian blinked open, for the first time since he passed out in the bar the previous night and he had no idea of what had happened after he passed out. His vision was hazy as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. To his surprise, he realized that he was lying in a large, plush bed, wrapped in crisp white sheets that felt soft against his skin. The room around him was bathed in soft morning light, streaming through the large and opulence windows. The decor was rich, with dark tones accented by elegant touches, creating a sense of luxury and comfort. Everything around this room screamed of luxury and elegance, it was nothing like his cramped apartment or anywhere he’d ever been before. Questions flooded Julian's mind: What was this place, and what was he doing here? How did he get here in the first place? “Damn, here comes the hangover, maybe drinking a dozen bottle's wasn't really a good idea.” Julian's head pained him as he tried to sit up, memories of the previous night
The silence from the woman as she stared at him, was unsettling Julian. “I really have no idea, believe.” He said. The woman’s eyes narrowed, her voice cold. “You seriously have the nerve to stand there and pretend you don’t know what happened?” She sat up, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders. “Half-dressed in my bed. Do you just wander into random women’s rooms, or am I just the lucky one?” She didn't sound as angry as earlier, because she was starting to realize something. She suspected that she might be the one at fault here. Maybe she was the one who invited him, but with no memory of the night, she couldn’t shake the feeling that it could still be his fault. Julian clenched his jaw, frustration building. “Look, I don’t know what happened either. I was at a bar, had a few too many, and woke up here. That’s all I remember. I'm not at fault here.” He said. She raised an eyebrow, giving him a skeptical once-over. She wasn't as uncomfortable and enraged as she was initial
Julian and Scarlett averted their gazes from each other at the same time, turning toward the door as it swung open. Julian’s heart skipped a beat as people stepped inside. Scarlett muttered under her breath, her demeanour shifting visibly. "This is bad. I’m so dead," she said, barely audible. This was what she had been trying to avoid when she told him to leave through the window. She didn't want her family to see him. A striking woman in her mid-thirties, with curly brunette hair and a sharp, disapproving gaze, stepped forward. Her eyes swept the room: Julian, dressed in shabby clothes, standing awkwardly, and Scarlett looking uncomfortable as if she had been caught red handed commiting a crime. The woman smirked coldly. “Wow, Scarlett. Bringing men to your room now? But really, did you have to bring a homeless guy?” Not appreciating the remark, Julian shot her a cold look. She had barely met him, and yet she was already calling him a homeless man. How could she judge him so quic
Before Julian could reach the door, Scarlett’s cousin shouted, “Guards, don’t let him leave!” She instructed. Almost immediately, two burly men stationed nearby sprang into action. The door flew open, and they seized Julian by the arms before he could react. Their speed caught him off guard. Julian struggled, but it was futile. The men were too strong. They dragged him back to the room. “You think you can just waltz in here and act as you please?” Mr Lancaster leaned forward, his gaze locking with Julian’s. “You’ve overstepped, boy. And now, you’ll face the consequences.” “I didn’t ask to be dragged into any of this,” Julian said as he fought to free himself from the men's grips. Mr Lancaster straightened up, giving a subtle nod to the guards. They shoved Julian hard, forcing him to stumble but not fall. Julian straightened up his clothes, feeling so angry he wanted to fight the two men who had dragged him back here, however he didn't, not wanting things to get worse than
Julian barely acknowledged Viktor's presence as he didn’t reply. His attention was shifted briefly to Scarlett, who stood stunning in an ivory lace gown that caught the sunlight. The dress hugged her figure, flowing elegantly to the ground. Her hair was styled in an updo, soft curls framing her face. But her expression was far from joyful. Even in her seriousness, Scarlett remained beautiful. Their eyes met by accident, and Julian noticed the raw intensity in her glare. It was filled with so much hatred, it almost seemed tangible. He didn't understand why she would be so mad at him, he also had no idea how they ended up in this situation. After sometime, the officiant began the process of the wedding, his voice humming on as if reading from a script. Julian and Scarlet barely looked at each other, and they also didn't pay attention to any of the officiant's words, as they held no meaning to them. They were both only there because they had no choice. It wasn’t a ceremony, and
