Zachary caught sight of Aurora’s playful smile at the corners of her mouth. Seeing himself in such a wretched state, he couldn’t help but wonder how she would mock him in the future.
“Only you would indulge in such quirks,” he said as he quickly ran upstairs, deciding to treat everything that happened last night as nothing more than a dream.
It must have been because he had been staying up too late and had drunk too much the previous night. That afternoon, he released two snakes into Aurora’s room, which likely led to that strange dream.
Aurora, thinking that Zachary had simply been out fooling around again, didn’t take it to heart, especially since he had come back with only his underwear left. Today, she needed to go and visit her grandfather.
In her heart, Grandpa Montgomery was the only member of the Montgomery family she truly considered family.
Ever since she was young, he had shown her a special favoritism. After Magnus’s affair, he had always despised Magnus and Genevieve.
During her toughest times abroad, she had thought about calling her grandfather for help.
But she knew better. Without evidence against Genevieve, even if she told everything, no one would believe her.
Without the power to oust Genevieve from the Montgomery family, her words would carry little weight.
So, Aurora had been waiting for the right moment. Her grandfather was her trump card, and using it would mean pulling the rug out from under everything.
She was determined to corner Genevieve, ensuring there would be no chance of survival. She believed that day would come soon.
Cameron was already waiting at the door. “Good morning, miss.”
“Morning,” Aurora replied gracefully as she got into the car.
As the car slowly left the villa area, they came to a stop at a crossroads where a Rolls-Royce was parked, and a familiar figure stood in front.
Since it wasn’t a workday, he was dressed casually, his look less stern than usual, yet more freely handsome.
He idly flipped his lighter open and closed.
“Cameron, stop here,” Aurora instructed, recognizing him.
Julian saw the Maybach stop, and soon, a slender fair leg emerged from the passenger side, followed by an elegantly heeled shoe touching the ground.
Even such a simple act of exiting the car captivated him. He was enchanted by everything this woman did.
Today, she wore a flowing blue dress that fluttered lightly in the breeze as she adjusted a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Why didn’t you call me when you arrived?” Julian was clearly waiting for her. If she hadn’t left home today or had left later, who knows how long he would have waited?
“I didn’t want to disturb your sleep. I had nothing else to do, so waiting here for a bit was no bother,” Julian said tenderly.
This man really was…
“Why are you waiting for me so early?” Aurora was curious about this.
“Don’t you love the hot dog from the street food vendor near your high school? I went and got some for you,” Julian beckoned her over to the car.
Obediently, Aurora sat beside him. “Are you talking about the street food vendor next to my high school?”
Back in high school, she had loved the hot dog from there, and Hayden had always indulged her.
Whether it was a school day or a holiday, he would bring them to Aurora. But now, it was Julian’s face she saw, which stirred some emotions in her heart.
“I’ve known about your preferences for a long time. Try them, and see if they taste the same,” he said indulgently, gazing at the complex expression on Aurora’s face.
Before he ever made his presence known, he had been secretly observing her every move. At that time, she was the distinguished young lady of the Montgomery family, while he was merely an illegitimate child. From the moment he made a promise to her over a decade ago, he had set his heart on her. He swore to himself that one day he would return to her side in a radiant guise, allowing her to continue being his little princess.
He had seen her more than once, her smile radiant as she laughed heartily, holding a hot dog. By then, someone else had joined her side, and he could only watch them from a distance. At times, seeing her smile, he considered giving her up, content if only she could be happy.
Thus, he never intruded on her life with Hayden, fearing that forcibly separating her from Hayden would lead not to her love but to hatred towards him. On her eighteenth birthday, he attended, knowing Hayden had prepared a grand surprise for her. Hayden was planning to propose. The girl he had silently watched over for years was finally about to embrace her happiness.
He had planned to leave for good after attending her coming-of-age celebration, but unexpectedly, he caught wind of a plot by the Montgomery family. Fortune still seemed to favor him, as a significant turn in Aurora’s life eventually brought her back to him.
Both found themselves deep in thought over the hot dogs. Aurora took a delicate bite, the flavor blossoming on her tongue. “It tastes just like I remember,” she remarked softly, her heart filled more with a sense of how things had changed than with the flavor itself.
Julian took her hand before he said, “Aurora, I know what you’re thinking. I gave him a chance once, and since he didn’t cherish you, I won’t let you go again. I will take good care of you.”
Aurora looked into his eyes, bewildered. “What do you mean, you gave him a chance?”
“I’ve never left you,” Julian confessed passionately. “I’ve always been watching over you from places you couldn’t see.”
“That sounds a little creepy. You’re like some kind of a stalker,” murmured Aurora.
Julian’s mood, which had been brewing, dissipated with her interruption. He gently tapped her head. “You really are heartless,” he teased.
Aurora smiled slightly. Although she didn’t hear what Julian was about to say next, she could feel it. He must have done far more for her than she realized. Otherwise, he wouldn’t know her preferences so well.
“Why don’t you try one? They’re really good.” Aurora offered with a smile.
“No delicacy in the world compares to you. I want you to feed me,” Julian, who had tasted them countless times, replied.
He always ate whatever she liked, as if by doing so, he could share her feelings in those moments, his mind filled with her laughter.
“Seeing as you came all this way to bring me breakfast, I’ll reluctantly feed you one.” Aurora was about to feed him.
Julian smirked mischievously, “You’re not going to do that by using your hands.”
“You… You rogue!” Her cheeks flushed, and before she could pick up a hot dog, he had already taken matters into his own hands.
He wrapped an arm around her slender waist and pressed his lips to hers.