At this moment, Aurora could hardly pay attention to what Susan was saying. Staring at the large pile of sanitary pads on the bed, she guessed it was enough to last the year. Nearby lay clothes and other items he had bought; he was indeed attentive in these aspects.
Aurora took a set of clothes to the bathroom to change. She noticed that Julian had chosen vibrant colors for her this time, none of them black. She changed into a soft pink dress, a color she hadn’t worn in a long while.
When she came out, she found Julian had just carried something into the kitchen and hadn’t yet come out. Could this young master actually cook? Curious, Aurora walked towards the kitchen and saw him awkwardly boiling water. “What are you doing?” she asked, noticing no food around, just him boiling water.
“You’ll see in a bit, go watch some TV in the meantime,” Julian said, gently pushing her out of the room.
Aurora didn’t understand his intentions. The entertainment news segment was over, and Susan’s face was no longer on the screen. Somewhat bored, she took out her phone to check the news and noticed a few private messages from Hayden, all asking where she was so he could come to find her.
Aurora smirked coldly, ignoring his messages. She checked the time; it was almost eleven, and she had an exam at school in the afternoon. She glanced at the busy figure in the kitchen, unsure if he would let her leave.
About five minutes later, Julian came out with a cup of water, excitement on his face. “Drink this, it’ll stop the pain.”
“What?” Aurora looked bewildered at Julian.
“Ibuprofen. They told me you needed this,” he explained, his tone echoing the advice of some supermarket lady. “I also bought you a hot water bottle. Charge it and place it on your stomach. Oh, and you must avoid spicy food and cold water for the next few days.”
In the past, it was always Asher who took care of these things. She found them too troublesome and preferred to endure the pain rather than going through such hassles.
Yet here was Julian, practically a stranger, having only met her a few times, and of such a status, why would he do these things?
“Why are you standing there? Drink it. Is it too hot? Let it cool a bit then,” Julian said gently.
It was hard for Aurora to reconcile the gentle man before her with the cold and sinister figure from three years ago.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked, purely puzzled by his uncharacteristic kindness.
“Didn’t you say your stomach was hurting? A woman at the supermarket told me this would help.”
“So you did this just so I wouldn’t be in pain?” Aurora bit her lip, wishing he were harsher; it would make it easier for her heart not to feel moved.
“Yes, women should be cherished,” he said, his gaze almost overflowing with tenderness.
Aurora turned her face away, unwilling to meet his gaze. “I have an exam this afternoon at school, I need to go back.”
Hearing her talk of leaving, Julian’s expression cooled, his face darkening.
“You’re looking for an excuse to run away again?” Julian knew well that if he hadn’t intercepted her today, she might have escaped again.
“It’s not an excuse this time, I really have an exam this afternoon, and I need my credits,” she insisted.
Julian sat down beside her, studying the expression on her face. “I thought you were just an exchange student. You don’t need their degree.”
“Even so, I can’t just skip it. Failing the exam here would still affect me.”
“How long will it take?” Julian finally relented.
“Just over an hour.”
“Fine, we’ll eat and then I’ll take you there. I’ll come pick you up after you’re done. And if you try to run away again, I…”
“I know I can’t escape from your grasp.” She understood that he had some conscience; as long as she didn’t provoke him, he wouldn’t force her during her period. So, Aurora answered very cautiously.
“That’s right, drink up.” He gently rubbed her head.
Aurora saw the man’s smile reappear instantly and suddenly felt his mood swings were childlike.
She picked up the bowl of water, took a sip, and nearly spat it out.
Did he just open a capsule of ibuprofen and pour it into boiling water?
A citrus flavor assaulted her senses.
“Does it taste good?” Julian’s eyes seemed to sparkle as he asked.
“Um, delicious,” she said, frowning.
“Then hurry up and finish it, I have more.”
“Cough… This is enough,” Aurora quickly downed it in one go, knowing that sipping it slowly could prolong her torment.
“Really won’t have a bit more?” Julian asked seriously; Aurora shook her head repeatedly.
Seeing her strong reaction, Julian seemed to realize something; he went to the kitchen to taste the leftovers.
After just a small sip, he spat it out, “Bleh, that’s awful.”
“Little bunny, sorry, I couldn’t swallow capsules before and thought this might make it easier.” He thought about her actually drinking a whole bowl of such a terrible concoction.
“I can take capsules directly,” Aurora said, seeing that he meant well and now felt so guilty, she almost felt bad for him.
She was someone who responded better to soft approaches than hard ones. If Julian had kept pressuring or threatening her, she might have ended up hating him more.
Yet, this encounter with Julian, who she thought would be angry since she stood him up the night before, turned out so well. Probably not many women could resist his tenderness.
“I’ll get it right when you come back tonight.” He gently pulled Aurora into a warm, non-passionate embrace.
“Sir, you really don’t have to be so nice to me.” Aurora always felt something off when he was like this.
“But little bunny, I just want to be nice to you, stay with me, will you?” Julian was no fool; he was skilled in dealing with people.
He realized that compared to being tough, she responded better to a softer approach, and he was right.
More so, in her presence, a single look from her could soften him.
She merely mentioned a stomachache, and he was overwhelmed with concern. This woman must be heaven-sent to be his nemesis.