Julian Ford paused, didn’t respond, just hugged her and then turned to leave.
Scarlett Shaw stood where she was, watching her boyfriend’s tall, upright back as he walked away. The feeling of disappointnt from last ti seed to gradually dissipate, replaced by a warmth and comfort, just like the sunshine falling overhead after a spring rain.
She drove from the airport back to the hotel.
Scarlett took a shower. When she ca out, she habitually glanced at her phone.
Ever since she got used to contacting people via WhatsApp, Scarlett rarely checked her SMS ssages, so the icon always showed hundreds of unread badges. However, Scarlett was sensitive to numbers; when she noticed a few more unread texts, she clicked in to take a look.
The first two were advertisents for Cloud Harbor travel recomndations and such.
Scarlett’s eyes moved down, and when she saw the third anonymous ssage, her gaze darkened.
- Leave Julian Ford.
The ti was half an hour ago.
Scarlett frowned and replied: Who are you?
But there was no reply.
Because she still had work to do, Scarlett didn’t have the energy to worry about that text right away. After all, if it was just a prank, she could ignore it. If not, there would surely be more to co.
There was no need for her to lose her composure over nothing.
The work agenda for the following days went rather smoothly. However, during a local business chamber event in Cloud Harbor, one of the male clients kept glancing at Scarlett, even taking the initiative to greet her and said, lavishly complintary:
"Miss Shaw, you are very beautiful. Isn’t it a bit of a waste for you to be just a junior analyst at Veridian?"
This client had been Veridian’s long-term collaborator even before Scarlett joined the company. She couldn’t afford to offend him and was about to politely deflect when he added:
"And Miss Shaw, you give a sense of déjà vu, like we’ve known each other for a long ti."
This kind of cheesy, awkward pickup line.
After what happened with Roman Lawson, Scarlett could already understand many of these kinds of suggestive remarks in the industry. Unflustered, she engaged in a bit of small talk, maneuvering herself out of the situation.
After returning to Capitoline, Scarlett brought this up in passing while reporting her work to Skyler Miller.
"Kyle York is connected to Director Vincent’s network."
Skyler Miller said.
"When I used to go to Cloud Harbor, I dealt with him too. As for male-female stuff, he’s more the profit-driven type."
Scarlett paused, "Maybe I’m overthinking it then."
"Not necessarily. People change. When I went to Cloud Harbor, I was your age, and it’s already been ten years—ti changes everything."
After speaking, Skyler seed to rember sothing and asked Scarlett, "By the way, when you t those clients in Cloud Harbor this ti, did anyone give you a hard ti?"
Scarlett shook her head. "No, why?"
Skyler Miller said, "It’s not just Kyle York. The companies in Cloud Harbor that have partnerships with Veridian are all part of Director Vincent’s network. You know, Director Vincent is the company’s second-largest shareholder after Chairman Ford. Though the two are brothers, they’ve been going head-to-head, openly and behind the scenes, for years. Since President Ford beca Executive President, our investnt team has always followed his lead—that’s its own sort of alliance. So, when we go to Cloud Harbor, things tend to get a bit tougher."
The Director Vincent Skyler ntioned was Ethan Ford, Julian Ford’s uncle and the biological younger brother of Julian’s father, Ezra Ford.
He was also Julian’s uncle.
Half of the Ford family empire was in Ezra Ford’s hands, the other half with Ethan Ford.
And Veridian had beco, as the ancients said, a battlefield coveted by both sides.
"You’ll have more trips to Cloud Harbor this year. Be extra careful. If anything happens, contact any ti," Skyler instructed.
anwhile, the office door was lightly knocked from the outside. Skyler called "Co in," and Lily poked her head in to remind, "Manager Miller, Scarlett, the annual eting is about to begin."
Skyler replied, "We’re coming."
Every year, Veridian holds company-wide etings at the end and start of the year. Staff from the Capitoline headquarters attend in person; staff from other branches join via video conference.
For both etings, almost all the executives appear in person.
The occasion was formal and grand; everyone dressed in business attire. Scarlett had just sat down when she heard so commotion by the conference room doors. Like everyone else, her gaze shifted that way.
"The one next to Chairman Ford is President Vincent."
Skyler leaned over and introduced in a low voice next to Scarlett’s ear.
"He hasn’t visited the company much these last two years, and he rarely attends these kinds of etings. You haven’t even been at Veridian for three years—you must be seeing him for the first ti today, right?"
Scarlett responded softly, her eyes landing on Ethan Ford.
Although Ezra and Ethan Ford were brothers and shared so resemblance in their brows, their deanors were utterly different.
The forr was stern and cold, ticulous—a single glance was both distant and oppressive.
Julian Ford had clearly inherited most of his personality from his father, Ezra Ford.
As for Ethan Ford, he, too, was a Ford, and besides his handso looks—even as there were traces of age on his face—he radiated an elegant, refined poise.
Compared to the unsmiling Ezra Ford, Ethan’s eyes seed to always carry a smile; he felt much more approachable.
In just this short while, Scarlett had already overheard several quiet discussions around her: about how friendly President Vincent was, how he put on no airs, and even people who had worked with him vouched for it being true.
Clearly, Ethan Ford’s reputation at Veridian was at least on par with Ezra’s.
But, out of all the executives present, the one most eye-catching—impossible to look away from—was Julian Ford.
If, before, like everyone else, Scarlett was only attracted to Julian Ford out of simple desire—to feast her eyes on a good-looking man—now, every ti she looked at him, her emotions were much more complicated.
Wearing a perfectly cut suit, tall and long-legged, he entered the hall at his own pace. Even across so distance, his sharp, flawless features could be seen clearly.
Not to ntion that innate aura of nobility Julian Ford carried.
Distant, aloof, but lethally fascinating.
The mont Julian Ford ca into view, a ripple of excitent spread across the room.
"I heard President Ford’s wedding with the heiress of Walsh Bank was called off—so he’s single again?"
"Yeah, but what’s that got to do with us? Guys like him—dream on, we’ll never even co close."
"So what, we all know our place. To marry into the Ford family, you need to be from a top family yourself. That ’matching social status’ rule—tiless. I’m just here to enjoy the eye candy, and that’s good enough."
There will always be people gossiping at any event like this.
The whispers were low and soft.
Scarlett suddenly felt as if the room was roaring with voices.
She quietly watched as Julian Ford walked toward the main stage, moving further and further away from her, their paths diverging.
Her emotions were in turmoil.
In fact, ever since confirming their relationship, whenever she was alone with Julian, she rarely felt that ache of longing and uncertainty—that feeling that even though the person was right there, he felt infinitely far away.
But right now, it was especially intense.
Perhaps it was because, when she was with him, everything felt so perfect—like a dream she never wanted to wake from.
And now, this felt even more like reality.
Even soone as optimistic as Scarlett—who always believed in cherishing and enjoying the present—had to admit, the enormous chasm Julian had warned her about from the very beginning, the gulf between them, felt far more daunting and painful in real life than she’d ever imagined.
Withdrawing her gaze from Julian Ford, Scarlett found herself distracted.
anwhile, seated on the stage, listening to the mid-level managers’ reports, Julian Ford’s clear, cool eyes glanced unintentionally in her direction.
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