Julian pushed the door open, his sharp gaze falling on Selena. She flinched, startled, and instinctively kicked the fallen script under the nearby sofa. “Julian,” she stammered, her voice slightly higher than usual. “What… what are you doing here?” Julian’s brows furrowed. Her tone, the way she stiffened as though caught doing something wrong—it was suspicious. “I could ask you the same thing,” he said, stepping inside and shutting the door behind him. “I wasn’t doing anything,” Selena said quickly, her hands clasped tightly in front of her as if trying to shield herself. Julian’s sharp eyes swept the room. The way she was standing, the slight movement of her foot—it was too obvious. He smirked, his arms crossing over his chest. “Really? You’re that bad at lying?” “I’m not lying!” she insisted, her voice rising a little too much. Julian took a deliberate step toward her, his towering presence making her instinctively take a step back. “Move,” he ordered, his voice calm b
The following day, Selena walked into the office with her usual guarded expression, half expecting whispers or side glances about the script incident from the previous night. But to her surprise, the office was just as normal as ever. No one seemed to know or care. Julian hadn’t said a word to her all morning, treating her with the same distant professionalism as always.She spent most of the day by his side, following him to meetings and scribbling notes on her notepad. Though her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of last night, Julian was as composed as ever, his piercing gaze fixed on the presentations or the documents in his hand.Selena walked into the cafeteria with her tray, grateful for a quiet moment to herself. She found a corner table and sat down, savoring the first bite of her sandwich. It was one of the few peaceful moments she’d had all day. But, as fate would have it, her solitude didn’t last long. “Mind if I join you, Selena?” Clara’s overly cheerful voice cut thr
The boardroom was filled with tension as producers, directors, and various department heads from the drama production team gathered around the long table. Selena sat in a corner, quietly observing as papers shuffled and murmurs floated in the air. This was her first time attending a meeting of this magnitude. She had prepared to take notes for Julian, but she couldn’t shake the nervousness bubbling in her chest. Julian entered the room with his usual commanding presence, his sharp gaze sweeping across everyone as the murmurs ceased instantly. Selena clutched her pen tightly, shrinking into her seat. 'He doesn't even have to say anything. People just fall silent around him.' “Let’s begin,” Julian said coldly, settling into the chair at the head of the table. His deep voice sent shivers down her spine, and she instinctively glanced at him. He looked composed yet utterly intimidating. The head producer started the discussion, outlining the current progress of the drama. Everything
As Selena reached the elevator, she pressed the button and waited, her mind a chaotic swirl of thoughts. Julian liking her? The idea was laughable. The man seemed to take genuine pleasure in tormenting her. Every interaction with him felt like a battle, where she was always a step behind, fumbling for composure while he remained effortlessly in control. The elevator dinged, its arrival pulling her back to the present. She stepped inside, leaning heavily against the wall. Crossing her arms tightly over her chest, she exhaled sharply. “Maybe they’re just imagining things,” she muttered to herself, her voice barely above a whisper. “Julian is strict with everyone. He’s not... he doesn’t—” She cut herself off mid-sentence, shaking her head as if to dismiss the absurd notion entirely. The ride to the top floor felt longer than usual, every second dragging as she rehearsed a thousand possible scenarios in her head. Julian’s summons were never casual, and the knot in her stomach tighte
Selena rubbed her temples, trying to shake off the strange tension that clung to her. Why was she even thinking about Julian right now? This man, who spent half his time tormenting her and the other half confusing her with small, unexpected gestures of care, should have no power over her thoughts. Selena plopped down on her chair, staring at the ceiling. “What’s happening to me?” she whispered. Her mind drifted back to the little moments she had shared with Julian recently—the way he had silently handed her his jacket when she was shivering, the way his eyes softened ever so slightly when he caught her rehearsing that script, the fact that he defended her from those media people without a second thought. And then, there were his teasing remarks in the car earlier. And now in his office, he told her to come to him if she ever faced any problem. Almost like they were two people who cared about each other. She groaned, covering her face with her hands. “What is wrong with me? He’
The drive home was quiet at first. Selena kept fidgeting with the hem of her dress, stealing glances at Julian’s calm demeanor. He had one hand on the wheel, his eyes firmly on the road, as if he hadn’t a care in the world. But she couldn’t hold it in anymore. “How did you find out about the calls?” she finally asked, breaking the silence. Her voice was cautious, hesitant. Julian didn’t even glance at her. His jaw tightened slightly, and he responded in an even tone, “I put the pieces together.” Selena frowned. “What do you mean by that?” He sighed, still not looking at her. “You were constantly yelling at someone on the phone. And Clara mentioned those media people came to my office with some ridiculous proposition. It wasn’t hard to figure out.” Selena bit her lip, feeling embarrassed. She didn’t like the idea of him piecing together her problems, even if he had helped her in the end. “I…I didn’t want to bother you with it,” she admitted softly, staring down at her hands.
