Chapter 2
The words dropped like a bomb, silencing the entire mansion.
All eyes locked onto me.
The rich boy had been biting his tongue since we arrived.
Now he snapped to his feet and argued with his brother.
The room erupted into chaos.
I sipped cold tea, the chill sliding down my throat.
I knew it would be messy the second I saw Julian Hale at the door.
But this was just an act. Julian digging up old dirt didn’t hurt me.
While they fought, I excused myself to the bathroom and replayed why I’d come.
Jasper Hale had dated a regular girl, but Mrs. Hale disapproved.
So he hired me–even poorer–to come home and rebel.
Stay two days and one night, annoy the family enough, and I’d get paid and leave.
Julian’s words were accidentally helping my case.
Cold water ran over my palms.
Jasper and Julian didn’t look identical, but I could see the family resemblance in their features.
The Hale family.
So this was the wealthy life Julian had hidden from me.
I waited a while, thinking the fight would die down, then stepped out.
I ran straight into Julian’s gaze.
He stood down the hall, watching me silently from a distance, his eyes dark and unreadable.
That look was weirdly familiar.
Julian had never admitted we were dating in public
Whenever he caught someone confessing to me, he’d stare at me just like this.
I suddenly realized Julian wasn’t joking when he told me to break up with his brother earlier.
Chapter 2
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I looked away and kept walking, pretending I didn’t
Two steps later, Julian let out a cold, mocking laug
“Lina. Three months.”
“I’ve been waiting for you to come back.”
“So you already found someone new?”