“A few minutes later, they arrived at a luxurious dining establishment located within the heart of the city. The moment they walked in, Julian couldn't help being impressed, because the restaurant was an embodiment of elegance, with marble floors that shone under the soft glow of crystal chandeliers. Each table was set with fine china and polished silverware, surrounded by luxurious and soft chairs in deep red velvet color.“Wow.” He let out under his breath, as they continued walking further into the place. Despite his composed demeanor, he couldn’t hide the hint of awe in his voice.Apart from his luxurious hotel suite, it had been ages since he’d been in such a refined and extravagant setting.It made sense, given that he had spent most of his life going through the harsh realities of financial struggle. His reaction was almost instinctive, a testament to the difference between his past and his present.Scarlett turned to look at him, her brows furrowing slightly. Why did he seem
I-I’m sorry, Mr. Julian,” Jerome stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. All the pride and bravado he had earlier displayed were gone, replaced by a desperate, pleading tone.No matter how he felt, or humiliating it was, Jerome couldn’t deny the sheer power Julian wielded here.With a single phone call, he had managed to bring the Jefferson family’s airline to financial ruin. Jerome knew he had lost, and there was no point in maintaining his facade. His only hope was that his groveling might earn him mercy before the situation worsened.Words of desperation poured from Jerome’s lips, each one more panicking than the last, surprising everyone who had witnessed his arrogance moments ago. Was he the same person making threats, not long than 5 minutes ago? It was hard to believe.Julian, however, remained unmoved. He stared down at Jerome with an unreadable expression, offering no hint of forgiveness or pity, his silence heavier than any words could be.The onlookers were still in
She didn't think he could pull off such a move, too. He was just pretending to have power that clearly wasn’t his? Part of her wanted to step in, to tell him to stop before he was going to made a fool of himself, but something held her back.Her attention shifted as the murmurs from the crowd grew louder.“No, not even in a million years can someone like him pull that off,” one woman said, shaking her head. “Hell, not even his wife has that ability.”“Yeah, he’s just pretending,” another voice chimed in. “Pathetic man.”Julian didn’t even glance at the people who kept doubting him,“I want it done by the end of the day,” he said to Celeste before hanging up.The boutique was silent, watching him. ‘Any minute now, he was going to leave, making up a ridiculous excuse,’ someone predicted. After all that phone call was all a lie to try and make everyone believe he was someone.“You’re bluffing, Julian,”Sharon hissed. “There’s no way you have that kind of power.”Julian turned his gaze to h
Scarlett’s first instinct was to put Jerome in his place, but before she could speak, Julian’s voice interrupted her.Julian facepalmed his forehead, shaking his head in disbelief. “You’re an idiot, aren’t you?”His audacious words shocked the crowd, wiping the smug expression off Jerome’s face. The audacity of this guy, to speak like that when he was clearly not on the same level as Jerome, was unbelievable. Maddening.However, what Jerome didn’t know, or what no one in the room knew was that Scarlett’s arrival had actually saved him.Julian had been moments away from making a phone call that would’ve turned Jerome into the poorest man in this boutique. But Scarlett’s sudden appearance had put those plans on hold for now.Still, as Julian studied Jerome’s arrogance, he couldn’t help but smirk inwardly. If this fool kept pushing his luck, that phone call could still happen. And when it did, Jerome wouldn’t even know what hit him. He would lose everything he had, and Julian was tempte
