Juliette shook her head briefly and cleared her throat softly. She observed every detail of the mask in her hand before looking up. Her eyes focused on Leo, who was busy unlocking the apartment. Juliette bit her lower lip and tried to remain as calm as possible.
“Leo?” Then Juliette saw the door finally open, and Leo walked into the unit, followed by her behind him.
She watched as Leo placed the keys in the key holder before setting the bag on his back down on the floor.
“Yeah, Julie?” Leo paused for a moment to look at Juliette before walking towards the living room and flopping down on the sofa.
Not knowing what to ask about the mask in her hand, Juliette chose to say, “Can I stay at your apartment?” She needed to find out more about the mask in her hand involving Leo. Juliette didn’t want to jump to conclusions just because of a mask. It was possible that Leo had the same mask as Master D. Masks like this weren’t unique in the world, so Juliette shouldn’t think negatively.
Leo looked directly at Juliette and smiled, extending his arms to signal her to come closer. “Of course you can, but isn’t that a problem? I’m sure your family will be worried, especially after you were in the hospital.”
Juliette shook her head and walked toward Leo. Her hand reached out to take Leo’s hand before she sat down beside him.
“No. It’s not a problem.” Juliette paused for a moment and glanced back at the mask in her hand, then waved it in the air so Leo would notice what she was holding. “Whose mask is this? It’s really nice. It must be expensive.”
A soft chuckle escaped Leo’s lips.
“Ah, this… “Leo took the mask from Juliette’s hand. He examined it for a moment before continuing, “… this mask belongs to Dion. He entrusted this to me. He said it’s very important and should not be seen by others.” Leo shrugged casually as he placed the mask on the table.
“I don’t understand why this mask is so important.”
Dion? Juliette unconsciously swallowed. Her heart instantly raced, and she felt her palms starting to sweat with cold sweat. Was there a reason that man-No! That couldn’t be! If Dion was the one… then-Juliette tugged at her hair in frustration, and Leo noticed her movement. “Juliette? What’s wrong?”
Blinking rapidly, Juliette turned her head toward Leo. Instantly, her hand grabbed Leo’s large, warm hand, and before she could stop herself, Juliette whispered, “Help me…”
Leo tensed immediately. His body stiffened, and his eyes looked at Juliette, who clearly seemed very distressed. It was as if something had caused the woman to change in an instant. He stood up and pulled Juliette with him, then led her to his room. Once they were safely inside the room, Leo saw Juliette sitting on the edge of the bed, sobbing quietly. “Julie? Honey? What’s wrong?”
But doubt suddenly arose. Even if Leo wasn’t Master D, and Juliette told him everything that happened to her boyfriend, would that psychopathic man know everything? Juliette looked at Leo and opened her mouth but then shut it tightly again. This process repeated several times until Juliette finally found the courage to speak.
She knew that by telling what had happened, she was indirectly dragging Leo into Master D’s radar and endangering her boyfriend’s life. Still, Juliette didn’t have to explain in detail, and at least Leo would know a little of what had happened to her. That was all Juliette could do since she had already hurt Leo. She should have trusted her boyfriend and asked for his help.
“Julie?”
“Leo… someone… he’s stalking and terrorizing me…”
“What do you mean, Julie?”
Juliette opened her mouth to say something but stopped when her phone rang loudly. Instantly, Juliette’s breath caught in her throat, and her lips thinned. With her body trembling, Juliette walked to the door and opened her bedroom door. She approached her bag lying on the sofa and took her phone out of it.
A sigh of relief slipped from her lips when she saw the name ‘Mama’ along with her mother’s photo displayed on the screen. Juliette swiped the green button and brought the phone to her ear. “Hello, Mom?”
“Julie? Where are you?”
“I’m at Leo’s apartment. I’m going to stay here.”
There was some noise on the line before her mother replied, “No. Not tonight, Julie. You have to come home.”
“Is something wrong? A problem? Mom?”
“I’ll tell you when you’re home. I’m waiting for you, Julie.” After that, the call disconnected. Juliette furrowed her brow and turned to Leo, who was leaning against the wall. Juliette put her phone back in her bag and walked toward Leo.
“I guess Meryl asked you to come home.”
With a brief nod, Juliette hugged Leo’s body. “I’m sorry, Leo.” Leo chuckled softly and wrapped both arms around Juliette, returning the woman’s embrace. He kissed the top of Juliette’s head.
“If this keeps up, I think I might have to clear out my apartment.”
“Hmm… how long has it been since you were last in your apartment?”