At dinner, the dining table was laid out as elegantly as ever, a variety of dishes carefully prepared by the staff. Selena sat beside Julian, as always, while Samantha and Grandma were seated across from them. The warm light from the chandelier above gave the room a cozy ambiance, but beneath it, a storm of emotions brewed.Grandma was the first to break the silence, her voice filled with genuine curiosity. “So, Samantha, tell me more about yourself. You two sisters are so different! What have you been up to?”Samantha’s lips curved into a sweet smile, one that made Selena relax. “Oh,” she began, her tone soft and modest, “I haven’t done much compared to Selena. She’s always been the star of our family.”Selena’s heart warmed at her sister’s words. She reached over and gently squeezed Samantha’s hand. “Don’t say that, Sam. You’ve been through so much, and you’re still so strong. I’ve always admired you for that.”Samantha tilted her head, her innocent facade firmly in place. “You’re t
Selena lay sprawled on her bed, staring up at the ceiling with a dazed expression. The memory of that kiss kept replaying in her mind, each detail etched in vivid clarity—the warmth of his lips, the way his face had softened for just a moment, and how, despite her nerves, it had felt… right. She groaned and buried her face in her hands. 'What the hell is wrong with me? Why does he have this effect on me?' Her heart had betrayed her—fluttering in ways it shouldn’t, betraying every ounce of common sense she tried to cling to. Julian wasn’t just a man; he was 'Julian Mathers'—arrogant, insufferable, and completely out of her league in ways that went far beyond wealth. And yet, with one kiss, he’d unraveled something deep inside her. 'No. No way.' She sat up abruptly, shaking her head as if trying to clear the lingering sensations of the kiss. 'I am 'not' falling for him. I can’t be. This is ridiculous.' But as much as she tried to convince herself, the truth lingered stubbornly in
Selena lay sprawled on her bed, staring up at the ceiling with a dazed expression. The memory of that kiss kept replaying in her mind, each detail etched in vivid clarity—the warmth of his lips, the way his face had softened for just a moment, and how, despite her nerves, it had felt… right. She groaned and buried her face in her hands. 'What the hell is wrong with me? Why does he have this effect on me?' Her heart had betrayed her—fluttering in ways it shouldn’t, betraying every ounce of common sense she tried to cling to. Julian wasn’t just a man; he was 'Julian Mathers'—arrogant, insufferable, and completely out of her league in ways that went far beyond wealth. And yet, with one kiss, he’d unraveled something deep inside her. 'No. No way.' She sat up abruptly, shaking her head as if trying to clear the lingering sensations of the kiss. 'I am 'not' falling for him. I can’t be. This is ridiculous.' But as much as she tried to convince herself, the truth lingered stubbornly in
At dinner, the dining table was laid out as elegantly as ever, a variety of dishes carefully prepared by the staff. Selena sat beside Julian, as always, while Samantha and Grandma were seated across from them. The warm light from the chandelier above gave the room a cozy ambiance, but beneath it, a storm of emotions brewed.Grandma was the first to break the silence, her voice filled with genuine curiosity. “So, Samantha, tell me more about yourself. You two sisters are so different! What have you been up to?”Samantha’s lips curved into a sweet smile, one that made Selena relax. “Oh,” she began, her tone soft and modest, “I haven’t done much compared to Selena. She’s always been the star of our family.”Selena’s heart warmed at her sister’s words. She reached over and gently squeezed Samantha’s hand. “Don’t say that, Sam. You’ve been through so much, and you’re still so strong. I’ve always admired you for that.”Samantha tilted her head, her innocent facade firmly in place. “You’re t
The drive home was quiet at first. Selena kept fidgeting with the hem of her dress, stealing glances at Julian’s calm demeanor. He had one hand on the wheel, his eyes firmly on the road, as if he hadn’t a care in the world. But she couldn’t hold it in anymore. “How did you find out about the calls?” she finally asked, breaking the silence. Her voice was cautious, hesitant. Julian didn’t even glance at her. His jaw tightened slightly, and he responded in an even tone, “I put the pieces together.” Selena frowned. “What do you mean by that?” He sighed, still not looking at her. “You were constantly yelling at someone on the phone. And Clara mentioned those media people came to my office with some ridiculous proposition. It wasn’t hard to figure out.” Selena bit her lip, feeling embarrassed. She didn’t like the idea of him piecing together her problems, even if he had helped her in the end. “I…I didn’t want to bother you with it,” she admitted softly, staring down at her hands.
