Chapter 6
When I was five, my parents took me to a remote village for a
charity project.
A line of children, dressed in tattered clothes, stood before us,
each recounting their hardships.
But my gaze landed on a quiet boy at the back of the group.
He was thin and unremarkable compared to the others, yet the
moment our eyes met, something about him pulled me in.
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“Dad, I want that boy!” I tugged on my father’s sleeve insistently.
My father, a notorious pushover when it came to me, didn’t
hesitate to indulge me.
That was how Jules came to live with us in Oceanhaven.
I never knew his full name. I just followed him around, calling him.
Jules.
Seven years older than me, Jules was mature beyond his years, a
stark contrast to my chatty, boisterous nature.
He was quiet and withdrawn, not particularly skilled at socializing.
But he wove me colorful flower crowns and carried my least
favorite backpack without complaint
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To me, he was like an older brother, someone I cherished almost
as much as my parents.
But Jules stayed with us for less than six months.
That winter, I was kidnapped–again–and broke my leg while
escaping.
Jules stayed by my side, his eyes red with unshed tears, keeping
vigil all night.
The next day, he told my father he wanted to enroll in a military
academy.
He left shortly after and never came back.
Looking at him now, I marveled at how much he’d changed. “Jules, you’re so tall now.”
“Are you really the Julian of Ardent Industries?” I asked, piecing things together from Ethan’s messages.
A mix of pride and inevitability swelled in my chest.
He smiled, just as he used to, and gently ruffled my hair. “I’m sorry
I took so long to find you.”
I shook my head. “It’s a good thing you weren’t around. Otherwise, you’d have been dragged down with me.”
After my parents‘ downfall, Aetherion Biosciences changed hands
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overnight. I went from being the envied heiress to a punching bag
for anyone with a grudge.
No one spoke up for me.
They all said, “The sins of her parents must be repaid by her.”
Hurting me became the “right” thing to do.
The weight of those memories made me genuinely believe that Jules staying away had spared him from the same fate.
Julian’s gaze darkened, guilt flickering in his eyes. “I should have
been there. If I’d acted sooner, they wouldn’t have…”
“Stop blaming yourself,” I interrupted. “What happened was
inevitable. Even if you’d been there, you couldn’t have changed
it.”
Julian pressed his lips into a thin line. “Lara, there’s something you
need to know-”
The sound of the door opening cut him off. My attention shifted to
the man who entered.
“Mr. Reid, Ms. Bennett,” he began, nodding at me before handing
Julian a tablet. “Someone’s spreading false narratives about
the gala online and using bots to target Ms. Bennett. It’s already trending.”
I frowned, reaching for my phone, but Julian pulled me closer,
wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “Let’s check out
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My back pressed against his chest, the scent of sandalwood enveloping me. I glanced up at him uneasily.
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Julian’s expression was focused and composed as he studied the
screen.
I silently berated myself for my discomfort.
This was Jules.
No matter how many years had passed or what title he now
carried, he was still the boy who once made me flower crowns.
I forced myself to focus on the tablet in his hands, brushing away any stray thoughts.
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