Aurora stood frozen in the center of the room, realizing that last night’s incident wasn’t a figment of her imagination where she mistook Eric for Julian.
“Was it you last night?” Aurora asked, still in disbelief.
Julian, seeing her dumbfounded look-a rarity for Aurora, especially when she was about to fight him with a large vase-curved his lips into a mischievous smile and beckoned her over.
Drawn as if under a spell, Aurora walked towards him. Julian took the vase from her hands and with his damp hands, gently ruffled her hair.
“What? Are you disappointed it was me?” he teased, fully aware of Aurora’s thoughts.
“Julian, it really was you,” Aurora finally relaxed, embracing him tightly, and Julian returned the embrace with equal fervor. He knew her grimacing had been because she feared it had been Eric last night.
“Lucky for you, Little Bunny, you still have some conscience.”
Aurora was terrified.
“Julian, if I really became impure, would you despise me?” She dared not even think about what might have happened last night. Three years ago, she had escaped a dangerous man due to her strong physique, but last night, she had been drugged and powerless.
Holding her close, Julian kissed her hair.
“Little Bunny, unless it was your choice, if you were forced, I would only feel heartache and blame myself for not protecting you.”
He was confident this time because he had been prepared, his influence and resources enough to keep Aurora safe.
Hearing his words, Aurora managed a slight smile, though she felt incredibly wronged thinking about the past.
“It’s all your fault. Why did you go to New York without saying anything? You’re a grown man; did my scolding shatter your heart? Do you know how much I missed you? How worried I was? You big jerk!” Aurora reflected on her days without Julian, living like a soulless zombie.
Catching her small fists that kept hitting him, Julian brought her fist to his lips.
“Silly Aurora, it’s my fault, I was wrong. But I was never angry with you.”
Aurora blinked her large eyes, “If you weren’t angry with me, then why did you leave for New York without a word?”
“If I hadn’t left you, how would Eric, that old fox, have shown his true colors?” Julian finally revealed everything.
Aurora’s eyes widened.
“You knew he harbored ill intentions towards me?”
“You, Little Bunny, sometimes I think you’re quite clever, but you’re still naive, believe it or not. From the first time I met Eric, I felt his gaze on you was different. They say women have strong intuition, but men do too.”
Back then, I warned you to steer clear of that man. As time passed, he gradually endeared himself to you, making you lower your guard and see him as a relative. You never considered him in a romantic light, and he precisely exploited this perception to manipulate you.”
Aurora was dumbfounded.
“So, was our fight that day a deliberate act on your part?”
“No, at that time I wanted to explain things to you. Although I had someone investigate Eric’s background, we had not got the results yet. Even though I found him odd, that feeling was merely my own. How could I present it to you as evidence? You might have thought even more that I was narrow-minded. When you accused me of being selfish, I didn’t say anything. I was trying to figure out a way to show you his true nature. That’s why I staged that whole scene, Little Bunny. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you in advance. If I had, it wouldn’t have seemed genuine, and Eric, being extremely cunning, might have continued to wear his gentlemanly facade. You might never have seen his true face, Little Bunny. Please don’t think of me as cruel. I did what I did to show you that some people are not as they appear,” Julian explained his plan in detail.
At that moment, Aurora fell silent. She had previously ignored his advice, even thinking him overly possessive. Recalling how he had hesitated to speak, Aurora felt terrible! She had actually insulted Julian for a man with devious intentions.
“I’m sorry, Julian. I was too arrogant. I thought he was my cousin. How could a cousin harbor such improper thoughts towards his cousin?”
“Silly Bunny, if villains had ‘villain’ written on their faces, then no good people would ever be deceived. I’m still investigating Eric’s case. Now you understand you should listen to me, right?” Julian comforted her, patting her back gently, and Aurora nodded obediently in his arms.
“I understand now. Julian, you’re truly the kindest to me. From now on, I’ll always listen to you.”
Perhaps it was the guilt from misunderstanding Julian before, but Aurora was now extremely obedient.
“This obedient? Then give me a kiss first,” Julian teased, pointing to his cheek.
Without wearing high heels, Aurora was a bit shorter. She wrapped her arms around his neck, stood on her tiptoes, and earnestly placed a kiss on his cheek. In this world, perhaps no one else could be as kind to her as Julian was.