The expression on Julian’s face instantly froze.
His grip slipped, and he nearly dropped his phone.
It took him a long time to suppress his pounding heart and feign composure.
“Which little girl? There were so many people there, explain it clearly!”
He had heard the cleaner mention the little girl who shined shoes.
He also knew that the only person shining shoes at the time was Chloe.
But what if the cleaner was mistaken?
On the other end of the line, the cleaner frowned, held her breath, and took a few steps closer, looking carefully before speaking again.
“The girl doesn’t look very old, but her body is so decomposed that her features are completely unrecognizable.”
“But… but she has a christening locket on her, engraved with the name Bennett…”
Bang—
It felt as if something had suddenly exploded in Julian’s chest.
His eyes instantly turned red. He shot up to his feet, stumbling in a blind panic and nearly falling over.
He didn’t even know how he managed to speak.
“Look closely again. Does that christening locket really have the name Bennett on it?”
“If I find out you’re mistaken, or if you’re lying to me, you can forget about ever staying in Seattle again.”
He only had one thought in his mind right now: get to the yacht immediately.
He was in such a panic that he sprinted to his car without even changing out of his slippers.
But just as he was about to get in, Corey bounded over like a little bunny, sweetly hooking her arm through Julian’s.
“Julian~ Where are you going? Didn’t you promise to take the day off and go shopping with me today~”
Julian didn’t even glance at Corey, blurting out with a vacant look in his eyes.
“Something happened to Chloe.”
Corey pursed her lips, stunned for a moment, before speaking in a serious tone.
“Did the cleaner call to tell you that my sister… died?”
“I got that call too.”
Her voice grew increasingly urgent.
“But Julian, think about it. Chloe has been waiting to come home for five years. She was just about to get what she wanted, so how could she possibly be dead?”
“I bet she’s just doing this so you’ll feel more sorry for her when she comes back. That way, she’ll have more leverage to bully me…”
As she spoke, her voice began to tremble.
“I really can’t bear to think about how I’m going to survive from now on.”
“Julian, I just want to live in peace.”
She bit her lower lip, tears streaming down her face.
Anyone would feel their heart ache at the sight, let alone Julian, who loved her so dearly.
He pulled Corey into his arms, taking off his glasses to rub his tired eyes.
He must be out of his mind, he thought, to have actually believed such a clumsy lie.
Chloe would stop at nothing to get what she wanted; she was capable of anything.
But he never expected her to go as far as faking her own death to deceive him this time.
Julian secretly made up his mind. Once he brought Chloe home, he would keep a strict eye on her. This time, he had to discipline away the unruly nature she had picked up at the orphanage.
As the soft little figure in his arms continued to sob, his heart melted completely, aching for her.
He gently patted Corey’s back and coaxed her softly.
“No one will ever bully you while I’m around. I promised I’d protect you for the rest of your life.”
Floating in the air above them, my chest felt hollow, yet it still ached terribly.
Those words seemed to overlap with what my brother had told me the very first time we met.
“Come home with me. I’ll protect you forever, and no one will ever bully you again.”
