She still hadn’t forgotten the heartache and embarrassnt that phone call had caused her. She had no desire to go through an experience like that a second ti.
Julian was displeased.
"How could it be inconvenient? I’m available anyti I’m at the company, except when I’m in class. I’ll send you my school schedule in a bit. Just avoid my class tis!"
His was a four-year degree, and he still had two years left. He spent his free ti outside of class managing the company’s affairs. Because of the ti difference with Thailos, he handled business from there at night after he got ho.
Naomi Shaw simply replied with a faint "Oh," which made Julian hang up in anger.
The next day, as soon as Julian arrived and sat down, he started checking his phone nonstop. ’It’s around nine in the morning here, which ans it’s nine at night in Thailos. Dylan usually goes to sleep at this ti. Her call should be coming in now, right?’
The four of them were about to start a eting when Felix Draper started running his mouth again.
"Donovan, are you pining for soone? You’ve been staring at your phone since you walked in. Waiting for a call from so beauty?"
Julian was long used to his friend’s antics. Ignoring him, he glanced at his phone again. Her call ca in at that exact mont. He answered, stood up, and walked to the window. Her voice, devoid of any emotion, ca through the phone.
"He woke up at 6:10 AM. I held him and we took a walk in the garden. At 8:00 AM, I fed him breakfast. At 9:00 AM, I took him out for a walk and played with him and Arnold..."
Naomi Shaw had only just finished reporting the morning’s events when he roared, cutting her off.
"Enough! I asked you to report on our son’s day, but can’t you do it without sounding so robotic?"
Julian was about to die of anger. It felt like listening to a secretary report on her work. ’For crying out loud, she’s talking about their son! She’s speaking to her son’s father! Can’t she show a little bit of emotion?’
Naomi Shaw felt completely helpless.
’Didn’t he want a report? I’m giving him a very detailed one. What did I do wrong now? Because of his ridiculous demand, I have to exhaust myself rembering everything Dylan did all day. It’s tiring for , Mrs. Somrs, and the maids. Besides, I have nursing training classes four nights a week. They don’t end until almost ten, so I’ll have to ask Mrs. Somrs to handle the reports on those days.’
"What do *I* want? Can’t you just talk like a normal person?!"
’What does she an, "what do I want"? Are my expectations too high? Or is she just that stupid?’
She replied with another "Oh," and he hung up in a rage again.
When he turned around, he found the other three n staring at him with strange expressions. He walked back to his seat sheepishly. The ever-composed Caleb Rhodes pondered for a mont before saying to him,
"If you miss your son that much, why not bring your wife and son to live here in ridia? That way, she can take care of you, and it’ll ease the pain of separation."
Caleb Rhodes’s suggestion made Julian’s heart skip a beat. ’Bring her and our son to ridia? That sounds... pretty good, actually!’
"I don’t think he misses his son, I think he misses his wife, right? Otherwise, why would he make such a psycho demand of her!"
Leaning there roguishly, Felix Draper hit the nail on the head. Julian glared at him in annoyance, but Felix, unafraid of death, continued to provoke him.
"I think it’s better if she doesn’t co over! If she does, what about Superstar Jennings? Isn’t she the woman you’re keeping in your love nest?"
Julian’s face darkened instantly and he barked at Felix Draper. Henry Hale shot a cool glance at Felix.
"You’re just bored and looking for trouble."
Felix Draper threw his hands up in surrender.
"I’ll shut up. Co on, co on, let’s start the eting, eting!"
Finally, he shot a glare at Caleb Rhodes and Henry Hale, adding one more resentful complaint.
"You two always get to play good cop, making say all the harsh stuff. It’s not like you two like that ’Bamboo Dragonfly’ either!"
Juliet Jennings had a perfectly fine na, but Felix Draper insisted on calling her "Bamboo Dragonfly." He claid it was revenge for a nickna Julian had given him.
Caleb Rhodes and Henry Hale facepald in unison. What was that saying again? ’Don’t fear a god-like opponent, fear a pig-like teammate.’
But personal matters were personal matters. The next mont, all four of them dove into the eting with serious expressions.
That evening, after Julian returned to his apartnt, he took a shower and was about to head to his study to handle so business when the doorbell rang. He frowned when he saw Juliet Jennings outside but opened the door anyway. Juliet was very drunk. The mont he opened the door, she collapsed limply into his arms, pounding on his chest and crying.
"Julian, why are you doing this to ? Why, why!"
"Juliet, you’re drunk!"
Julian helped her to the sofa and sat her down. He couldn’t just kick her out when she was this drunk.
Juliet huddled on the sofa, crying her heart out.
"Why won’t you touch ? It’s been two years. I’ve been in ridia for two years, and you haven’t touched once. You said you didn’t mind that I used to be with Wendy Lowe, so why? Why won’t you touch ?"
"Julian Donovan, I need an answer from you today!"
Juliet wiped the tears from her face and looked at him with a resolute gaze. Julian sat across from her, took out a cigarette, and lit it.
"I’m a married man now. Even if I don’t love her, I should be faithful to my marriage."
"So you won’t touch because you’re married? Fine, I believe you!"
Juliet leaned over and took the cigarette from his hand. She held it between her fingers, took a long drag, and looked at him again before asking,
"Then when are you going to divorce her? Haven’t you always said you don’t love her? Why not just hurry up and divorce her?"
Julian fell silent. Ken had pressed him on this question before, and every ti he thought about it, he felt agitated.
Seeing his expression, Juliet suddenly started to laugh, a laugh that once again ended in a stream of tears. There was a bitterness in her smile.
"Julian Donovan, I’ve never cried so many tears in my life. I feel like I’ve cried them all for you these past two years."
Julian looked up at her, a hint of guilt in his eyes. He had once wanted to cherish this woman for a lifeti, to never let her shed a single tear.
Juliet continued to smoke. After a long mont, she spoke, her expression pained.
"You’ve fallen in love with her, haven’t you? You won’t get a divorce because you’ve fallen in love with her!"
Julian retorted almost without thinking.
"What nonsense are you talking about! I’m not getting a divorce because she was already pregnant when we got married, and then her father passed away right after. If I divorced her on top of all that, it would have been too cruel!"
’Even when she offered to divorce after Ian Shaw passed away, I refused. It must have been because I couldn’t bear to see her lose everything all at once.’
"Heh, is that so? Then why have you been calling her so frequently these days?"
Juliet didn’t know where she found the courage to ask these questions that stung her heart. After so many years of acting, she prided herself on being able to see through people, but she had never understood Julian’s heart. And she understood his heart toward that woman even less. She felt like he didn’t love her, but sotis, she felt like maybe he did.
Julian took out another cigarette and lit it.
"Just because I don’t love her doesn’t an I can’t love my son!"
"Julian, since you like children so much, I can have one for you, too. When you divorce her, I’ll treat the child she had as my own!"
"No! Juliet, I told you, no matter what, I will remain faithful to my marriage for now. You can sleep in the guest room, or you can go back to your own place!"
After he spoke, he turned, went into his bedroom, and closed the door. Juliet, her clothes disheveled, collapsed onto the sofa.
At this ti, it was midnight in ridia, and noon in Thailos.
Naomi Shaw was napping with Dylan when her phone rang. She groggily picked it up and frowned when she saw it was a call from Julian. ’He usually calls at night, what’s with him today? Besides, I usually just hand the phone to Dylan when he calls, but Dylan’s asleep right now. I can’t just wake him up to take a call, can I?’ So, she answered it herself.
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