Zeke felt a thrill. Today had been worth it just to see the cracks in Julian’s stoic facade.
Clearly, Julian hadn’t known. But he quickly composed himself and looked at Maddox.
“There’s a project at Dixon Group. You’ll be in charge of it.”
Maddox couldn’t believe it. The first thing Julian said to him was about work? He had always been a screw-up, and his family never trusted him with anything important. Now Julian was giving him a project?
“Really? That’s great!”
Zeke looked at him with pity. Did he really think this was a good thing? Did he think there would be no consequences for what he did? A project from Julian, under these circumstances, was a death sentence.
“Since you have no objections,” Julian said, looking at Zeke, “send him abroad immediately.”
“Right,” Zeke said.
Maddox was stunned, asking, “Abroad? Why do I have to go abroad?”
Julian didn’t deign to speak to him again. He had already called Bobby Dixon, Maddox’s father, on his way over. The project was in a godforsaken desert. Bobby was reluctant, but when Julian made a request, he couldn’t refuse.
Julian turned and left.
Zeke looked at Maddox with the pity one reserves for a child.
“Why don’t you confirm with your father?”
Maddox fumbled for his phone. After the call, he collapsed on the floor. The place was a hellhole. Three years there was a death sentence.
“Remember to keep your mouth shut about what happened today,” Zeke said, pitying him. “Otherwise, you won’t even know what hit you.”
Maddox was on the verge of tears. This was a disaster he hadn’t asked for.
Julian had intended to confront Chase, but he changed his mind on the way.
A man who could send his own wife to another man’s bed didn’t deserve to be her husband.
Since Chase would soon have no connection to Quinn, there was no need for Julian to see him.
Julian turned and strode back to the room. He was worried that Quinn might wake up alone and be frightened.
If she divorced Chase, she would be single. Then would he have a chance?
When her birthday came, he could give her a gift openly. He would choose it himself.
Julian pushed the door open quietly and went into the bedroom.
Quinn was having a nightmare, her brow furrowed, her head tossing on the pillow.
“No!” she cried out.
Julian rushed to her side.
Quinn gasped and sat bolt upright.
The thin blanket slid down her body, revealing her bare skin. A cool draft hit her chest, and she instinctively looked down.
“Ah!”
She fumbled for the blanket.
“Careful with your hand,” Julian said urgently, reaching to help.
Smack!
A sharp, clear sound echoed in the room. A stinging slap landed squarely on Julian’s face.
Afterward, they both froze.
Julian’s brow twitched, his eyes deep.
No one had ever hit him in the face in his entire life. No one would dare. This was, without a doubt, the most novel experience of his twenty-eight years.
Quinn froze, her own hand still stinging, because one simply didn’t hit a person in the face, let alone Julian, the untouchable, aristocratic, and coldly arrogant man who ruled their world.
Her palm tingled, a testament to the force she had used. But he deserved it, right? How could he do something like that?
At that moment, what else was there to understand? She had passed out after drinking the wine Chase gave her. Her memories were hazy, but the images that remained told her that the man who had tried to defile her, who had tangled with her, was Julian.
She had thought Chase wouldn’t let her go to Maddox. She never imagined he would send her to the bed of an even more powerful man. It was all clear now. Chase had used her as a bargaining chip for his own gain.
What Chase did was heartbreaking, but the man in front of her was just as despicable.
He was looking at her, his expression a mixture of shock and hurt.
He felt hurt?
A lump formed in Quinn’s throat, and her eyes burned.
“Why did you hit me?” Julian asked, his voice still cool and distant, as if he wasn’t the one who had just been slapped.
Quinn’s voice trembled as she choked out, “Get… out…”
Julian frowned, replying, “I think you’ve misunderstood something.”
Quinn closed her eyes, her lashes trembling.
“Haven’t you humiliated me enough?”
She clutched the blanket, a sharp pain in the back of her hand making her look down.
“Be careful of the needle,” Julian said.
Quinn flinched away from him.
His phone buzzed. He glanced at it and stood, saying, “One moment.”
He quickly left the bedroom.
A chill washed over Quinn, a cold dread rising from the pit of her stomach. Chase had done this disgusting thing, treated her like a commodity, and given her to Julian. And Julian, who looked so respectable, was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He knew she was married, but he still tried to assault her.
Quinn wasn’t sure what had happened. But she remembered the embraces, the kisses, and his strong hands on her waist. And now, she was naked in his bed. It was obvious what had happened.
Julian returned to see a look of fury and despair on her face.
“Clothes,” he said, placing a bag at the foot of the bed. “Change into these. We need to talk.”
Quinn took a deep breath, steeling herself, and yelled, “Get out.”
Julian looked at her for a moment and turned and left, closing the bedroom door behind him.
Quinn didn’t hesitate. She ripped the IV needle from her hand, pressed down on the spot for two minutes, and then got dressed.
She opened the door to find him standing right outside. He was so tall that she had to tilt her head back to look at him.
“We need to talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Quinn said, her face a cold mask, trying to suppress the anger and helplessness churning inside her. “Let me go.”
In front of a man this powerful, talk of rights of calling the police was a joke. It was a cruel reality, but that’s how the world worked. The rich and powerful lived outside the rules. It wasn’t fair, but it was reality.
“You seem to have some misunderstanding about last night…”
Quinn’s anger flared. She stared at him with her wide, clear eyes.
“A misunderstanding? You didn’t kiss me? You didn’t hold me? You didn’t take off my clothes?”
Everything Julian had never experienced in his life had happened today. In front of her, his self-control had crumbled. He had lost control and been aroused, and now he was speechless.
Quinn tried to leave. Julian instinctively reached out to stop her.
She finally snapped, shoving him away and running.
Julian wanted to go after her, but the look in her eyes held anger, disgust, and fear. He closed his eyes, his throat working.
Zeke came in, asking, “Why did Quinn just run out of here like that?”
“Let her go,” Julian said, turning away so Zeke couldn’t see his face. “Where’s Chase?”
“Still locked up. I had my men send Maddox back to the Dixon family. He won’t be showing his face in Lakeshore City for the next three years.”
“Get rid of him,” Julian said.
Zeke nodded and made a call. He walked over to Julian, catching a glimpse of his profile.
“Your face… why is it red?”
Julian touched his cheek. The spot where she had hit him was still burning.
Zeke thought of Quinn running out and came to an unbelievable conclusion.
“Don’t tell me she hit you?”
Julian didn’t speak. It was a tacit admission.
Zeke was baffled, blurting out, “You saved her. Shouldn’t she be grateful? Why would she hit you? Unless this was all a setup between her and her husband?”
“If you don’t have anything nice to say, shut up.”
“Hey, I’m on your side,” Zeke surrendered. “Fine. When it comes to Quinn, you throw all logic out the window. But seriously, when did you fall for her?”
Julian had kept it so well hidden. If it hadn’t been for this incident, Zeke, his best friend, would have never known.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.