Chapter 1

Everyone knew Julie Somers was Zayn Peyton's most faithful lapdog.

No matter how often Zayn humiliated her, she'd still come running with her tail wagging every time he called.

Everyone mocked her for shamelessly sucking up to him despite knowing full well he had no feelings for her.

One of Zayn's friends joked, "Zayn, seeing how much Julie loves you, when are you going to marry her?"

Zayn replied lazily, "A whore like her? As if."

Julie happened to be standing outside the private room door right then, her hand still on the handle. She looked down. A whore, huh?

"But Zayn, you're not one to talk," she silently said.

Julie pushed the door open, and the rowdy room quickly fell silent as everyone's attention turned to her. They were waiting to see what would happen next.

Just half an hour ago, Zayn had given her a call and ordered her to the bar even though they were still in the middle of giving each other the cold shoulder. Every person in the room had bet she wouldn't show up.

After all, the two had just fought last night after Zayn made Julie deliver condoms to him at a hotel.

Unexpectedly, she still showed up, proving just how smitten she was with him.

Ignoring the scornful stares around her, Julie kept her expression blank as she walked straight toward Zayn.

He sat on a couch, flanked by two scantily dressed ladies.

The anger in her chest lessened as she stared at his face, her gaze softening. Turning to the woman on his right, she asked calmly, "Could you move?"

The woman shot her a disdainful glance. "And who are you?"

Julie didn't respond and just stood there quietly.

The woman leaned over, wrapped her arm around Zayn's, and cooed, "Zayn, is she the lapdog you guys were talking about? She's so scary!"

Zayn glanced at Julie and tightened his hold around the woman's waist. "Aww, did she upset you?"

The woman quickly nodded, a pitiful look on her face.

Zayn softly coaxed, "How about I tell her to apologize to you?"

The woman's eyes lit up when she heard this. "Sure!"

Zayn finally turned his attention to Julie. "Apologize."

Julie stood firm, not saying a word.

Seeing this, he frowned in annoyance. "Are you fucking deaf? I told you to apologize."

Julie looked at him, her expression faltering slightly.

"Don't be mad," she said hurriedly. He looked even less similar when he was upset.

Zayn smirked smugly, harrumphing. "Then apologize."

Right as he finished giving the order, Julie coolly said, "Sorry."

Zayn ignored her and turned to the woman next to him. "Happy?"

The woman grew bolder the moment she realized how indifferent Zayn was toward Julie. Shaking her head, she coyly said, "She wasn't even being sincere."

Zayn gently asked, "Then what do you want?"

The woman glanced around before her eyes landed on the bottle of champagne on the table. Pointing to it, she said, "She should finish everything on the table if she really means it."

The room immediately fell silent.

The only drinks on the table were bottles of hard liquor. Even a man would struggle with just one bottle, let alone a woman.

Julie said nothing and just stared at Zayn. A faint smile played on his lips as he held the woman's waist. He glanced up, and their eyes met.

Julie broke the silence first. "Are you sure you want me to drink all of it?"

Zayn hesitated, knowing she already wasn't in good shape after drinking on his behalf for years. He eventually stopped forcing her to drink when she got alcohol poisoning and had to get the alcohol flushed out of her body.

But he couldn't help feeling pissed when he saw how confident she was. He sneered, "Don't you think you owe my lady here a sincere apology?"

Julie gazed at his face unblinkingly, her eyes filled with unmistakable affection. Still, her eyes slowly reddened. They weren't the same person, after all.

Her lips curled into a bitter smile. "That won't be enough. Let's add some spice."

She grabbed a handful of spicy jalapenos from one of the snack plates and began stuffing her face and washing the jalapenos down with alcohol.

Zayn's expression darkened instantly. He watched her without saying anything. But when she reached for her fourth bottle, he cursed under his breath. Kicking the table, he barked, "That's enough, Julie Somers!"

Julie paused, her hand holding the bottle mid-air. Her throat was burning, and her insides felt like they were on fire. Still, she desperately held herself together. Staring at him, she asked, "Is this sincere enough yet?"

"Get out!" he snarled.

Julie didn't move. She just stood there, watching him silently. Agitated, Zayn hurled the bottle he was holding at her.

She didn't dodge, and the glass bottle struck her forehead hard. Instantly, blood started trickling down her head.