Sharon hesitated. Suddenly she didn't want to say anything bad about Julian anymore. She might have been bold enough to hurl insults at Julian at first, but not In Front of Scarlett Lancaster, someone who could ruin her easily if she wanted.“You have no idea who you’re talking to,” Scarlett continued, making it clear that no matter what anyone said that wouldn't change anything between her and her husband . “If you think I would stand by and let you speak to my husband like that, you’re gravely mistaken.”The crowd was still in stunned silence, hanging on every word Scarlett said. They thought after Sharon exposed him for lying to get into her life, Scarlett would dramatically turn on him too, but, no, that was not what happened; she was still standing on his side.‘Interesting,’ Julian thougt to himself as he listened to Scarlett. He had been quiet up to this point, because he found himself admiring Scarlett even more, she completely changed his perspective of her. He had always tho
“Enough.” Scarlett interrupted the sales lady, the authority in her tone was undeniable. Her sharp gaze lingered on the saleslady, sending a chill. “I suggest you watch your tone when speaking to my husband.”The room fell into stunned silence upon hearing Scarlett's words.Julian was taken by surprise too. He thought Scarlett disliked him, so he hadn’t expected her to so openly declare to everyone that she was married to him.Nonetheless, he couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of pride because she was standing up for him so publicly. It meant a lot at the moment especially when everyone was looking down on him so much.The crowd seemed to freeze, all eyes now turning to Julian. Her husband? What did Scarlett mean by that?Eyes widened as disbelief coursed through the crowd. Whispers of shock broke out, hushed but urgent.Julian? This pauper was Married to one of the most beautiful women in the city, the Scarlet Lancaster? If Julian was the one who had said it, they wouldn't have
Jerome was furious. The sheer audacity of someone, especially a pauper like Julian, daring to demand that he kneel and apologize was infuriating. The nerve of it made his blood boil.The crowd, too, was stunned. The sound of murmurs filled through the boutique, disbelief and irritation spreading like wildfire. How could someone like Julian, a nobody, possibly threaten Jerome Jefferson?Some even felt secondhand embarrassment and resentment on Jerome’s behalf. “Does this guy have a death wish?” someone whispered.“He’s out of his mind,” another murmured. “Does he even know who he’s messing with?”To most of them, Julian’s demand was absurd, he was delusional, even. Watching him stand there, calm and confident, while openly challenging Jerome felt almost painful. He was embarrassing himself, and yet, he didn’t seem to care.The receptionist, who had been filled with uncertainty, suddenly snapped out of it. Her eyes darted between the fuming Jerome and Sharon and the calm, yet unnervingl
Julian had been ready to leave without sparing Sharon another thought, because why should he waste time on her. She wasn’t worth his time, and he had more important matters to attend to.But then, just as he was about to leave, her boyfriend decided to open his mouth.That didn’t sit right with Julian. He couldn’t just let something like that slide.“And who the fuck are you supposed to be?” Julian’s voice was dangerously low, however he didn't show his anger, managing to keep calm.What annoyed him was the fact that her boyfriend was a stranger to him, yet he had the guts to open his mouth. What gave this guy the right to talk to him like that? They didn’t even know each other.And the fact that Sharon could show up out of nowhere just to stir up trouble? It got on his nerves more than he cared to admit. But after this he would make sure she never even thinks of messing with him again.Sharon stepped closer, practically draping herself over her boyfriend’s arm as she smirked, clearly
In the end, Julian made his decision. He agreed to align with them. Together, they would seek revenge.After spending some time at the Crosswell residence discussing plans and exchanging details, Julian finally left. It was around noon when he returned to his hotel room.Sitting on the edge of the bed, he pulled the flash drive out of his pocket and turned it over in his hand. He looked at its small size, imagining what information he would find, or if there were any secrets it held. He wanted, no, needed to see what was inside.But there was a problem. He didn’t have a computer or anything to access the files.Annoyed at himself for not thinking ahead, Julian stood up, grabbed his keys, and headed out of his hotel suite suit. He decided that he will buy something to access the hard drive with. Something secure. After all, he wasn’t about to trust this kind of information to just any device.Fast forward half an hour later, Julian stepped into the sleek, brightly lit mall. He made his