“Since Anthony’s death.” Juliette distanced herself from Leo but didn’t let go of her embrace around the man. “I miss you.”
Leo smiled and replied, “I miss you too, Julie. You haven’t explained what you just told me. I’ll be waiting.”
Juliette nodded. “Yes, I’ll explain as soon as I can.” Deep down, Juliette realized she was being selfish by involving Leo. Still, she couldn’t keep all of this to herself forever. Sooner or later, she would go crazy, and Juliette didn’t want that to happen.
No, not until she knew who Master D really was.
.
.
Juliette stepped into the foyer of the mansion and was immediately greeted by a crowd of people. All the mansion staff had gathered and were competing to see. Juliette didn’t understand why the staff was acting so irrationally. Her brow furrowed slightly, and she slowly walked toward the main source of the commotion.
Juliette pushed through the staff until she reached the front. With a brief nod, she asked the guard trying to block the staff at the door to let her through. Juliette initially didn’t understand, but when she was inside the living room where all the De Lavigne family members were gathered, she immediately felt the tense atmosphere. But that wasn’t the only thing that caught her attention; it was a woman sitting on the sofa right next to Robbin.
The woman had blonde hair and very clear blue eyes. Her face was lightly made up, while her lips were painted with bold red lipstick. Her body was clearly very proportional, like a model dressed in a formal dusty purple suit dress. Overall, the woman was not ordinary and was very classy. Standing next to her, Juliette felt so ordinary.
“Julie? Thank goodness you’re here.” Meryl stood up from her chair and walked toward her only daughter. She took Juliette’s hand and led her to the center of the room.
“What’s going on, Mom?”
Meryl pursed her lips in discontent and glared at the woman sitting upright as if she belonged in the De Lavigne family. “A problem,” Meryl whispered to her daughter.
“So? What are you going to do, Robbin?” asked one of Robbin’s uncles, George. “You know what that woman said is true. You have to marry her to take responsibility.”
Juliette saw Robbin’s jaw tighten and then glanced at his clenched fists. Although he appeared calm and indifferent, Juliette knew Robbin too well. He was holding back his anger. Juliette didn’t know what had happened, but whatever it was, it must have been significant enough for all the De Lavigne family members to gather, except for Daisy and her parents. “I will not marry her.”
“Why not? Robbin. The child she’s carrying is your child. We have seen the proof.” Juliette’s eyes widened in shock, and she instinctively turned to her mother, who wore a worried expression. She saw her mother glance at her, then nod briefly before looking back at Robbin, who was still sitting calmly on the sofa. She could hardly believe that the woman was pregnant and carrying Robbin’s child! How could Robbin be so careless?
If this was the problem her mother had mentioned on the phone, then this was a serious matter. Robbin couldn’t just marry someone randomly and then have a child born out of wedlock… Robbin’s status would be threatened, and another cousin could replace them. So there were only two possibilities for Robbin: marry that woman before their child was born or abort the pregnancy, but Robbin would never choose the second option. He wouldn’t have the heart to kill an innocent fetus.
Robbin gritted his teeth hard and, in a deep and piercing voice, replied, “She is indeed carrying my child, but that doesn’t mean I will marry her.”
“Yes, we know that, but why is that?”
Robbin paused for a moment, then, with a cold and emotion-laden tone, answered, “Because I have another woman I love. I intend to make her mine.”
“Robbin?”
Suddenly, Robbin stood up and shot a deadly glare at the woman sitting arrogantly. “You will stay here tonight. Tomorrow, you will abort your pregnancy. Here.”
“Robbin!” This time, Meryl reprimanded him firmly. “Stop!”
“Don’t say anything. This is my decision, and no one can change it.” After saying that, Robbin walked out of the room, leaving everyone sitting in silence.
They were all taken aback; Robbin had made such a decision.
Juliette was left speechless, shocked by Robbin’s decision.
.
.
“Julie?” Juliette opened the door wide and stepped inside. She saw Robbin sitting on the sofa in his room with a crystal glass containing alcohol in his hand. Initially, the man stared at the wall with a blank expression. Still, upon seeing Juliette’s arrival, he turned his head toward her and mumbled her name with his baritone voice.
With a small smile, Juliette walked over to Robbin and sat next to him. Her hand reached out to take the crystal glass from Robbin’s grip and placed it on the table. “Hi, Robby. How do you feel?”
“Messy. Very messy.”
“What happened?”
Robbin shrugged indifferently. “I don’t know. Suddenly, that woman barged in and yelled my name. Then she said she was pregnant. It caused quite a commotion.”