Zayn's expression grew even darker, but he said nothing and merely stared at her coldly.

Taken aback by the sudden turn of events, everyone stared at Julie. Noticing the blood dripping from her forehead, someone hesitatingly spoke up.

"Julie, Zayn had too much to drink. Don't–"

"Zip it." Zayn cut the person off harshly.

Turning his attention to Julie, he snorted. "This is really starting to get annoying now."

Julie wiped at the blood near her eyes and croaked, "So, are you breaking up with me?"

Zayn's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Breaking up? What did you think we were?" His tone was laced with disdain.

Julie stared at him intently, but his silhouette remained blurry. She couldn't tell if it was the alcohol making her dizzy. Nodding faintly, she said, "Got it."

Zayn grew angrier at her calm demeanor. "In that case, scram!"

She staggered out of the room without looking back.

"Zayn, Julie's hurt. Aren't you going to check on her? What if she ignores you after this?" someone asked.

"Forget it." Zayn got up, poured himself another drink, and downed it in one shot.

Many people agreed with his decision.

"Whatever for? It's not like we don't know how clingy she is. I bet she'll come crawling back in less than two days."

"Exactly. Zayn made her deliver condoms to a hotel last night, yet she was still fussing over his health."

"Geez, how did you manage to make her so loyal to you?"

"I'm going to have to learn some tricks from you."

Suddenly, Hans York, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, spoke up, "Mind letting me have her if you're bored of her, Zayn? I think she'd give me a great time."

Zayn's eyes shot toward him, icy and sharp.

Realizing his mistake, Hans immediately tried to apologize but was stopped by Zayn's lazy voice.

Chapter 2

"Seriously? You're into a cheap whore like her?" Zayn drawled.

Hans chuckled. "Well, I haven't had a chance to taste her."

Zayn answered indifferently, "Suit yourself."

Outside the door, Julie overheard their disgusting conversation. A painful pressure began building up in her chest, like a sponge that was slowly soaking up her sorrow.

Clutching her chest, she staggered away, eventually collapsing by a trash can where she began retching her guts out. Soon, she was drenched in sweat, with her hair clinging to her damp face. She looked utterly disheveled.

"Are you okay?" A warm, gentle voice came from behind her.

Julie turned her head, trying to make out who it was. The blinding light above made it hard to see, but the person's voice felt oddly familiar. She tried to respond but lost consciousness after mumbling a few words.

…

When Julie woke up, it was already the middle of the night. She was confused when she noticed she was on a hospital bed.

Just then, a nurse walked in to give her her medicine. She smiled when she saw Julie awake. "Oh, you're up."

Julie nodded weakly and rasped, "Who brought me here?"

"Your boyfriend, I think. A pretty handsome lad," the nurse replied while changing her bandage.

Julie was puzzled. Could the nurse be referring to Zayn? However, she dismissed the thought as quickly as it came.

His friends were right—she was the only one invested in this one-sided love.

…

Julie first met Zayn three years ago when she was standing on the edge of a harbor bridge, ready to end her life. He appeared out of the blue and saved her. Later, she found out he was her senior at the university and was practically a campus legend.

From then on, she began gluing herself to his side, content to just watch him from a distance without talking. Still, her persistence annoyed him.

"Can you stop following me around, Julie Somers?" he barked.

She only stood there, staring dazedly at his handsome face.

"God, you're insane," he spat before storming off.

The first turning point in their relationship came when Zayn was shoved to the ground during a basketball game. Julie rushed over like a madwoman, gently cradling his face as she checked for injuries.

Her mind went blank when she saw the scratch on his cheek, and she burst into tears.

Zayn laughed heartily at her reaction. "Do you really like me that much?"

She didn't answer his question. Instead, she gently caressed his scraped cheek. Her voice trembled as she asked, "Does it hurt?"

"It's nothing," he replied arrogantly, brushing her hand away. "It's just a scratch."

"Will it leave a scar?"

Zayn frowned. "Why would I care about a tiny scar?"

Instead of responding, Julie ran off to buy him all sorts of creams and bandages. Under her care, the scratch soon healed without a trace.

When he saw how much she cared about him, he teased her. "Hey, wanna do it?"

Julie stared at his face without blinking. His cocky smile was completely different from the person in her memories, yet they seemed to share the same eyes. Unable to refuse the temptation his face brought, she softly hummed in agreement.