Selena rubbed her temples, trying to shake off the strange tension that clung to her. Why was she even thinking about Julian right now? This man, who spent half his time tormenting her and the other half confusing her with small, unexpected gestures of care, should have no power over her thoughts. Selena plopped down on her chair, staring at the ceiling. “What’s happening to me?” she whispered. Her mind drifted back to the little moments she had shared with Julian recently—the way he had silently handed her his jacket when she was shivering, the way his eyes softened ever so slightly when he caught her rehearsing that script, the fact that he defended her from those media people without a second thought. And then, there were his teasing remarks in the car earlier. And now in his office, he told her to come to him if she ever faced any problem. Almost like they were two people who cared about each other. She groaned, covering her face with her hands. “What is wrong with me? He’
As Selena reached the elevator, she pressed the button and waited, her mind a chaotic swirl of thoughts. Julian liking her? The idea was laughable. The man seemed to take genuine pleasure in tormenting her. Every interaction with him felt like a battle, where she was always a step behind, fumbling for composure while he remained effortlessly in control. The elevator dinged, its arrival pulling her back to the present. She stepped inside, leaning heavily against the wall. Crossing her arms tightly over her chest, she exhaled sharply. “Maybe they’re just imagining things,” she muttered to herself, her voice barely above a whisper. “Julian is strict with everyone. He’s not... he doesn’t—” She cut herself off mid-sentence, shaking her head as if to dismiss the absurd notion entirely. The ride to the top floor felt longer than usual, every second dragging as she rehearsed a thousand possible scenarios in her head. Julian’s summons were never casual, and the knot in her stomach tighte
The boardroom was filled with tension as producers, directors, and various department heads from the drama production team gathered around the long table. Selena sat in a corner, quietly observing as papers shuffled and murmurs floated in the air. This was her first time attending a meeting of this magnitude. She had prepared to take notes for Julian, but she couldn’t shake the nervousness bubbling in her chest. Julian entered the room with his usual commanding presence, his sharp gaze sweeping across everyone as the murmurs ceased instantly. Selena clutched her pen tightly, shrinking into her seat. 'He doesn't even have to say anything. People just fall silent around him.' “Let’s begin,” Julian said coldly, settling into the chair at the head of the table. His deep voice sent shivers down her spine, and she instinctively glanced at him. He looked composed yet utterly intimidating. The head producer started the discussion, outlining the current progress of the drama. Everything
The following day, Selena walked into the office with her usual guarded expression, half expecting whispers or side glances about the script incident from the previous night. But to her surprise, the office was just as normal as ever. No one seemed to know or care. Julian hadn’t said a word to her all morning, treating her with the same distant professionalism as always.She spent most of the day by his side, following him to meetings and scribbling notes on her notepad. Though her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of last night, Julian was as composed as ever, his piercing gaze fixed on the presentations or the documents in his hand.Selena walked into the cafeteria with her tray, grateful for a quiet moment to herself. She found a corner table and sat down, savoring the first bite of her sandwich. It was one of the few peaceful moments she’d had all day. But, as fate would have it, her solitude didn’t last long. “Mind if I join you, Selena?” Clara’s overly cheerful voice cut thr
Julian pushed the door open, his sharp gaze falling on Selena. She flinched, startled, and instinctively kicked the fallen script under the nearby sofa. “Julian,” she stammered, her voice slightly higher than usual. “What… what are you doing here?” Julian’s brows furrowed. Her tone, the way she stiffened as though caught doing something wrong—it was suspicious. “I could ask you the same thing,” he said, stepping inside and shutting the door behind him. “I wasn’t doing anything,” Selena said quickly, her hands clasped tightly in front of her as if trying to shield herself. Julian’s sharp eyes swept the room. The way she was standing, the slight movement of her foot—it was too obvious. He smirked, his arms crossing over his chest. “Really? You’re that bad at lying?” “I’m not lying!” she insisted, her voice rising a little too much. Julian took a deliberate step toward her, his towering presence making her instinctively take a step back. “Move,” he ordered, his voice calm b
Julian’s car pulled into the driveway of the mansion, the soft hum of the engine cutting through the evening quiet. As the driver opened the door for him, he stepped out, loosening his tie. Selena followed behind, her heels clicking softly against the stone path. “I’m going to my room to freshen up,” she said curtly, not even glancing at him. Her tone was polite but distant, and before he could respond, she disappeared inside the house, heading straight for the stairs. Julian stood there for a moment, watching her retreating figure. *Freshen up?* he thought, narrowing his eyes. It wasn’t unusual for her to keep her distance, but something about the way she said it irked him. Shrugging it off, he entered the house and made his way to the dining hall. Dinner was already being set, the aroma of freshly cooked food wafting through the air. Julian took his seat at the head of the table, the same place he always sat. The long dining table stretched before him, but tonight, it felt esp