I strained to listen, inwardly scoffing at her naivete.
What man would admit to having a new flame?
Sure enough, Julian sidestepped the question.
"Don't overthink it. Having you is enough. Be good."
"I really am in a meeting. I have to go, the board members are waiting for me."
A woman's intuition is a powerful thing. The sudden shift in his tone was all Scarlett needed.
"Wait a minute... you're not at the office! How could it be this quiet?"
"Julian, you told me you only loved me!"
He took a deep breath, his voice turning colder.
"Scarlett Monroe, let me make this clear. You do not control me!"
"I'm hanging up. If you need something, talk to my assistant. Don't bother me again today!"
Before Scarlett could reply, he hung up the phone.
"Is there anything else?"
Are you kidding me? Poking the bear right now would be suicide.
I forced a smile and poured him a glass of whiskey.
"No, I'll get right on it."
The moment Julian left the house, I followed him.
He's so impatient with Scarlett, so secretive... He must be going to see his real mistress!
I won't get it wrong this time!
I tailed him all the way to a private hangar.
His bodyguards had already secured the perimeter. Inside the enormous hangar, a crew bustled about with practiced efficiency.
I hid behind a shipping container and heard Julian instructing his men:
"Remember, the moment I raise my hand, you turn on the lights. As soon as she says yes, you play the music."
"Has that Graff yellow diamond necklace I ordered arrived? It's her favorite design. I want to surprise her with it on our trip to the private island."
His assistant nodded hastily, bowing his head in deference.
"Rest assured, sir. Everything is prepared to your specifications. We're just waiting for her to arrive."
"But sir, you'll be gone for six months. What if she gets lonely..."
Julian sighed.
"There's no other way. The deal over there has been finalized, and I have to go in person."
"With her getting pregnant now... I have no choice but to leave her in Claire's hands."
"I promised her that after this is all over, I'll liquidate my shadier assets and give her and the child a peaceful life."
I was so excited I nearly cried.
This has to be it!
For a madman like Julian to wash his hands of his dirty business, this woman must be the most important person in his life!
As time ticked by, my heart beat faster and faster.
As the hangar door slowly groaned upward, a figure in a striking red dress strode in from the night.