It took two days before she heard from him again.

…

After being discharged from the hospital, Julie pulled out her phone to check the bus schedule as she wanted to head back to the university when she noticed a new message in the group chat.

Zayn had texted, "Let's meet up. I want to introduce my girlfriend to all of you."

He even attached a photo.

The group chat was silent, with no one replying to his message. So, Zayn tagged everyone in the group, including her.

"Well? Isn't she pretty? Don't leave me hanging here."

Messages started flooding in, and by the time Julie opened the chat, there were over 99 messages. She directly tapped on the message she was tagged in and froze when she saw his text.

She tapped on the photo and was greeted by a familiar face.

It was Megan Hart, a first-year dance major who went viral on campus because of a dance routine. She was even voted as this year's prettiest freshman.

Julie didn't expect Megan to be the one to finally take Zayn down.

More messages popped up. Julie was going to ignore them until she saw her name being mentioned.

"Wait, isn't Julie in this group? Will she still go after Zayn?"

Some began chiming in, betting she'd show up since it had been two days since Julie and Zayn talked. Others betted that she wouldn't be shameless enough to try to be a third wheel in the relationship.

Julie smiled when she saw the texts.

She calmly typed a reply, "Relax. I'm not interested in sleeping with someone else's boyfriend."

The chat immediately went dead silent.

After a moment, Zayn tagged her in another text.

"Since you're here, let me make this clear. This woman is different from the others. I really like her, and I don't want her to misunderstand our relationship. To be honest, you've been pestering me for years. It's actually really annoying."

Julie stared at his text.

Annoying?

Truthfully, she was just as annoyed at herself as he was.

Yet she couldn't stop herself.

She just couldn't help the emptiness that engulfed her every time she thought of how she was the only one left in this world. It had been three years, and she thought she would've found solace by now, but she hadn't.

Instead, she felt just as empty as she did back then.

She replied, "I'm sorry for everything. I won't do it anymore. And congrats. I hope your wish comes true."

With that, she exited the group chat.

…

That evening, Zayn sat on the couch at the nightclub, staring at Julie's text. Her words rattled in his mind.

What did she mean when she said she hoped his wish would come true?

Irritated, he tossed his phone onto the table with a harsh clank.

Hans walked in just in time to see it. "What's with the temper, Zayn?"

It was evident he hadn't seen Julie's messages in the group chat.

Zayn leaned back but didn't respond.

Glancing around, Hans asked, "Where's your girlfriend? I thought you wanted to introduce her to us?"

"She's still at dance practice. I'm picking her up later," Zayn grumbled.

Hans hesitated and took a guess. "Don't tell me you're angry because she's late."

"No."

"Then, what is it?" Hans pressed.

Zayn huffed and snapped, "Didn't you read our texts?"

Hans was confused. He had driven straight over without checking the group chat. He pulled out his phone and paused when he read Julie's final messages.

"What does Julie mean by this, Zayn?"

Chapter 3

"God knows what she's up to this time," Zayn snapped in annoyance.

"She's letting you go," Hans said with certainty.

Zayn scoffed. "And you believe that? You know how she's been these past three years. No matter how hard I try, I just can't shake her off."

"But she left the group chat," Hans stated.

Zayn froze. He grabbed his phone and opened the group chat. Sure enough, Julie had left the group. So, she hadn't been joking and really meant it when she promised not to bother him anymore.

He leaned back against the couch. For some reason, he didn't feel as relieved as he thought he would.

One by one, those in the group chat arrived. Noticing that Zayn's girlfriend hadn't arrived, they began discussing Julie's messages.

"Hey, do you think Julie really intends to give up on Zayn this time? She even left the group chat."

"Maybe. She probably got hurt after seeing Zayn's messages."

"Wanna bet how long she can hold out before running back this time?"

Some bet a day, others two, and some gave her a week.

Zayn, who had been scrolling through his phone, suddenly looked up with a smirk. "Toss her a bone, and she'll come wagging her tail within ten minutes."

Everyone laughed and praised his knack for training her.

Hans tsked and put a cigarette between his lips. Nonchalantly, he said, "Just forget about a used toy, man. Honestly, Megan is leagues better than Julie."

Abruptly, the room door burst open.

"Something bad is happening!"

