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?"