Chapter 8
“Julia?” Quim Miller’s voice had a faint tremor on the other end of the call.
Julia’s eyes brimmed instantly, “Yeah, it’s me”
“Well, well. Did the sun forget where to rise, or did Sebastian finally get into a car crash?”
After all this time, Quinn’s bite was just as sharp. Julia couldn’t help but laugh. Some things never changed he was still the Quinn she knew.
She matched his tone without hesitation. “Mr. Miller, I hear you’ve been untouchable in court–not a single loss in years. So consider this me dropping a payday in your log,”
Quinn went quiet for a beat before it clicked. “Name the place.”
Julia (inished tidying up and stepped out, only to find that Sebastian and the others had already left the hall. Not bothering to dwell on it, she slid into her car and pulled away from the Holt residence.
Now seated in the caté, Julia felt her lips twitch involuntarily. Opposite her, Quinn’s gaze locked onto her with unsettling intensity. The prolonged eye contact was starting to get under her skin.
She finally broke the silence. “Quinn, is this how you look at all your clients?”
“It’s different. You’re in worse shape than any other client I’ve had. If I don’t get a good look now, I might not get another chance.”
Julia found herself at a loss for words,
Quinn’s words still cut just as sharply. At one point, he even reached out to tap her forehead in exasperation. To any casual observer, the gesture would’ve looked suspiciously intimate
Julia had no idea someone lurking in the shadows had already captured their moments in photos,
With things having gone this far, Julia was ready for a last resolution, so she laid it out plainly, Quinn needed to prepare two papers–a divorce agreement saying she’d take nothing, and a contract breaking all financial ties with Sebastian.
“Take nothing?” Quinn was so frustrated he almost stormed out right then. “Julia, he’s the one who cheated, and you’re handing him everything? What, are you trying to be a saint?”
Julia smiled bitterly. The fact was, she just couldn’t stand dragging this out with Sebastian any longer. And his money? She loathed it and wouldn’t touch
a dime of it.
“I’m not leaving without getting what’s mine. Check these documents.”
Julia laid out the stock dividends Falcrest Group had paid her over the years. Sebastian’s personal wealth didn’t interest her, but the company’s dividends? Those were hers.
She was the one who put in the work during the hardest years, securing clients and driving the business forward. Half of Falcrest’s success today was Thanks to her
“Lia, you’re being too nice. If it were me, I’d take half his assets and torch his company on the way
Julia kept her tone steady. I just want a quick and clean divorce.”
וו
Quinn said bitterly.
“Fine, I’ll deal with it. Julia, after all these years…” Quinn trailed off, then changed tack. “You know what? Forget it. Welcome back, Lia!” Julia knew she should’ve returned a lot sooner.
Julia left Quinn and made her way back to the Holt residence. The maid she’d arranged to interview days before had already arrived.
“Hello, Ms. Summers. Hage are my credentials,”
The woman’s full name was Moira Snee, someone whose background Julia had already researched thoroughly.
“I’ve reviewed your file beforehand, Moira”
Julia produced a thick stack of printed shots, covered in meticulous notes about Sebastian and Xavier’s food and personal preferences.
Moira blinked in mild surprise. Julia didn’t carry herself like the lady of the house. She seemed more like a butler, intimately familiar with every detall of her employers‘ Lives–their routines, toothpaste flavor, even their sock measurements.
ere’s the recipe book, Moira Prepare a few dishes for lunch, and I’ll try thein,” said Julia.
Moira offered a warm smile. “Certainly, Mrs. Hole I’ll get started right away.”
Julia didn’t catch the complicated look Moira gave her. Without another thought, she beaded upstairs,
dan shed her a text around noon. “L’in not coming back for lunch. Don’t wait for me.”
2/2
Juha saw it but left him on read. She’d had some decal coffee that morning and wasn’t hungry by lunchtime. When Moira brought the food as instructed, she barely tasted it.
The pregnancy exhaustion clung to her bones, pulling her under until well past 3:00 pm. Then the shrill ring of the landline yanked her awake.
Sebastian’s voice bit into her ear before she’d fully opened her eyes. “Julia, where the hell have you been? Why’s your phone off?”
Since when had he spoken to her in such an impatient way?
With a wry smile, she checked her phone before answering, “Battery’s dead. What’s wrong?”
“““What’s wrong?““” Sebastian let out a harsh laugh. “What kind of mother are you, Julia? Xay got h
“What? Xay-”
hurt and was taken to the hospital. Get over here now!”
Sebastian had already hung up.
Julia didn’t waste another second. Heart pounding, she threw on some clothes and rushed to the hospital.
Xavier lay on the hospital bed with his back to Julia, a bandage wrapped around his knee. She couldn’t tell how bad the injury was. The nurse had said he’d taken a fall at kindergarten and hurt his leg
Julia asked
“Does it hurt a lot, Xav?” I
She moved closer, but Xavier turned away. Afraid he might make the wound worse if he kept moving, she decided not to push him.
The room was uncomfortably quiet. Julia wanted to ask why he was so upset with her, but the door flew open before she could get the words out. Sebastian walked in, carrying a chill with him, “Julia, what kind of mother does this? Where were you when Xav got hurt and ended up here?” Julia frowned. Did he seriously expect her to watch Xavier every second of the day?
Her eyes flicked to Xavier’s injured leg as she explained, “I wasn’t feeling well, so I fell asleep. I didn’t know my phone died.”
She knew it was her fault for not answering the call in time
Sebastian snorted. “Oh, you weren’t feeling well, and that’s why you conveniently fell asleep?
His eyes turned hard, and his voice sounded like steel. “Since when do you lie to me so easily, Julia?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Julia asked, her tone edged with frustration.
Heat rushed to her checks as Sebastian stared at her like she was something scraped off his shoe. Had he forgotten she was in the ER yesterday because of her allergy?
“You fell asleep?” Sebastian’s grin grew even creepier as he flung a pile of photos at her feet. “Were you sick, or were you screwing around with another man? Because if you were really feeling unwell, you sure had no problem flirting with him!”
Julia froze, her gaze falling to the floor.
The photos strewn around were all of her and Quinn at the café–smiling at each other, Quinn tapping her forehead in playful frustration, Quinn watching her with unmistakable tenderness in his eyes.
Every shot was framed to make things seem worse than they really were. Whoever did this had handpicked these on purpose.
to the hospital. But when you’re
“Speck up, Julia! You said your phone died? Funny how you were nowhere to be found when Xav got hurt and had to go to th out on a date with some other guy, suddenly your phone works perfectly?”
Sebastian was seething, his eyes cold and sharp. “You’d better explain yourself, Julia. What’s going on between you two? Is he why you’ve been acting up lately?