Everyone looked up. It was Zayn's cousin, Stewart Peyton, who rushed in with panic written all over his face.

Zayn frowned. "What now?"

"I-It's Julie. S-She—" Stewart stammered, struggling to get the words out in his panic.

Zayn cut him off impatiently. "What did she do this time?"

Stewart quickly handed Zayn his phone. "I was scrolling through my feed when I saw this."

Zayn took the phone and saw a video posted by a nearby user and tapped on it. In the video, Julie was seen sitting on the famous Harbor Bay Bridge, staring blankly into the distance.

The setting sun cast a golden glow over her, making her look like a fragile doll that had been abandoned by the world. Her eyes were dull and empty as if she had lost all will to live. A soft breeze played with her hair, but it couldn't hide the sadness and despair on her face.

Quietly, she sat there like a painting. She looked beautiful, but the air of sadness around her tugged at viewers' hearts.

Zayn's brows furrowed tightly, and he cursed under his breath. He knew that lunatic wouldn't let him off that easily. She was even using suicide to threaten him now.

Someone in the room muttered, "She isn't thinking of killing herself because Zayn doesn't want her anymore, is she?"

"Gosh, that's terrifying."

"The way she clings to him like gum is disgusting."

Zayn tossed the phone back to Stewart, running a hand through his hair in irritation.

Memories of the first time he met Julie resurfaced. She had been sitting at Harbor Bay Bridge, just like this.

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. Abruptly, he shot up, kicked the coffee table, and strode out of the room.

Seeing him leave, Hans glared at Stewart. "Are you an idiot? Why'd you show him that?"

Stewart was baffled. "What did I do?"

Hans ignored him and ran after Zayn.

When Zayn arrived, Julie had already climbed down from the railing. She stood with her hands resting on the guardrail, staring blankly into the distance.

His expression darkened as he walked over, grabbed her arm, and began dragging her away without a word. As they passed a small grove of trees, Julie shook off his grip. "What are you doing?"

Seething, Zayn snapped, "Julie Somers, are you out of your damn mind?"

Frowning, she clapped back, "You're the crazy one! You and your entire family!"

Zayn was shocked. He couldn't believe the meek and docile woman he knew had the guts to talk back now.

Then, as if something clicked, he sneered, "You're just up to another trick, aren't you? You pulled this stunt to get my attention."

Julie paused, confusion written all over her face. "W-What are you talking about?"

Zayn jeered, "Even if you dropped dead in front of me right now, I still wouldn't care. So, stop trying to threaten me with suicide."

Hearing this, Julie finally understood. Gosh, how arrogant this man was. Not bothering to explain, she shook off his grip and turned to leave.

Zayn quickly grabbed her wrist again, his voice laced with anger. "What the hell do you want, Julie? If you think you can make me do what you want by threatening me with suicide, you–"

"I told you I'm letting you go, and I meant it. And I really do wish you and Megan happiness," she interrupted.

Zayn's expression grew icy. "What did you just say?"

She sighed and looked up, staring into the face that bore an uncanny resemblance to the one in her memories.

She thought she had steeled herself enough to say what she needed to, but in the end, she still couldn't bring herself to say anything that would hurt him.

"Don't worry, Zayn. I'm leaving the city by the end of the year. I wish you and Megan…"

The rest of her words didn't register in his mind. All he heard was that she was leaving the city. That was impossible, and Zayn refused to believe her.

For the past three years, no matter how cruelly he had treated her, she loved him so much that she never once mentioned leaving. So, there was only one explanation for her words.

Megan's existence must have really set her off, and she was trying to force him to break things off with Megan.

Zayn's fury boiled over at the thought. Glaring at her, he spat, "Fine, leave. As if I give a damn. You're just a bitch my mom bought to keep me company."

Julie's face remained expressionless. These words used to hurt her, but after hearing them so often, she had grown numb to them.

He also wasn't entirely wrong, which was why she felt guilty toward him to some extent.

"Think what you want."

Julie turned to leave, but Zayn abruptly yanked her back and pinned her against a nearby tree. He leaned in, aiming for her lips.

Before their lips made contact, she shoved him away and slapped him hard across the face.

Zayn froze in disbelief, his hand slowly creeping upward to touch his stinging cheek. His jaw tightened in anger as he shot her a furious look. "You've got some nerve, Julie Somers."

