At this moment, Julian’s phone was certainly being bombarded with notifications. The fool had sent a private reply intended for himself to everyone instead.
Imagining the shocked expressions of Julian’s friends upon receiving the message, Aurora happily finished her entire cup of coffee.
Julian, somewhat gloomy, turned off his phone, resolving never to make the same mistake again.
He then began to appreciate Aurora’s cooking. Although it was far from the quality of his family’s chef, the fact that Aurora made it added significantly to its value.
The more Julian ate, the happier he felt. It truly was the feeling of home, a blissful sensation.
As he was nearly finished eating, Mrs. Hill suddenly remembered something. “Sir, this morning I saw that scoundrel Hayden dropping Miss Aurora off at work!”
Julian’s smile froze on his face. “Hayden?”
“Yes, yes, isn’t it strange? He bought a house right next to Miss Aurora. Doesn’t that seem like his feelings for her haven’t died?”
“Alright, I understand,” Julian replied, having guessed the reason. It was likely because Aurora’s car had been taken home by Cameron, and recently, he had been the one taking her to work.
This morning, when she left, she saw him sleeping soundly and didn’t want to disturb him, which gave Hayden the opportunity.
Julian checked Hayden’s profile and noticed he had posted a picture of a sandwich, identical to the one Julian had just eaten.
Clearly, it was made by Aurora. Julian felt a twinge of jealousy but knew he should trust Aurora.
After all, they had a sweet past together, and if old feelings were to rekindle… Julian’s face darkened at the thought.
That Hayden! If he harbors unrelenting feelings, then he can’t blame me for being ruthless.
Julian dialed Aurora’s number, and her gentle voice came through, “Does it still hurt?”
Hearing her voice was like a cure-all, immediately dispelling his irritation.
How could he doubt her? Aurora was clear about her feelings. If she truly had feelings for Hayden, why would she keep him around?
“It hurts, hurts terribly,” he said with a tone of self-pity.
“Is it that bad? Then I’ll come back right away and take you to the hospital to see a doctor. I thought the doctor yesterday seemed unreliable.
What kind of doctor takes photos of his patients to post online? He must have mishandled it,” Aurora’s voice grew anxious.
“I’m just teasing. I’m not that delicate. If you want to ease my pain, come back and give me a hug,” Julian’s features relaxed.
“Who jokes about their own health?” Aurora’s tone was slightly reproachful.
“Who took you to the office this morning?”
“Hayden. It was hard to get a taxi here, and I forgot to tell Cameron to come,” Aurora responded without hesitation.
Hearing her straightforward reply, Julian felt somewhat ashamed of his earlier suspicions. “Did you give him a sandwich? I saw he posted about it.”
“He asked for it when I was leaving. He actually posted it? I wouldn’t have given it to him had I known,” Aurora sounded somewhat helpless.
She had thrown away her old SIM card three years ago and hadn’t re-added Hayden after getting a new number, so she couldn’t see Hayden’s post.
She suddenly realized, “Julian, are you upset? I only took his car this morning because I didn’t want to be late for work. I won’t do it again.”
“How could I be mad at you? It’s just annoying that Hayden showed off with your sandwich.”
“I’ll be more careful.” Aurora knew how possessive Julian could be.
“You better get back to work then.” Julian was no longer upset after hearing her voice.
“Yeah, take care of yourself. Don’t go to work today. How about I come home early and cook dinner?”
“Okay.” Julian nodded obediently, looking childlike in front of Aurora.
The call ended and his smile returned as he went back to his room to change clothes before heading out.
“The president, are you heading to the company?” The driver had been waiting outside.
“No, I’m going to visit the Alvarez family.” Julian got into the car directly.
Since Hayden still harbored feelings for Aurora, Julian decided to leave him with nothing; how could he dare to reappear in Aurora’s world then?
This fire, Julian would extinguish himself, lounging back lazily in the car seat.
“Yes.” The driver was puzzled; Mr. Barnet usually detested anything related to the Alvarez family. Why would he suddenly visit them?
The car slowly drove into the grand mansion of the Alvarez family, a place far busier than the Montgomery family estate.
Joaquin had three sons; the first two were now over fifty, and only Julian was his late-life child, the one he cherished and resented the most.
His other sons were unremarkable and unfit to inherit the Alvarez family legacy, except for William’s son, Hayden, who had always been outstanding.
Hayden was set to inherit, provided Julian voluntarily relinquished his claim.
If it came to comparing his grandson and son, Joaquin obviously felt closer to his son, coupled with his guilt towards Julian, he had always wanted to make amends.
Julian, however, despised the Alvarez family and wanted no part of the so-called compensation, having broken away many years ago to make his own way. His current status had nothing to do with the Alvarez family, and he had not returned for many years.
Upon his arrival, Hayden’s mother’s face fell.
What did his return signify? Was he back to contest the inheritance?
“Julian, what wind blew you here? After all these years, we thought you’d forgotten this home.”
“You wish I’d never come back, Mary, but whether I return is not for you to decide. Where is dad?” Julian walked past her coldly.
“Dad is tending to the flower bushes in the small garden. You upset him so much last night he almost passed out. You should be nicer to him, considering his age. If something happens to him…”
“Wouldn’t you just love that?” Julian continued towards the small garden without stopping.
The woman was furious but helpless, fearing the worst now that Julian had returned, perhaps to challenge for his rights to the inheritance.
She hurriedly called Hayden and others, urging them to come back quickly.
Julian moved slowly through the mansion, a stark contrast to Aurora’s sweet memories at Montgomery Manor. For him, this place was filled with only sorrowful memories.