“And then?”
“I didn’t believe it and ordered Aldrich to call the family doctor to do an examination and then a DNA test at the hospital. The results came out after dinner, and the child she is carrying is mine.”
Juliette didn’t know what to say. Wasn’t that a good thing? Okay, Juliette understood Robbin’s position and feelings because, after all, the woman carrying his child was a stranger. Still, they could get to know each other. Besides, Juliette knew how much Robbin wanted a child, and a child was a blessing from God. “But isn’t that what you wanted?”
“Not from a stranger whose name I don’t even remember!” Robbin suddenly said, raising his voice. “I want my child to be born from the woman I love.”
Hearing that, Juliette was taken aback. She didn’t expect Robbin to raise his voice at her, but she set that aside, realizing where Robbin was coming from. She decided to change the topic of conversation.
“Speaking of which, you never told me. So who has stolen the heart of my super cold brother?” For a moment, Robbin’s gaze changed, and a mysterious smile appeared on his handsome face.
“Robby?”
“You’ll find out later.” Robbin stood up and glanced at the watch on his wrist. “You should get some rest; it’s already very late. Do you want me to walk you to your room?”
“No, thank you. Good night, Robby.” Robbin only responded with a brief nod.
Juliette walked out of Robbin’s room and headed to her own. She missed her cat and wanted to hug her pet tightly. Juliette missed Pure and wanted to play with him since her cat had been away from her because she had been hospitalized. She hummed softly. Her mood was quite good because Master D hadn’t haunted her today, giving Juliette a taste of normalcy.
However, that thought was shattered as soon as she opened her bedroom door. Juliette screamed and fell to the floor when she saw blood splattered on the floor and her bed. She cried hysterically upon seeing Pure’s lifeless body lying tragically on the floor.
Her scream was so loud that it drew the attention of the De Lavigne residents. Robbin, who was getting ready for bed, immediately ran out of his room and approached the source of the sound, stopping abruptly when he saw Juliette sitting on the floor with tears streaming down her face. “Julie? What’s wrong?”
“Ette? Honey, what happened?” Meryl yelled from a distance. Robbin ignored Meryl and approached Juliette, then hugged her tightly.
“Juliette, tell me what happened…” Robbin murmured in Juliette’s ear, and slowly, Juliette stretched out her hands and pointed toward her room. She began to sob loudly again, and occasionally, Robbin saw Juliette take deep breaths as if she were suffocating. Robbin followed Juliette’s gesture and bit his lip at the horrific sight before them.
Meryl, who was also nearby, gasped at the sight of the blood splattered everywhere. “Pure…” Juliette whispered, filled with sorrow.
Robbin tightened his embrace around Juliette and effortlessly lifted her into his arms. He carried Juliette to her room and laid her down on her bed. Soon after, Meryl came in to comfort her only daughter. “Robbin, who do you think could have done this?”
Robbin ran his fingers through his hair in frustration and replied, “I don’t know; we will find out.” Then Robbin called Aldrich. He ordered him to gather the staff, clean the room, and check the CCTV to see who had committed such a heinous act.
“Julie… shh… calm down…” Robbin whispered. He sat at the edge of the bed and held Juliette’s trembling body.
“I’m going to step out for a moment. Robbin, don’t leave Juliette for even a second, okay?” Robbin nodded in understanding. Then Meryl leaned down and kissed Juliette’s forehead before walking out of the room.
After Meryl left, Robbin gently rubbed Juliette’s head and back, trying to soothe her, and it seemed to work. Juliette’s sobs began to subside, and when Robbin looked again, Juliette’s eyes were closed, although her breathing was still irregular. “Pure… he’s dead…”
“I know; I’m also sad to see this… who would do this to such a cute animal as Pure?” Robbin asked softly.
There was a moment of silence. Robbin thought Juliette had fallen into a deep sleep, but unexpectedly, when the woman took a breath and whispered, “I know who.”
“Julie?”
Perhaps because Juliette was on the brink of consciousness and her feelings were tumultuous, she inadvertently opened her mouth. “Master D. The crazy psychopathic man who is stalking me.”
“Julie? What do you mean?”
“The insane man who stalks me and makes my life miserable. He is the one who killed Pure, Tamara, Henry. Everyone who knows of his existence in my life.”
“You-”
“I hate him so much, Robby. I hate him so much that I feel like I want to kill him with my own hands.” After saying that, Juliette fell asleep, and her breathing became regular.
…