She came back to her senses almost immediately. She felt a pang in her heart at the sight of his reddened cheek. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

She reached out to touch him, but he slapped her hand away.

"You'd better not fucking regret this, Julie. I'd rather die than give a damn about you from now on." With that, he stormed off.

…

Julie returned to her dorm and realized her roommates were out.

Sitting at her desk, she opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a photo. The man in the photo wore a white T-shirt and black pants as he leaned against a tree.

She had been trying to take his photo in secret, but the man caught her and looked straight at the camera.

Staring at the photo, tears slowly began streaming down her face. She gently traced the man's face. "Lucian, he's really nothing like you."

Deep down, she knew she would never see this man again because he died five years ago.

Chapter 4

Over the next few days, word about Zayn dating Megan spread like wildfire across campus. Now, everyone knew the talented dancer was dating the successor of the Peyton family.

Zayn treated her like a queen, buying her all sorts of luxury bags, giving her money to spend, attending classes with her, and taking her out on fancy dates. This drew envious looks from onlookers, but it also directed mocking whispers toward Julie.

Julie ignored them and carried on with her life, but unfortunately, the rumors eventually reached her mother's ears.

She was in the middle of searching for jobs in Nordenburgh when her mother called.

"Hey, Mom–" she began but was immediately cut off by a barrage of sharp questions.

"What's going on between you and Zayn? You'd better not ruin our partnership, or you'll be dead meat!"

Julie sighed tiredly. "Mom, he likes someone else now, so we've broken up."

"You should be used to it by now. Just suck up to him like usual."

Tightening her grip on her phone, Julie felt a lump in her throat and an ache in her chest. After a sigh, she murmured, "Mom, it's different this time. Things really are over between us."

"You useless piece of shit! How could you lose him? I don't care how you do it. Grovel if you have to, but just—"

Julie's heart ached, and she cut her mother off mid-rant, "Mom, I'm planning to move to Nordenburgh–"

Her mother's sharp voice pierced through before she could finish her sentence.

"Move? Don't even think about getting rid of us! You're never leaving this family. You owe–"

Julie hung up without another word. She didn't need to hear the rest. She already knew what her mother was going to say.

Ever since the accident that left her father in a coma, she knew she would have to shoulder the burden of her family for the rest of her life.

"Julie, what's going on with you and Zayn? He's been parading around campus with Megan lately," her roommate, Amaya Shaw, asked while applying eyeliner in front of a mirror.

Putting her phone away, Julie replied, "We broke up."

Amaya smirked. "How many days will you hold out this time?"

Julie choked.

As her close friend, Amaya knew all too well about her and Zayn's messy history. In the beginning, Amaya even advised her to leave Zayn, but when Julie kept going back, she eventually stopped trying.

"It's real this time. I'm done with him."

Amaya didn't seem convinced. Grabbing her bag and changing her shoes, she said, "If you say so. I've got a few interviews lined up today, so I'll catch you later."

…

On Saturday, Julie's mother called again and ordered her to attend a banquet the Peyton family was hosting that afternoon. She knew this was her mother's way of giving her a last chance to patch things up with Zayn.

Julie didn't expect to bump into Megan at the banquet.

Seeing how Zayn was even bringing Megan to meet his parents, he had to be serious about this relationship.

Julie was going to quietly leave after greeting the Peyton family's elders, but Zayn brought Megan over and stopped her in her tracks.

"Didn't you say you were leaving Harbor City for good? What are you doing here, then?" Zayn sneered disdainfully.

Before she could reply, Megan beamed and grabbed her hand. "You don't mind me dating Zay-Zay, do you, Julie?"

Julie ignored her and simply smiled at Zayn. "Congrats."

His expression darkened.

This wasn't the reaction he had expected from her. He didn't understand why she wasn't begging him not to leave yet. Her calm attitude only made him more frustrated.

"She has no right to mind when we're nothing to each other! Ugh, the sight of her makes me sick." With that, he turned to leave, holding Megan's hand.

Megan sweetly said, "Zay-Zay, why don't you go ahead first? I want to talk to Julie."

Annoyed, Zayn waved and walked off.

The moment he was out of sight, Megan dropped the fake smile. She waved her hand to show off the sparkling diamond bracelet on her wrist. "See this, Julie? Zay-Zay got it for me."

