Chapter 15
Dylan couldn’t even say his prepared script aloud. He looked like he had fallen into a trance.
Julia had changed a lot and for the better, while he was the one who remained the same.
“Mr. Schneider, what do you think?”
After the representatives discussed amongst themselves, they carefully asked Dylan, who sat in the middle, “Mr. Schneider, what do you think?”
Julia heard the question and looked over, only to meet his eyes. She quickly lowered her gaze, treating him as nothing more than a stranger.
After some silence, Dylan ultimately did not have the heart to reject the deal for fear of upsetting her.
Julia finally sighed in relief when she watched Dylan sign the agreement. She and Ellen then saw the Schneider Group team out of the WG Design office.
Just as she was about to turn around, a tender voice called out from behind.
“Wait, Jules!”
She paused. Those around her immediately excused themselves and scurried into the office as if they could tell something was happening.
Soon, everyone had left, leaving behind the two of them. Julia debated whether to stay or go.
Silence filled the space between them. After a long pause, Dylan croaked, “Jules, how have you been these years?”
It was a simple question that took all his energy. He stood there, hesitating. He wanted to come closer, but he did not have the courage.
He dared not tell her that he missed her or ask if she missed him too.
Julia lived well over these years. Thanks to the generosity of the Schneiders, she had enough money to study abroad and live comfortably, and the leftover funds
were sizable.
She had no urge to share her life updates with him.
Julia turned around and asked softly, “Is there anything else, Mr. Schneider?”
Her form of address came as a shock to him. Feeling pained, he said through tears, “Jules, did we have to-”
She cut him off and looked up without any affection she once had for him.
“Mr. Schneider, there’s no ‘we.“” She immediately drew a line with a smile that made his hairs stand.
Dylan felt a chill run down his spine.
“Mr. Schneider, we’re no longer a team like five years ago. You and I are two individuals,” she said.
Dylan couldn’t accept her response to his long–awaited meeting. Growing emotional, he quivered from head to toe and tried to pull her into a hug.
“No, Jules! You’re the one I love–I have always loved you!”
He reached out but was shunned. He unbuttoned his shirt with trembling fingers and pulled hard to reveal the black tattoo on his collarbone.
She couldn’t help but pause in shock.
Memories flooded back. A long time ago, Dylan stood before her similarly, exposing her tattooed initials-“JT“-on his collarbone.
Back then, she reached out to touch the tattoo with a sorry look. She whispered, “Does it hurt?”
He shook his head, his gaze filled with youthful and passionate love. “Nope.”
But it definitely hurt. She clearly saw his body trembling nonstop.
When the same scene replayed before her eyes, she stared at the familiar initials tattooed at the same place, as though they had always been there.
But she also remembered the tattoo–a symbol of his love–vanishing from his exposed collarbone when the Schneider and Lynch families announced his marriage arrangement with Kaitlyn. His love for her was gone too.
17