Julie paused before smiling when she saw the bracelet. "It is pretty."

"Isn't it? I just love it! He had it custom-made for me," Megan said. "I heard he never bought you anything in all the years you two were together. Is that true?"

Julie looked away without replying.

Megan wasn't wrong.

Zayn had never spent a dime on her for the past three years. She supposed that counted as a good thing since it saved her a lot of trouble.

Mistaking her silence for sadness, Megan's smile turned even more smug. "You can tell that he loves me, can't you? So, stay away from him from now on."

Julie lifted her head to look at Megan and nodded.

Megan leaned in close and whispered, "I could use a favor from you to truly put an end to things between you two."

Julie stared at her intently. "What kind of favor are we talking about?"

Megan glanced at the pool behind her and smiled. "I wonder how Zay-Zay would react if he saw you push me into the water? He knows I can't swim—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Julie sent her flying into the water with a solid kick. There was a loud splash before Megan started flailing and squealing.

"Help! I-I can't swim!"

Julie calmly watched as Megan struggled. With a small smile, she said, "If I'm going to have to take the blame anyway, I might as well do it myself. At least this way, I don't have to hold back."

After all, someone did tell her not to keep her anger to herself because of others.

People rushed over upon hearing the commotion, and Julie saw a figure leap into the water.

Zayn pulled Megan out of the pool and quickly wrapped his jacket around her shoulders. He glared at Julie, his voice dripping with ice. "How could you be so cruel, Julie? She can't swim, yet you pushed her in!"

Julie calmly met his gaze and replied, "She was the one who asked me to do it. She wanted to make sure things were truly over between us, so I simply did what she asked."

Zayn froze, notably taken aback by her words.

Megan, on the other hand, panicked. With tears pouring down her face, she stammered, "I-I wouldn't do that."

Zayn scowled. "Apologize to my girlfriend right this instant."

The tension in the air slowly rose.

Megan played the part of the startled victim perfectly, clutching Zayn's arm as she whispered, "Forget it, Zay-Zay. I'm sure she didn't mean to."

He sneered, "You're too nice, Meg."

Turning back to Julie, he growled, "Apologize now, or don't blame me for what happens next."

Julie met his frightfully icy glare without fear. "Like I said, she asked for it. So, why should I apologize?"

"Are you fucking deaf? I told you to apologize!" he roared.

Before anyone could react, a playful voice cut through the tense air.

"Wow, what's with the crowd? A town hall meeting?"

Julie's breath hitched when she heard this familiar voice, her eyes widening in shock. She turned around stiffly and watched as a man walked over.

The bright light shining behind him made it hard to make out his features, but she could hear people in the crowd murmuring.

"When did the youngest son of the Fuller family return?"

"He's probably here to take over the family business."

"Yeah, I heard that his father is handing over everything to him."

Amidst the whispers, the man drew closer step by step until he stood right in front of Julie.

Chapter 5

Julie stood frozen in place, her mind having gone blank from shock.

The murmurs of the crowd faded into nothingness as she kept her eyes locked on the man walking toward her.

He was dressed in a black shirt, his suit jacket casually slung over one arm. His slightly tousled hair was no longer the boyish cut she remembered from five years ago. Instead, he looked much more mature.

The light above stretched his shadow across the floor until he stopped right in front of her.

When their eyes met, Julie's chest tightened, and her eyes instantly grew misty. She hadn't been bothered when Megan taunted her or when Zayn treated her with distrust.

These past five years, she had been living like an emotionless robot.

But the moment she saw this man, she couldn't stop the tears from welling up.

She bit her lip hard, determined not to let them fall. Still, her body trembled uncontrollably as her gaze traced his familiar features, from his brows all the way to the mole on the corner of his eye.

Lucian.

It was Lucian Fuller!

It was the face that had haunted her dreams countless nights.

He wasn't dead. He was still alive.

Oh, her prayers had finally been answered.

Unable to hold it in anymore, a tear escaped and silently slid down her cheek.

Behind her, Zayn, who had been holding Megan, stood up. His earlier arrogance was nowhere to be seen.

Softly, he muttered, "Luce."

Lucian lazily answered, "I don't think we're close enough for you to call me that."

Zayn froze. Before he could respond, Lucian spoke again, "Oh, so this wasn't a meeting, after all. Just some people trying to gang up on a woman? Very impressive."

Zayn panicked and quickly waved his hands in denial. "No, no one is bullying her."

Lucian hummed. "If that's the case, what are you guys doing?"

Zayn nervously replied, "Y-You don't need to trouble yourself with this mess, Luce."

Lucian smirked. "You're right. I might not be the nicest person out there, but even I draw the line at picking on defenseless women."

Glancing at Megan, who was still clinging to Zayn, his lips curled in disgust.

"If I remember correctly, my airhead of a sister doesn't look like that. When did she get her face done?"

Zayn froze.

Others might not know what Lucian was talking about, but he did.

Lucian was referring to his youngest sister, Anna Fuller. Their families were hoping for a marriage of alliance.

Without waiting for Zayn's reply, Lucian continued, "Wait, that can't be right. I just saw her this morning. So…"

He paused dramatically. "Not only are you ugly, but you're also an unfaithful jerk? You pick on women and also cheat?"

Everyone went silent.

The guests exchanged shocked glances, knowing full well what Lucian's personality was like.

As the youngest son of the richest family in the city, he had a reputation for being merciless and would take down anyone who crossed him without hesitation.

No one expected him to put on a kind mask and help a random woman right after returning from abroad.

Compared to the mischief and trouble Lucian used to cause, Zayn's antics were child's play.

Knowing Lucian, if Zayn truly was cheating on Anna, there would be hell to pay for the Peyton family.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Zayn frantically explained, "No, I haven't met Anna yet."

He subconsciously glanced at Julie. Following his gaze, Lucian stared at Julie, whose eyes were still red with tears.

Looking away, he drawled, "Got it. Well, at least one thing's clear—your taste in women sucks, Mr. Peyton."

Everyone's attention instantly shifted to Megan.

Frightened, she looked at Zayn for reassurance, tears filling her eyes.

"Zay–"

Guessing what she was about to say, Zayn pushed her aside impatiently. "Were you trying to frame Julie?"

Megan paled and stammered, "I-I didn't mean to. I just… I just love you so much."

She came from an ordinary family. Now that she finally managed to snag Zayn, she was going to hold on to him no matter what.

Zayn turned to Julie and said, "This was a misunderstanding, Julie. Meg is just insecure."

Before Julie could respond, Lucian said lazily, "Aren't you being unreasonable? I'm sure you would've forced her to take the blame if I hadn't shown up. And now, you're conveniently brushing it off as a misunderstanding?"

Zayn was visibly irritated but didn't dare lash out in front of Lucian. "Alright, what do you want me to do?"

Lucian purred, "Weren't you going to make this lady apologize? How could you forget that so quickly now that it's your girlfriend's turn?"

Zayn immediately got what Lucian was saying and turned to Megan.

Tears welled up in Megan's eyes. She started this mess to show Julie who's boss, but now, the tables had turned. She resentfully sobbed out the words, "I'm sorry, Julie."

Julie, who had been staring blankly at Lucian the entire time, snapped back to reality when she heard her name.

Lucian looked at the bewildered woman, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face.

"What are you spacing out for? She just apologized to you."

Julie stared at Megan and replied firmly, "I don't want to be part of your love drama. Keep me out of it."

Zayn shot her an annoyed glare and left with Megan. Soon, the crowd dispersed, leaving Lucian standing there.

Julie's voice trembled as she softly called out, "L-Lucian."

Although he was standing right in front of her, she couldn't help but keep her voice down, worried one wrong word would make him disappear.

Lucian's gaze softened further, and he smiled faintly.

"It's been a while."

Julie stared at him dazedly, her chest tight with questions.

How was he still alive after all these years?

Why hadn't he come to find her?

But those words got stuck in her throat, replaced by silent tears rolling down her cheeks.

Behind Lucian, a man who had been watching the whole scene piped up, trying to lighten the mood, "What's going on, Luce? Don't bully the young lady."

He walked up to Julie with a playful grin. "Miss, Lucian here is a heartless man. If you're thinking of repaying him with your body for what happened earlier, why don't you consider me instead? I'm not half-bad, you know."

Julie glanced at him, her reply curt. "No."

Blaine Chandler blinked, surprised by her fixation on Lucian.

He raised an eyebrow and nudged Lucian with his elbow. "Spill, Luce. When did you get involved with this poor lady?"